US High School Adventure Racers take on ARWS North American Championship in Canada

Four high school students will take on their first overnight adventure race at the ARWS North America Championship, hosted by Wilderness Traverse

Wilderness Traverse, the classic 30-hour Canadian adventure race will be hosting the Adventure Racing World Series North American Championship in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada on July 26 & 27th, 2025. Thanks to the support of family, friends and the global adventure racing community, Maryland-based Team Full Steam Ahead will be on the starting line. Four high school students will be leveling up to take on their first overnight adventure race, racing alongside some of the strongest teams in North America.

How does Full Steam Ahead end up bound for a big race in Canada? It takes a village. In Spring 2025, word of the Full Steam Ahead AR club was spreading, supported by an appearance on The Dark Zone, a popular global adventure racing podcast hosted by New Jersey-based Brian Gatens. 

Gatens will be onsite helping with media at the ARWS NA Championship so after Wayne Leek from Wilderness Traverse heard the episode, he sent Brian a message: “Great episode. Are you bringing those kids to Canada?” Both men are passionate about adventure racing and well connected within the global adventure racing community. More messages and soon a plan was hatched: if Full Steam Ahead is ready for the challenge, perhaps the adventure racing community can help get them on the start line?

With a goal established, the team is stepping up. After initial discussions with Mr. Johnson to assess if the team was ready for the challenge (they are!), required buy-ins from families and the school were obtained and fundraising began to help cover team travel expenses. The four strongest athletes selected for the team began training in earnest, working on endurance and navigation, aided by Mr. Johnson. Additional training support came from adventure racing veteran Jesse Tubb, with other racers helping out with gear and advice.

With the team focused, the global AR community has stepped up to help make it happen. Every appeal was met with enthusiasm and a coalition of support came together. The team acknowledges and appreciates the various organizations and stakeholders below who are providing a variety of support, including contributing to help cover the race registration for Full Steam Ahead.

• United States Adventure Racing Association (USARA) - The national US organization for the sport recognizes the value of supporting and encouraging young adventure racers.
• Adventure Racing World Series (ARWS) - The leading global adventure racing series is proud to support and welcome this team to the North American Championship. It aligns with exciting upcoming ARWS opportunities for youth adventure racing.
• International Adventure Racing Association (IARA) - IARA is working to support youth AR initiatives around the world, to share best practices and help build on successes everywhere.
• Canadian Adventure Racing Association (CARA) - The national AR organization for Canada, CARA is pleased to welcome Full Steam Ahead to Canada and provide support for this team and build more support for youth racing in Canada.
• The Darkzone Adventure Racing Podcast (ardarkzone.com) is proud to have played a part in spreading good news like this and support initiatives to grow our sport.
• Adventure Enablers (adventureenablers.com) is North America’s leading adventure race tracking solution. They continue to support the adventure racing community and will once again be providing live tracking for Wilderness Traverse.
• Broad Run Off Road (broadrunoffroad.org), a regional event organization in the Eastern US have welcomed Full Steam Ahead racers to their events and are excited to support them as they level up. Proceeds from the upcoming Fall Foliage Adventure Race (Oct. 18, 2025 in Harper’s Ferry, WV) will go to support Full Steam Ahead programs.
• Wilderness Traverse (wildernesstraverse.com) is the presenting race for the 2025 ARWS NA Championships. Led by veteran racer and event organizer Bob Miller, the WT team are pleased to help get this team to the starting line and challenge them with a true next level adventure.

Visit wildernesstraverse.com and follow ARWS social media channels (@arwsnorthamerica, @arworldseries) on July 25-27 for live tracking of all teams, including Full Steam Ahead, and full coverage of the race.

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