COURSE DISTANCES

 

We are working on the course design but we anticipate the following distances (all final distances and such will be communicated to teams before race day): 

 

20-30 miles of biking 

15-25 miles of paddling 

25-35 miles of trekking  

 

The distances for the paddling and trekking may vary quite a bit depending on route choices, navigation, race goals, strategy, etc. With that said there will be a minimum amount of paddling that will be required, distance TBD.  The rest will be up to you…. 

 

The overall distances may seem low for a 24-hour race. Keep in mind that the biking mileage will be low versus most races of this length, with the paddling and trekking miles higher. There will also be substantial off trail travel that will be slow moving especially during the over night hours. 

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DISCIPLINES

 

Navigation: The entire course will be full on map and compass navigation. No GPS’s allowed. Please make sure at least one person on your team is competent and comfortable navigating. 

 

Trekking: You can expect a fair amount of trekking for this race, with a substantial amount of off trail travel. On more than one occasion, you MAY be carrying all of our paddle gear with you on your back. Packraft, paddles, PFD, etc. Please be prepared for this and make sure you have the right pack set up to move through the woods. You will NOT be required to carry your paddle gear on other sections of the course outside of the paddle/trek leg(s). For instance, there may be some trekking legs where no paddle gear is required. 

 

Biking: While not the star of the show for this race, there will be some biking and it will be required to get through the race course. Make sure your bike is in good working condition. You can expect to be riding on trails, pavement, dirt forest roads, fields, etc. You must have biking gear and there will be a minimum amount of biking required on the course. YOU WILL NOT BE MOVING YOUR BIKE IN A BOAT AT ALL ON THE COURSE. The biking legs will be completely separate from the paddle/trekking legs. 

 

Paddling: The course will be designed with packrafting in mind and will be scouted and vetted with a packraft. We will allow you to bring kayaks or canoes if you do not have access to packrafts; however, your ability to take on the entire paddle/trekking legs may be limited, but  doable, and you will still have a great time! The other legs of the race such as the biking and trekking will not be affected by bringing a kayak/canoe. You MAY also be required to stage your boats on the race course before the race starts and pick it up after the race ends. WE WILL NOT MOVE BOATS, and you will need to factor this into your planning on either end of the race. We will provide more details on this as we finalize the course. 

 

There will more than likely be some substantial travel with your boats on land, on several occasions. FUN! Packrafts are designed for this. Your ability to move a kayak or canoe overland will be limited, thus limiting your ability to acquire some checkpoints in an efficient and timely manner. Portaging your boats may be possible in some areas, but not all. There may be several miles of in the woods travel with your boats as the most ideal and efficient route; this will make portaging pretty much impossible. However, there will also be numerous options to acquire points in a kayak and canoe, so that is why are are allowing these boats. Your overall ability to win the race, be competitive, etc, will be hard without a packraft but taking on the race will be doable and you will still have a great time. It all depends on your race goals and expectations. Questions? Please reach out to us and we will be happy to answer what we can. 

 

Paddle gear: You will be required to bring all your own paddle gear including paddles, PFD’S and paddle bags for transport on the course. All paddle gear must fit in a paddle bag and this bag may be moved on the course for you.

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RACE MAPS

 

Teams and solo racers will receive one sets of maps.  You will have the option of buying a 2nd set of maps when you register. Maps will be custom made and printed on water resistant paper. All points will be pre plotted. Most maps will be 11x17 but there may be a map or two on 8.5 x11. The scale on the maps may vary from 1:12,000 to 1:25,000. 

 

PRIZES

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Prizes will go to the top three teams in each division. 

• Solo Male, Female, Non-binary

• 2 Person Male, Female, & Coed

• 3/4 Person Male, Female, & Coed

 

LODGING

 

Fairy Stone State Park has some great cabins for lodging. We highly recommend making reservations has soon as possible. There are not enough cabins for everyone and we expect the race to sell the park out for the weekend. Unfortunately, the camping in the state park will not be open race weekend. The campground in the park is undergoing a major renovation and will be closed until 2026. There are several other camping options in the area and around the lake that you can look into. There is also the usual selection of AirBNB’s in the area. The nearest town with lodging is Martinsville or Rocky Mount with the standard hotel/motel chain options.​   State Park Reservations​

 

RACE DAY WEATHER

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A 24-hour race in March? Won’t it be cold? Well, you would think so, but these days, who knows….. It is the first few days of spring, and while we do expect the overnight hours to be chilly, for the most part this area of southern Virginia tends to be a bit warmer than the northern parts of the state. With that said, per usual for races these days, please be prepared for anything when it comes to temps and race day conditions. Expect the best, prepare for the worst. Make sure you have the appropriate gear and clothing to keep you warm, safe and dry. 

 

ANTI-DOPING

 

“As a USARA-sanctioned event, we adhere to USARA’s anti-doping policies. It is your (the athlete’s) responsibility to uphold the integrity of the competition and reputation of adventure racing as a clean sport through educated use of supplements, medicines, and other treatments and to understand what is permissible according to USARA standards. In addition to contributing to a level playing field for all competitors, USARA’s policies are designed to help athletes learn more about the medications, substances, and methods they use for the sake of long-term health. We encourage you to spend some time reviewing USARA’s stance on the importance of Ant-Doping, educating yourself through their collection of helpful resources, and understanding the consequences of doping infractions (medicinal, supplemental, or mechanical) by reviewing USARA’s dedicated page to Anti-Doping here.