Training Tips for Your First Adventure Race

Tips for expedition races

Speaking from my own personal experience with the Eco-Challenge, training must become your life to complete an expedition race. Its an all-consuming affair, and when the team isnt out training, theyre dealing with the overwhelming logistics associated with the race.

For expedition races, both skill and endurance training are critical. In addition to hiking, mountain biking and paddling, these races usually demand expertise in other disciplines such as fixed ropes, glacier traversing, scuba diving and horseback riding. Its essential for several members of the team to be skilled navigators.

Each team member should also experiment with food and equipment during their endurance-training sessions. By day three of a race, you wont want any more PowerBars and Gu, so its best to know what youll crave and what your stomach can handle.

Fortunately, the metropolitan D.C. area is a terrific place to train for all of types of adventure races. We have nearby rivers, mountains, forests and oceans, making it possible to develop skills, speed and endurance.

As my team trained for the Eco-Challenge, we would often paddle our canoes 16 miles down the Bull Run River and then hike back 18 miles on the Bull Run Occoquan trail to our put-in. Or we would mountain-bike 60 miles along the C&O Canal to Harpers Ferry, hike all night on the Appalachian Trail and then bike back to D.C. the next day.

We paddled 40-mile stretches of the James River and developed our technical mountain-biking skills at Gambrill, Patapsco and Fountainhead parks. We were able to practice ascending and rappelling on 160-foot cliffs at Seneca Rocks, W. Va. We bushwhacked and navigated our way all over the Shenandoah and Blue Ridge mountains.

Finally, we participated in local adventure races to get used to racing together as a team. Take advantage of everything this area has to offer, and above all, pick teammates that work well together. If you can run, hike, bike and canoe for a couple of hours straight, you can successfully complete and enjoy an adventure race.

Heres a cheat sheet on what you should be doing, depending on the length of your upcoming race:

Sprint race

  • Run three to five miles at least twice a week and do track speed work once a week.

  • Bike 10 to 20 miles two or three times per week.

  • Do a run/bike combo once a week.

  • Lift weights, focusing on upper-body strength.

  • Get comfortable paddling either a canoe or kayak. 
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    Mid-length race

  • Run five to 10 miles at least twice per week.

  • Mountain bike 70 to 100 miles per week.

  • Once a week, do a long training session including hiking, mountain biking and paddling (six to 12 hours) with a backpack.

  • Lift weights focusing on upper-body strength.

  • Take a land-navigation course.

  • Get comfortable hiking, biking and navigating in the dark.

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    Expedition race

  • Run, bike, paddle and lift weights a minimum of an hour a day, five times per week.

  • Once a week, do a long training session that includes hiking, mountain biking and paddling with a 20-plus pound pack (eight to 12 hours).

  • Once a month, do an endurance-training session that includes hiking, mountain biking, navigating and paddling with a 20-plus pound pack (24 to 48 hours nonstop).


    Find an adventure race and register online!

    Gear up for the challenge at the Active Sports Mecca

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