Fifteen years ago, my wife, teammate, and co-director, and I embarked on an epic journey that has brought us to this moment in the PA Wilds. Abby and I began our adventure racing career together as weekend warriors, participating in local six-hour multi-sport events in county parks near our home in Philadelphia. Little did we know that our entry into the sport would propel us into one of the world’s most amazing, vibrant communities of outdoor enthusiasts.
Within a few years, we were competing in the National Championship, a race our team has since won twice. We started directing races for the GOALS Adventure Racing Association before branching out and starting our own event promotion company, Rootstock Racing, a 501(c)3 non-profit that hosts events throughout Pennsylvania. We have joined the board of the United States Adventure Racing Association and raced in over a dozen Adventure Racing World Series (ARWS) events: nonstop multi-day races around the world, from Tasmania to India, from Scotland to Alaska.
Adventure Racing is, perhaps, the world’s best-kept secret. Part wilderness-based triathlon, part Amazing Race, and part team expedition, adventure racing sees teams of racers run, bike, and paddle through an unmarked course, using only a map and compass to complete each stage of the event. These races run continuously for the duration of the event. Most participants push themselves through the night, forgoing sleep to reach the finish line.
A typical adventure racecourse is divided into stages, each section involving one of the core disciplines: trekking, which typically sees racers traveling on the trail and off of it; mountain biking, which sees participants riding varied surfaces including pavement, dirt roads, and trails; and paddling, on still water or moving. Teams must work together, traveling together for the duration of the event (adventure racing is not a relay) and managing the incredible highs and lows that come with the totally immersive wilderness-based experience that the sport offers.
Embedded within each stage of the race are checkpoints that teams must navigate to as they work through the course. Using map-and-compass navigation skills, teams search for these checkpoints in a unique journey of their own making, exploring the land in a way they never have before.
Along the way, teammates must contend with physical and mental fatigue, manage their nutrition and sleep, and support each other through the inevitable challenges that emerge over the course of a long expedition. As many experienced racers note, these events manage to compress a year of emotions and experiences into a short week of adventure; they often prove transformative for those who compete, regardless of whether they reach the finish line.
Before 2020, we at Rootstock Racing had directed and designed multiple events on the eastern fringe of the PA Wilds. Then the COVID-19 pandemic gave us the opportunity to explore further west. We spent endless hours with our two young kids, hiking through the vast state forests of northern Pennsylvania. In our adventures, we stumbled upon an incredible map of the PA Wilds.
It was then that our long-standing daydream of directing a multi-day race began to more firmly take root, and the Endless Mountains was born.
First and foremost, we want to share the PA Wilds with our amazing adventure racing community. The sprawling swath of the Allegheny Mountains, the cascading creeks and scenic rivers of northern PA, the incredible industrial history of America’s past, and the magnificent, diverse wildlife all make the PA Wilds an outdoor mecca worthy of a premier expedition race such as the Endless Mountains.
Due to the emphasis on navigation in adventure racing, we can’t divulge details of the racecourse before the event, but we are able to announce that the inaugural edition of the Endless Mountains Adventure Race will be based out of Clarion, and participants completing the whole course will have five days of non-stop racing to travel approximately 350 miles. For less experienced teams, there will be short-course routes that cut some of those miles down, but everyone who lines up at the start will have an unforgettable experience exploring one corner of this amazing outdoor playground. Each subsequent edition of the event will take racers on a different journey through a different part of the state.
For those adventurous souls, early registration for the Endless Mountains closes on January 1, 2022, but teams can register through the winter unless we reach our current capacity of 50 teams. Rookie racers can find resources aimed at those new to expedition racing on our website. For those interested in adventure racing but not ready for a multi-day race, we are exploring an option to host a six-hour beginner race alongside the Endless Mountains, in the general vicinity of the course. We hope to publish more information about that sometime early in 2022.
Running an event of this magnitude also requires committed volunteers to make sure that the race runs smoothly, day in and day. For anyone interested in being part of the race without having to travel the course, check out our volunteer information page, and reach out. We would love to have you!
Thank you to our amazing partners at the PA Wilds for believing in the Endless Mountains Adventure Race. We are so excited to share our state’s amazing outdoor spaces with adventure athletes from across the continent. Thank you also to our partners from Clarion River Brewing, Dirtbags Bikepacking, Lupine Lighting, Press House Coffee, the Adventure Race World Series, and the United States Adventure Racing Association. Support from partners like these allow us to offer our participants the best experience possible.
Brent Freedland brings fifteen years of competitive adventure racing experience and a decade of course design to Rootstock Racing. He has competed in more than 100 events, ranging in duration from six-hours to seven-days, and he prides himself on his mastery of the maps. His experience as lead navigator translates into an impressive level of detail in his course design. Brent is able to see the big picture of a race and works hard to develop a course that is at once accessible to less experienced racers and challenging for seasoned athletes. He values route choice, creativity, and well-placed checkpoints.
Author: Guest Contributor
The Pennsylvania Wilds is home to more than 2 million acres of public land, 50 state game lands, 29 state parks, 8 state forests, 2 National Wild & Scenic Rivers, abundant wildlife, hundreds of miles of land and water trails, some of the darkest skies in the country, and the largest elk herd in the northeast.
The PA Wilds team is grateful to share the many stories of this region through the words and images of our talented guest contributors.