Maine Adventure Summer Race participants prepare their boats for a paddling challenge. Courtesy of Cliff White
Hundreds of outdoor enthusiasts will test their navigation, hiking, biking and kayaking skills while enjoying the natural beauty of Brunswick in the seventh annual Maine Summer Adventure Race on Saturday.
Other states have hosted Summer Adventure Races for several years, but Maine didn’t join until Cliff and Kate White moved to Maine from Wisconsin in 2016. Cliff White said they were shocked to learn Maine wasn’t a participant and began negotiations with local landowners. Past races have been held in South Portland, Gardiner, Augusta, Yarmouth, New Gloucester and Sebago, to name a few.
Racers can register for the 24-hour race, 8-hour race or 3-hour race, depending on experience level. This year, there are teams from 25 different states and 115 individuals signed up for both the 24-hour and 8-hour race and 50 for the 3-hour race. Teams made of three or four people will use compasses and muscles as they search for checkpoints and complete various tasks, including an oyster-shucking challenge.
“Racers don’t know where they’re going until they get their maps the morning of the race, and every year our course is completely different,” Cliff White said. “We describe adventure racing as ‘scavenger hunt meets team triathlon,’ but every checkpoint is optional, so it’s a sport that’s perfect for anyone who wants a fun day outdoors. We’ve had finishers as young as 3 and as old as 80, but we also have many of the top teams in the country attend our race every year.”
Shelley Koenig of Carrabassett Valley said she has competed in the race six times, but this is the third year she will be competing in the 24-hour race with her husband and two children — Team Scrambled Legs and Aching.
“In just a short, 24-hour period, we have so many laughs, sometimes tears, moments of triumph and other times struggle,” Koenig said. “These shared experiences bring people together. I have really enjoyed experiencing this with my husband and two kids as teammates — they are the best! It is amazing to see the independence and confidence these experiences bring about in the kids; plus, who doesn’t love a giant, adult Easter egg hunt in the woods?”
Koenig said the race brought her to some of Maine’s most iconic locations over the years, including Fort Gorges in Casco Bay, Mount Apatite, Bradbury Mountain and Lost Valley.
Former adventure racer and Camden resident Frank Boscoe said the event is well run and has fantastic food and prizes. He echoed Koenig’s sentiments about exploring extraordinary places, like “tiny islands out in Casco Bay, twisty tidal tributaries of the Kennebec and overgrown ruins of 18th-century gristmills.”
“The Maine Adventure race is the only one of its kind in the state — 24 hours, incorporating navigation, running, hiking, cycling and paddling. To me, the navigation element adds to the excitement and intrigue — a slower team can sometimes outsmart or outlast a faster one,” Boscoe said.
Cliff White said trophies and free entry to the U.S. Adventure Racing National Championship will be awarded to first-place finishers in each division. All racers will be entered into a large prize raffle as well for a chance to win donated items.
The best place to watch will be P-3 Park in Brunswick, next to Flight Deck Brewing, between 8-10 a.m. and 2-4 p.m., he said.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
