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Expedition Racing

Expedition racing is the long expedition-style form of adventure racing: teams navigate checkpoints and combine trekking, mountain biking, paddling and other disciplines over many hours or days. Map work, team decisions, mandatory kit and sleep/energy planning are central.

LevelVariant FamilyOutdoor Sport CategoryOutdoor sport

AI-generated illustration: Expedition Racing — AI-generated illustration

Classification

Category Outdoor sport

Family Outdoor Sport

Level Variant

Getting started

Kurzbeschreibung Long team multisport race with navigation, checkpoints, trekking, biking, paddling and mandatory kit.

Geeignet für Suitable for teams seeking endurance, navigation, outdoor decisions and shared persistence.

Cost A short 4-8 hour adventure race plus rental/team gear is the sensible entry. Bike, paddle/water gear by event, maps, mandatory kit, lights, food, travel and entry fees. Adventure-racing team, orienteering club, MTB/paddling group or USARA/ARWS-adjacent calendar. Do not recommend multi-day expeditions as first step.

First progress Short race after several weeks of team and navigation training; expeditions need much more experience.

Fitness level high

Was du brauchst

team
map and compass
trail/trekking kit
mountain bike
paddle gear by event
mandatory kit
lights
food

First steps

find a short adventure race
practise navigation
define team roles
train bike/paddle transitions
test mandatory gear

USARA/national calendar, ARWS regional race, orienteering club, MTB/paddling club.

Keep checking route choice, weather, water, night, emergency plan and team condition.

Weitere Angaben

Tags expedition-racing, outdoor-sport, expedition-adventure-racing

Rules and format

Die Grundlagen

Ziel

As a team, find checkpoints with map/compass and complete the multisport course legally.

Teilnehmer

teams.

Teamgröße

commonly teams of two or four by event.

Spielfeld

adventure/expedition racing area.

Dauer

Depends on format and event.

Wertung

checkpoints, time, cut-offs and penalties.

Gewinnbedingung

Best valid time, placing or score in the announced format.

Ausrüstung

map/compass
bike
paddle gear
mandatory kit
lights
first aid

Wichtige Regelpunkte

missed checkpoint
team separation
missing mandatory kit
entering forbidden area

Regelquellen

Federations and sources

Federations

Adventure Racing World Series (ARWS)
United States Adventure Racing Association (USARA)

What is Adventure Racing? Rootstock Racing · experience-guide · medium
Beginner's Guide to Adventure Racing USARA · beginner-guide · high
ARWS Resources Adventure Racing World Series · rule-resource · high