Shenandoah Epic Adventure Race

Preparations are underway for the Adventure Enablers 2025 running of the Shenandoah Epic 24-hour adventure race. The race is in its 14th year and is located in Front Royal, Virginia. The adventure race will start on April 12, 2025. Registration opens to all experienced and budding adventure racers on October 1, 2024.

The Shenandoah Epic is one of the longest-running 24-hour events on the East Coast of the US and usually sells out at 300 participants. Adventure racers can expect an exciting adventure filled with trekking, biking, paddling, and navigating through the Shenandoah Valley and Massanutten Mountain Range.

“Each year, we try to have some sort of twist in the Epic. This year is no different,” said Race Director Mark Harris. As with most adventure races, teams will not know the exact course until the day of the race. Harris noted, “For 2025, we will be extending the time the course stays open to 30 hours. The goal is to allow the middle and back of the pack teams to experience the whole course. We still expect the winning time to fall in the range of 22-24 hours. This approach to course design is much more in line with European and Oceania region-style courses, where there is more of a journey along the route, allowing all teams to experience the whole course rather than having numerous optional checkpoints to equalize faster teams as they traverse the course, as we normally see in US-style courses.”

“We will likely sell out again in 2025,” Harris added. “The Shenandoah Epic has proven to be a hugely popular, must-do event.”

Your Epic adventure starts in

Solo Or Team? Pick Your Choice.

$310 8:00AM EDT - 1:00PM EDT Price increases after October 31, 2024 at 11:59pm EDT

$285 8:00AM EDT - 1:00PM EDT Price increases after October 31, 2024 at 11:59pm EDT

Soloist
Two-person team
Three--person team
Four--person team

Super early registration $285.00 per team member & $310 for soloists until October 31, 2024.
Early registration $310 per team member & $335 for soloists until December 31, 2024.
Regular registration $335 per team member & $360 for soloists until February 28, 2025.
Late registration $360.00 per team member & $385 for soloists until close at midnight on April 4, 2025.

An $8 race day fee (or proof of USARA membership) is required by USARA and can be purchased during registration. If you are purchasing 1-day membership, choose April 12, 2025, as the start date for your membership.

Registration platform fees also apply.

Location: TBD
Friday, April 11, 2025
4:00 pm-8:00 pm: Packet pickup
or
884 Indian Hollow Rd, Bentonville, VA 22610
Saturday, April 12, 2025
7:00 am - 7:30 am

To make sure your zen and chi are intact on race day, we highly recommend packet pickup on Friday night.

During packet pickup, you will receive race numbers and SWAG. USARA fees of $8 for a one-day race membership, $35 for a yearly membership, or proof of USARA member

Boats will be provided. Two-person and three-person teams will get one canoe. Four-person teams will get two canoes. Soloists will get a kayak. Canoes will come with single-blade paddles. Kayaks will come with double-bladed paddles. PFDs will also be supplied. No outside canoes or kayaks are permitted. Outside paddles and PFDs are permitted. Canoes, paddles, and PFDs will be located at the canoe put-in. Canoes do not come with a middle seat. You will not need to portage the canoe for any great distance, and you will not need to carry your paddle gear for any distance.

There will be transition locations along the course. Logistics and transition staging will be released closer to the race date.

Main race rules are governed by the most current version of the ARWS Rules of Competition. These are supliimented by the General Race Rules and the final Rules of Travel distributed on race weekend.

The heart of a great event is its volunteers. If you have a passion for helping out and are interested in volunteering, we'd love to have you join the fun! Volunteer signup will be available closer to the race date.

Prizes will go to the top 3 finishers in each division.

Solo Male & Female
2 Person Male, Female, & Coed
3/4 Person Male, Female, & Coed

Special cash awards for KOM times in each division.

A post-race brunch will be served to help you refuel after your time in the in the woods.

We'll have a photographer on the course trying to catch you wincing, smiling with mud on your teeth, or trying to read a map folded to the size of a postage stamp.

2023 race photos can be found here.

2022 race photos can be found here.

Click here for information.

We have posted an extensive list of Frequently Asked Questions on the Adventure Enablers website. Please check this page if you have any questions regarding the race. If you don’t find the answer or need clarification, feel free to email info@adventureenablers.com.

The Shenandoah Epic is part of the following series. You will automatically earn points for each of the series by taking part in the Shenandoah Epic.

The Shenandoah Epic is one of 15 regional USARA qualifying events. By taking part in a USARA regional qualifier, 3/4 coed teams have a chance to earn a guaranteed spot to USARA Nationals in 2025 and a credit of $800 towards Nationals entry fees. Also, all teams also earn 5 bonus points toward the USARA series. There are only 15 events this season that offer this amazing opportunity so make sure you up your odds for points and prizes. You can read more about regional qualifiers here: https://www.usara.com/regional-qualifiers"

We are finalizing the design of the course, but you can expect:

25 miles of river paddling
25-35 miles of trekking
50-60 miles of mountain biking

Friday, April 11, 2025
Location TBD
4:00 pm-8:00 pm: Packet pickup and bike drop

Saturday, April 12, 2025
Downriver Canoe Company
884 Indian Hollow Rd, Bentonville, VA 22610
6:00 am-7:45 am: Transition setup
7:00 am: Map distribution
8:00 am: Race Start

Sunday, April 13, 2025
Downriver Canoe Company
884 Indian Hollow Rd, Bentonville, VA 22610
11:30 am: Post-race food and awards ceremony
2:00 pm: Course closes

Supplied Gear
Canoes, paddles, PFDs, race maps, race passport, ePunch, GPS Tracker, rules of travel.

Mandatory Gear
Mandatory gear will not be checked during check-in. Random checks on gear will be performed during the race. Penalty points will be assessed for any missing items. These items are not all-inclusive of items you will need to complete the race. You will be out in the elements for up to 20-30 hours. Bring other equipment as appropriate to get through the event.

Any style of bike is permitted. Racers must use the same bike throughout the entire race. In the event of mechanical failures, replacement parts can be used but they must be provided by the team, other racers, or an event official. No outside assistance is allowed. Bikes will not be checked for mechanical worthiness, but we recommend your bike be in good working order. The course contains a mix of gravel roads, smooth single track, technical single track, and hike-a-bike. Choose your ride wisely. Front suspension is highly recommended. Full suspension will be quite nice to have. No eBikes.

Maps will be at scales 1:24,000 with UTM grid markings along the edge of the map. Maps will be on waterproof paper. All
points will be pre-plotted. Maps will be distributed at 07:00 on April 12 at the race start location. Map and compass skills are necessary to locate most of the checkpoints. Teams will receive two sets of maps and soloists will receive one set of maps. Maps are 11x17 double-sided. No GPS devices are allowed.

Who's your competition? Click here to find out.

We're providing live tracking. Follow your faves the entire 24-hours. Also, with SportIdent ePunch timing, you will get results as soon as you crawl across the finish line. Post-race, pore over your split times for at least a week.

Shenandoah River State Park
Address: 350 Daughter of Stars Dr, Bentonville, VA 22610
Phone: (540) 622-6840

Low Water Bridge Campground
Address: 192 Panhandle Rd, Bentonville, VA 22610
Phone: (540) 635-7277

All racers will be required to purchase a race-day USARA membership for $8.00, already have a valid USARA membership, or purchase a 1-year membership ($35) at the time of registration. For one-day memberships, select April 12, 2025, as the date of registration for your membership start date.

As a USARA-sanctioned event, we adhere to USARA’s anti-doping policies. It is your (the athlete’s) responsibility to uphold the integrity of the competition and reputation of adventure racing as a clean sport through educated use of supplements, medicines, and other treatments and to understand what is permissible according to USARA standards. Even more important than contributing to a level playing field for all competitors, it is critical that you understand the long-term health issues that stem from improper use of supplements and medications; short-term rewards at the risk of compromising your long-term health are never worth it. We encourage you to spend some time reviewing USARA’s stance on the importance of Ant-Doping, educating yourself through their collection of helpful resources, and understanding the consequences of doping infractions (medicinal, supplemental, or mechanical) by reviewing USARA’s dedicated page to Anti-Doping here.