2012 Adventure Race Guide: Southeast

Choose Your Adventure:

• Spartan Race • SCAR Adventure Race • Odyssey Sprint Adventure Race • Tough Mudder • Baton Rouge Urban Adventure Race Go back to the map >>

Spartan Race

The actual length of each Spartan race varies depending on which location you pick to participate. But, they mostly hover in the 4-5 mile range which means they're meant do be done as an all-out sprint rather than a long, drawn-out slog. The Spartan organizers manage to pack a lot of pain into those few miles, though, relying on the element of surprise and not disclosing the course map before you run the race. If you enjoy the torture that the Spartan Race offers, they also provide increasing levels of difficulty that you can subject yourself to. Tougher events include the Super Spartan, the Spartan Beast and ultimately the Spartan Death Race, which is held in Vermont and might actually kill you. Don't forget to sign the waiver. Get more information at Spartanrace.com Go back to the Southeast Adventure Race Guide >> Go back to the map >>

SCAR Adventure Race

June 17, 2012 Sanford, FL Every year, this variable-length adventure race is held on Father's Day and the organizers encourage people to get out and team up with their own dads. Beginners race a three-hour course, while elite racers can take on the six-hour challenge. The terrain is made up of local trails and waterways and the organizers provide boats for paddling the water sections. You'll have to bring your own bike, though. At the start, you're given a punch card that receives a stamp at pre-determined checkpoints. Missing checkpoints won't get you thrown out of the race, but it's bad for your overall score and time, so you're better off hitting them all. It's a great race to get started because it happens before the real hard core Florida summer heat starts to set in. Plus, it runs along the beautiful Wekiva River, so you can take in the scenery while you suffer through miles and miles of bodily punishment. Get more information at Pangeaadventureracing.com Go back to the Southeast Adventure Race Guide >> Go back to the map >>

Odyssey Sprint Adventure Race

July 21, 2012 New Castle, VA Kids as young as 12 can participate in this 25-30-mile race through the wilderness. Most of the course is marked, but some of it has been left up to you in order to help hone your skills with a topo map and a compass. The mountain biking is done over relatively simple trails and the paddling sections are done over Class I waters, so you won't have to navigate any nasty rapids. But, with all that terrain to cover, it's still an intense race. Finishing it should take between four and six hours and part of the money from registration fees goes toward a charity that helps ex-service men and women deal with the transition home. If you finish with a good time, or you get seriously bitten by the adventure race bug, the event counts as part of the Military Adventure Racing Circuit, so you can score points for the year long series by finishing the race. Plus, the race is held in an area that's fantastic for outdoor recreation, so if you realize that you're not an adventure racer, you can always pack the compass in the car and go do some fishing. Get more information at Oarevents.com Go back to the Southeast Adventure Race Guide >> Go back to the map >>

Tough Mudder

If you find yourself participating in a Tough Mudder event, be sure not to call it a "race" around the officials. This military-style obstacle course was designed by special forces soldiers and represents a personal challenge. Sure, they declare winners and they keep track of your time, but it's all in an effort to encourage people to push themselves. The events are longer than some of the other of their kind, often including thousands of feet of climbing and descending over the course of 10-12 miles. The obstacles are where the real fun comes in, though. Greased monkey bars, full-on blasts from fire hoses, hikes up steep grades while carrying a log, and a run through a gauntlet of live electrical wires are all part of the experience. Oh, and then there's the mud. If you cross the finish line, officials will hand you an orange headband and a beer. It's one of the fastest growing events in the country, so sign up early if you want to get a spot in the one closest to you. Oh, and throw a couple extra towels in your car for the drive home. Get more information at Toughmudder.com Go back to the Southeast Adventure Race Guide >> Go back to the map >>

Baton Rouge Urban Adventure Race

July 28, 2012 Baton Rouge, LA Urban adventure races can often be more like Easter Egg hunts than actual adventure events, but this one has everything you'd expect to find out in the wild, including biking and paddling sections. The course covers roughly 20 miles and includes a trip down the LSU river as well as a couple of mystery challenges designed to encourage racers to really get out and see the city. Registration is limited to 100 teams of three, which can be single-sex or co-ed. Of course, this is an urban race, so there is something of a treasure hunt component mixed in withe the racing. There are prizes for the top finishers, so even though it's a fun environment, those willing to really push themselves can reap some rewards. And because it's held in Louisiana in the dead of summer, there's plenty of potential for punishment. Get more information at Gulfcoastadventure.net Go back to the Southeast Adventure Race Guide >> Go back to the map >>

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