Revision of Extreme North Dakota Adventure Race (END-AR) from Thu, 01/30/2014 - 16:18

 
You want tough?  You got tough.  
 

Race Summary:  The 2013 race is over!  The 2014 race will be serving as the North American Championship race for the NAARS series and will take place in October in North Dakota's Badlands. It will up the ante with a 36 hour format and one of the toughest courses ever offered at a championship race. Are you ready?

END-AR 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: October 17-19, 2014.
 
Cap: Race will be limited to 40 paying teams over all categories.
 
Registration fee:  TBD
 
Location: North Dakota Badlands.  Race HQ will be historic Medora, ND.
 
Entry Includes:  One Heck of a course, canoes and equipment, post race reception, championship worthy prize pool (including cash), and a chance to see how you measure up against the best teams on the continent.
 
Categories: 4 person coed (premiere), 4 person all male (open), 2 person open, 2 person coed. 
 
Schedule: TBD
 
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 canoes and 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 (and paddling implement of choice).  Entry fee will include canoes and canoe gear. 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 and possibly flat moving water.
 
There is the possibility of a ropes course.
 
Mt. Biking will be a mix of pavement, gravel road, double track, ATV trail and single-track.  There will be approximately 50 miles or more of riding on the world class Maah Daah Hey trail.
 
Format: The race will have a format that allows both novice and experienced teams to challenge the same course. There will time cut offs at certain CPs throughout  the course. Teams arriving ahead of the cutoff will be allowed to pursue optional points, adding distance and difficulty to the race.  Teams missing the cutoffs will need to proceed along the mandatory course.  Experienced teams gunning for the podium will need to visit all the optional CPs (or try to!).  Newer teams just hoping to complete the 'hardest race in North Dakota', and the 2014 North American championship will just need to clear the mandatory sections of the course (which will still be plenty challenging!)
 
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.