Adventure Race Disciplines

The core disciplines of an adventure race generally include some form of trekking (e.g., trail running, hiking, mountaineering, etc), mountain biking (sometimes on "not-so-bikable-trails"!), and paddling (e.g., sea kayaking, canoeing, etc). Frequently a race will also include rope skills (e.g., rappelling).

Some adventure races may incorporate unique disciplines-- including whitewater paddling, horseback riding, backcountry skiing, coasteering (unconventional coastline travel that requires swimming and boulder hopping)-- or other unpredictable challenges such as river crossings, whitewater swims, or obstacle courses. Course length can vary from 50 miles ("sprint races") to over 300 miles ("expedition-length races"). Well-known expedition-length adventure races include ECO-Challenge, Raid Gauloises, Southern Traverse, and the Beast of the East.