Hurry before it gets cold.

August 24, 2010 6:03 PM

Help me find "adventure races" near Chicago.

In Texas I did the Caveman Crawl and loved it. I'd like to do more, but I'm in Chicago now.

Googling around I see that there are all kinds of adventure races centered around skiing, orienteering, kayaking, hiking, biking, or some combination. I'm open to trying any of these, except for skiing (I'm just not that good at it) as long as I don't have to provide the equipment if it takes any. Mainly, though, I'm interested in short to mid distanced footraces.

I also see that there are several websites claiming to be definitive sources that all list different races. Is there a relatively definitive site that tracks these things?

posted by cmoj to sports, hobbies, & recreation (6 answers total)

www.trifind.com keeps a good list of all kinds of races.

click on Illinois, scroll down and on the side bar you can click "adventure races"
posted by nanhey at 6:27 PM on August 24, 2010

The 2010 version has already happened for Chicago, but Warrior Dash runs a national series of races.
posted by Frank Grimes at 6:30 PM on August 24, 2010

Tough Mudder Midwest is scheduled for next July.
posted by djb at 7:58 PM on August 24, 2010

I go to Active.com first when I'm looking for a race, but I don't know enough to say if it's a definitive list or not.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 8:34 PM on August 24, 2010

I went to the High Profile Adventure Camp a couple years ago. They're a good place to get a feel for the scene. It looks like the race they sponsor is this weekend actually.
posted by tenaciousd at 11:11 AM on August 25, 2010 [1 favorite]

On the kayaking side, there's the Chicago Shoreline Marathon this weekend. Even the shorter 8 mile and 2x4 relay aren't really recommended for kayaking amateurs though since the lake's waves can be pretty dangerous.
posted by garlic at 3:32 PM on August 26, 2010