Adventure Racing is traditionally a team sport. Typically mixed gender teams of 3 to 4 people compete together as a group to tackle the long and arduous courses. In recent years there has been an increasing demand however for the sport to be open to soloists

With time dwindling, four teams: Adventure Enablers, Mercators/VERT, Women of AR and Team P.U.K.E. were still fighting for podium places. Teams Enabled Tracking and Mercators/VERT typically start races with the intention to clear every single point…

While many teams have already retired or decided to end their race with the last required point at TA4, a few dogged adventure squads said “no” to the warmth of the lodge and “yes” to more swamp trekking. Photos by Mariel Spano-Russel

Into the night, the Tug Hill Extreme Adventure race became a true test for teams. The navigation was tough. The terrain was subtle and racers sank up to their thighs in the thick marshy ground. Many beaver dams lie undisturbed in this area, changing the landscape with each new season.

Pictures by Mariel Spano-Russel

The rain-saturated course gave way to mud in many places, especially the riverbanks, which were caked in several inches of soft, greasy mud.

Photos of Stage 1 from course photographer Mariel Spano-Russel

Pictures by Mariel Spano-Russel

The first stage of the race was a 10-12 mile paddle down the Black River on the Eastern edge of the Tug Hill Plateau. Teams in fast boats made quick work of the stage but all teams suffered under the cold and rainy conditions.

At the base of a hydroelectric power station built into an existing waterfall on the Black River, teams assembled for the start of the Tug Hill Extreme 24 Hour Adventure race. This year the event began with a paddle mass start. As soon as all teams had found their start positions, the horn was sounded and they were off on an 11 to 13 mile paddle journey.

This is the last time these teams will have a chance to sit by the fireplace for the next 27 hours or so. Race starts at 10:30am and these are the teams taking on the 2025 Tug Hill Extreme:

These are the most up to date maps for the Tug Hill Extreme Adventure Race. This is all the teams will be able to use to navigate the entire course.

The whole course for the Tug Hill Extreme 24 hour adventure race is spelled out here

The 2025 Tug Hill Extreme adventure race is a BYOB “Bring your own boat” race. Teams may use whatever canoe or kayak setup they wish to bring to the race, opening the door for some very fast paddling teams.