Revision of Extreme North Dakota Adventure Race (END-AR24) from Mon, 08/12/2013 - 15:59

 
You want tough?  You got tough.  
 

Race Summary:  Registration is open! (register here).

END-AR24 is hands down the hardest race in the state of North Dakota.  It is an extreme challenge of team-work that involved biking, trekking, and paddling through some of the most difficult terrain in the entire state for up to a full day.  Many races like to tout themselves as hard but don't deliver.  As a racer myself, I hate that.  As a race director, I never want to be 'that guy'.  That said, a good race isn't just comprised of insanely difficult obstacles or ungodly distances - at the end of the day it needs to be both a memorable and rewarding experience for the racers, whether they finish or not.  And of course, it needs to be tons of fun (although the types of fun may vary between participants).  So that is my goal in putting on this event.  It won't be for everyone.  It will be tough.  

Details: Updates provided via Facebook event page.

Date: August 24th/25th, 2013
 
Cap: Race will be limited to 30 paying teams.  Teams receiving free entry will not count towards this cap.  The race is expected to fill up.
 
Registration fee:  $130 pp (before June 1st), $145 pp (before July 25th).  $155 (after July 25th).  Last-minute drop in price! Registration closes at midnight on the 22nd of August or when the cap is reached. 
 
Location: Pembina Gorge, near Walhalla, ND. 
 
Entry Includes:  One Heck of a course, all mystery challenge equipment, swag, post race meal, and a fantastic prize pool.  
 
Categories: 3/4 person coed (premiere), 3/4 person all male (open), 2 person open, 2 person coed.  There will be additional categories created for 3/4 person all female and 2 person all female teams if we recieve 3 or more entries in each category.  If there are fewer than three entries then these teams will compete in their respective coed categories for category prizes and placings.
 
Schedule: Race check in starts early on Saturday.  Race starts at 2 PM.  Finish is at 2 PM on Sunday.  Civil twilight lasts until 9 PM and begins at 6 AM, so get ready for 9 hours of darkness!
 
Disciplines: All three main AR disciplines (trekking, biking, and paddling) will be well represented.  We're getting back tot the roots of AR - minimizing the logistical circus that often accompanies races these days.  Paddling will be via packrafts; teams will get first hand experience with why these boats, even the cheap ones, are such versatile pieces of adventure equipment.  Teams will need to provide thier own bikes, packrafts, paddles, and PFDs.  For those unfamiliar with packrafting, check out some of the videos in on our resource page.  The boats come in a wide range of prices - from $15 Walmart boats to nearly indestructible $500 Alpackas.  Almost any version will suffice for this race, but it will pay to be familiar with your boat going in so as to know its strengths and weaknesses.
 
Paddling will be on a mix of reservior, moving flat water, and class I to easy class II whitewater.
 
Mt. Biking will be a mix of gravel road, double track, and ATV trail (much of which feels like single track.  There will be little to no pavement.  Expect to gain and lose elevation as you make repeated climbs out of the miles long 400' deep Pembina Gorge.  There may be one or more section of hike a bike depending your riding skill.
 
Format: The race will have a format that allows both novice and experienced teams to challenge the same course.  There will be a time cut off at a CP about two thirds of the way through the course. Teams not meeting the cutoff will be short coursed, skipping an approximately 4 hour section.  Teams who are short coursed will be ranked behind all teams that get any checkpoints on the full course.  Experienced teams gunning for the podium will need to visit all the CPs on the full course.  Newer teams just hoping to complete the 'hardest race in North Dakota' may end up doing the short course or just some of the full course.
 
Scoring:  Teams collect a point for each checkpoint (CP) they visit during the course.  Some CP's are optional so that slower or less experienced teams can still complete the course by opting out of these as they see fit.  Teams are ranked based on score.  Teams with the same score are ranked based on finish time.

Refund Policy: Sorry, there are no refunds of your registration fee if the race happens.  In event of severe weather, a modified course may be offered on the same day or an alternate date chosen.  Registered racers unable to make the new date would be offered credit towards another ENDracing event in an amount equal to 75% of the registration cost.  If the event is cancelled entirely due to weather or natural disaster, all registered racers will receive the 75% credit.  In the extremely unlikely event that the event is cancelled for other reasons (lack of participant numbers, for example), full refunds will be provided, of course.
 
Other Details: TBD
 
Past Races
 
 
 
2010* Results, Photos (Set 1, Set 2), Video (one, two), Race Description
 
2009* Results, Photos
 
*9 hour events
 

All profits from this event - and all ENDracing events - will help support Ground UP adventures, a local North Dakota non-profit dedicated to bringing adventure to the region's youth and larger communities.