2013 Checkpoint Tracker Championship Coming To Knoxville

Mark your calendars adventure racers. The 2013 Checkpoint Tracker National Championship is coming to Knoxville, TN October 10-12. As usual, the event will cap the Checkpoint Tracker adventure racing series and crown a national champion for the year.

This year's race will be a 30 hour event that will feature over 100 miles (160 km) of racing on a course that will include the usual trail running, mountain biking and paddling. But there will of course be a few new wrinkles added including cave trekking, orienteering and even shooting. The course is said to offer unprecedented access to the wilderness areas near Knoxville, offering up some surprises that will even surprise some of the locals.

Registration for the event is already open and if you register before June 7, your team will save $50/racer. With more than 30 teams already entered, the race already has some top contenders from across the U.S. And if you'd like a few tune-up races ahead of time, there are plenty of Checkpoint Tracker events taking place throughout the country this year.

Whether you're a veteran adventure racer or new to the sport, the CPT events are a great place to test your skills, meet other racers and experience some great outdoor environments. It's not too late to put a team together and enter a few races this summer.

Team Gear Junkie/WEDALI Wins Both North American Adventure Racing Championships

I'm not sure if it is a testament to how popular adventure racing is in North America or how disorganized it is, but there are two different National Championships each year. This can create some confusion and debate over who exactly is the "true" champ in any given year, with some deferring to the Checkpoint Tracker National Championships and others giving the nod to the United States Adventure Racing Association Championship. Both events are great and they both attract excellent teams, but this year there can be no debate over which event produced the best team as their champion. That's because the same team won both events.

The 2012 undisputed North American adventure racing champion is clearly Team GearJunkie/WEDALI. The team, which is based out of Minneapolis, MN, is made up of a number of excellent endurance and adventure athletes. The winning squad at the USARA race consisted of Captain Justin Bakken, Scott Erlandson and Molly Moilanen. Bakken also raced in the Checkpoint Tracker Championship where he was joined by Stephen Regenold, Kelly Brinkman and Thomas Puzak. All told, the team is made up of about 10 athletes who rotate on and off the roster based on the type of race they are competing in.

This is the first time that a team has won both of these autumn events, each of which falls into the 24+ hour category. Congratulations to the entire team on not only wrapping up the year by winning these two championships, but for putting together a great season overall. Well done!

Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing Championship Begins Tomorrow

If you're looking to get your adventure racing fix this weekend, look no further than the Checkpoint Tracker AR Championship, which takes place in Oak Hill, West Virginia starting Saturday. The event, which caps a full season of racing in North America, will pit some of the best teams from across the U.S. against one another on a 100+ mile (160+ km) course that is expected to take up to 30 hours to complete.

In addition to the usual trail running, mountain biking and kayaking sections, the race will also feature whitewater rafting, river boarding and an orienteering course. Participants will be competing as solo racers or on teams of two or four depending on the make-up of their squad, with all-male, all-female and coed teams scheduled to race. They'll all take to the starting line tomorrow at 10:30 AM local time and race through until the official cut-off at 2:30 PM Saturday afternoon.

The entire event will take place inside the beautiful Gauley River National Recreation Area, which is well known for its Class V+ paddling, deep gorges and remote wilderness. It should be a spectacular time to be there as the autumn leaves begin to change and the cooler air of the season moves in. Hopefully the teams will be able to take a little time to enjoy the scenery as the fly past it during the race.

Good luck to everyone this weekend. Race hard and be safe!

Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing Championship Info

The Checkpoint Tracker series of adventure races consists of dozens of great AR events spread out across the U.S. each year. Top teams can compete for points in those races then go head-to-head against one another in the annual championship race which will be held in West Virginia in September. Earlier today I received the following note from race management that will certainly be of interest to adventure racing teams looking for a great challenge this fall.

With 200 points on the line, and because it serves as the final tie-breaker, the 2012 Checkpoint Tracker Championship will play a critical role in determining the overall standings for the 2012 season...but the field is not limited to teams competing for points and rankings!! 

With no qualifying requirements the race is open to every adventure racing team and anyone with an adventurous spirit, no matter your motivation. 

Maybe you want to toe the line with the best racers in North America to see how you stack up. Perhaps just finishing the nearly 100 mile course is your goal. 

No matter what moves you, we invite you to experience the exciting culmination of the 2012 adventure racing season at the Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing Championship presented by Swiftwick.

Join us the weekend of September 28th at the Ace Resort in West Virginia for 30 hours of non-stop racing followed by the Swiftwick Afterparty featuring live music, great food and drinks, door prizes and awards ceremony. 

With a professionally designed course managed by Odyssey Adventure Racing you are guaranteed a once in a lifetime racing experience set amongst the roaring rivers and brilliant fall foliage of beautiful Oak Hill, WV. 

We look forward to seeing you next month!! 

Register your team by August 31st and save $50 per racer.

 There you have it. Everything you need to know to compete in the Checkpoint Tracker Championship and if register before the end of the month, you'll even get a discount. Seems like a great deal for a great event to me.

Checkpoint Tracker Championship Set For Sept. 29 In Oak Hill, West Virginia

Adventure racing teams looking for a great race this year will want to mark September 29th on their calendars, as that is when the 2012 Checckpoint Tracker National Championship will take place in Oak Hill, West Virginia. The race, which will feature the usual AR disciplines of trail running, mountain biking and paddling will be 100 miles in length and take roughly 30 hours to complete.

Registration for the event is already open, and filling up fast, so if you're interested in racing in this event I'd recommend you sign-up ASAP. The course design and race management are being handled by Odyssey Adventure Racing this year and if you know anything about the sport, you know that they have a sterling reputation for putting on quality events.

The Gauley River National Recreation Area will be the setting for the 2012 edition of the race and we're promised plenty of Class III and IV whitewater for the kayaking and river boarding sections. A zipline will also be part of the course this year as well, adding another adrenaline inducing thrill to the event.

For more information click here.

Update: When I originally posted this story I noted that registration was already open. Early registration actually started today, June 18. Sign up early and receive a discount on entry, but early-bird discount ends on July 1.