WHEN TO RACE
Plan your adventure racing trips around the best conditions. Pick a month to see where to go.
JANUARY
Southern summer with long days. Northern Hemisphere racing is mostly winter events and short races.
In the south: sun protection, light layers and plenty of water capacity. In the north: winter navigation practice and indoor bike and paddle training.
Use January to build base fitness and book entries; big races like GODZone fill fast once entries open.
- New Zealand
- Patagonia & southern Chile
- Southern Africa
- Andes (Ecuador, Colombia)
- South Asia (Himalaya)
SEASON CALENDAR
Peak adventure racing season by region. Plan the trip around the best conditions.
DESTINATIONS
7 of 22 in season in January. Each bar is the year, the season filled in.
In seasonAoraki/Mount Cook & Mackenzie Country
Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand
Base of GODZone Chapter 13 (Twizel, Feb–Mar 2027) and the Spirited Women race at Tekapo
In seasonNelson & Tasman
Top of the South Island, New Zealand
Home region of world champions Sophie Hart and Nathan Fa'avae; trails, rivers and coast close together
Marlborough
South Island, New Zealand
Hosted GODZone Chapter 12 (2025), finishing at Shelly Beach, Picton
In seasonTasmania
Tasmania, Australia
Rugged wilderness used by the Legend expedition race in 2025
Snowy Mountains (Kosciuszko)
Jindabyne, New South Wales, Australia
Alpine Quest expedition race returns in October 2027
Araucanía volcanoes
Chile
Tierra Indómita Vulcania crosses araucaria forest and glaciated volcanoes
In seasonNorthern Patagonia (Esquel)
Chubut, Argentina
XK Race Patagonia Esquel, a 500 km qualifier near Los Alerces National Park
Flinders Ranges
South Australia
Host of the 2027 World Rogaining Championships (16–17 September)
Bend
Central Oregon, USA
Home of Bend Racing, organizers of Expedition Oregon and the 2026 USARA Nationals
Bethel
Western Maine, USA
Maine Summer Adventure Race country; hosts the 2027 ARWS North America Championship
Massanutten & the Shenandoah Valley
Virginia, USA
Rocktown Adventure Race at Massanutten Resort and the Shenandoah Epic on the South Fork of the Shenandoah
Curt Gowdy State Park
Between Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyoming, USA
Cowboy Tough Adventure Race venue; Cowboy Tough hosted the 2017 World Championship
Algonquin Highlands
Ontario, Canada
Canadian Shield lakes and forest of Wilderness Traverse (150 km, 30 hours)
Hinton & Jasper
Alberta, Canada
Raid the Rockies (280 km, 3.5 days) is based in Hinton at the edge of Jasper National Park
Penticton & the Okanagan
British Columbia, Canada
Expedition Canada hosted the 600 km 2025 World Championship here
Corsica
France
Host of the 2026 World Championship, Corte to L'Île-Rousse (500 km)
Galicia
Pontevedra, Spain
Raid Gallaecia, a regular ARWS qualifier and the 2021 World Championship
Val d'Aran
Catalan Pyrenees, Spain
RAIDARAN hosts the 2027 ARWS European Championship from Vielha
Lake Saimaa
Savonlinna, Finland
Endurance Quest Saimaa, a 500 km lake-and-forest qualifier in August 2027
Drakensberg
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Expedition Africa 2026: 500 km with about 14,000 m of climbing
Réunion Island
Indian Ocean, France
Steep volcanic island that hosted the 2018 World Championship (Raid in France)
Cuenca & the Ecuadorian Andes
Ecuador
Huairasinchi territory; Cuenca was the base of the 2024 World Championship