Since 2010, Contour Adventures principal Bob Miller has annually hosted Wilderness Traverse (WT), offering a classic Canadian Adventure Racing challenge, with racers mountain biking, paddling and trekking through epic Canadian Shield wilderness a few hours north of Toronto, Ontario.
The thirty-hour event, supported by the Canadian Adventure Racing Association (CARA), will serve as the 2025 ARWS North American Championship. The growing regional race series brings together the best mid-distance adventure races in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The stakes at the championship race will be high: the winning team in the premier division will earn a free entry into the 2026 Adventure Racing World Championship,
Race Director Bob Miller’s AR background is extensive in both event management and world class racing. In October 2024, he led Team Canada Adventure to victory in the inaugural ARWS North American Championships and is excited to build on the success of that first event.
Bob launched Wilderness Traverse in 2010 looking to create the kind of race he would want to compete in. Using Ontario’s abundance of “crown” or public wilderness, courses have consistently delivered AR navigation challenges not usually encountered in a weekend race. Many racers who have developed skills racing WT in Ontario now adventure race around the world.
Miller shares “We’re excited to create a Wilderness Traverse worthy of a championship and challenging for our WT teams and the top North American racers we hope will join us. As for the course insights, racing in the Canadian Shield means you’ll want to be comfortable spending time with both your paddle and your compass.”
The previous 14 editions of Wilderness Traverse have been held in Ontario’s cottage country, a few hours north of Toronto, Canada’s largest city. The beautiful Canadian Shield wilderness has ample boreal forest, rugged trails and abundant lakes, rivers and canoe routes. For 2025, Wilderness Traverse is extending northward, exploring the adventure opportunities of the Sudbury region.
Built around a 1.8 billion year old asteroid impact crater, the host city of Sudbury is known for mining and unique lakes and rocky terrain within the city and beyond. Miller explains: “We’ve thought about coming to the Sudbury area for a while. You’re literally steps from exciting AR opportunities in every direction.” Visit https://discoversudbury.ca/ for more information.
2025 Wilderness Traverse is tentatively scheduled for the weekend of July 26, 2025, pending confirmation of final details. Registration will open on November 15, 2024 with more information on www.wildernesstraverse.com.
Traditionally, Wilderness Traverse takes place in late September, but the date has shifted to late July for 2025 to allow members of the WT community to compete in or support the 2025 Adventure Racing World Championship, also happening in Canada. Hosted by Expedition Canada in late September in Penticton, BC, the two events make for an exciting year for adventure racing in Canada.
ARWS CEO Heidi Muller is excited for 2025: “Both Wilderness Traverse and Race Director Bob Miller are known far and wide for adventure racing excellence. We were very excited to have them join the ARWS N. America series in 2024 and to have them host the regional championship in 2025. With this event and 2025 ARWC, Canada is going to be THE place for adventure racing in 2025!”
Any team competing for the free slot to the 2026 ARWS World Championship must also participate in one additional event in the North American Series during the 2025 season. The full ARWS N. America series calendar is available here.
ABOUT CONTOUR ADVENTURES: Contour Adventures is an Ontario, Canada based endurance event management organization. Founder and Principal Bob Miller has built on a world-class expedition adventure racing background, creating authentic endurance adventure events, including Wilderness Traverse, The Storm Adventure Race, and Summit700, a trail race at Collingwood’s Blue Mountain Resort.
ABOUT ARWS: The Adventure Racing World Series brings together premier adventure races from around the world to create a competitive series of Qualifier events that culminate in an annual Adventure Racing World Championship. Events can be followed online through reports, videos, images, and live GPS tracking through the ARWS website and social media. www.arworldseries.com
ABOUT CANADIAN ADVENTURE RACING ASSOCIATION: As the governing body of adventure racing in Canada, CARA’s mission is to support and work with Canadian race directors, racers, and partners to promote adventure racing in Canada and ensure its sustainability. CARA is also committed to the promotion of an environmental consciousness within the sport, and an increased emphasis on safe racing. www.canadianadventureracing.com
For more information, visit www.wildernesstraverse.com
Registration opens November 15, 2024.
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