I've never been disappointed with a Rootstock race: great course design and logistics, great pre and post race organization, and always challenging.  Looking forward to competing in their first expedition-length event:  the five-day Endless Mountains Adventure Race!

-mark lattanzi, Team tanz navigation

Pennsylvania offers endless mountains to explore, filled with wildlife, sweeping vistas, cascading waterways, rich history of our nation's complex industrial past, and rugged (and often rocky) terrain. It is a perfect setting to challenge veteran adventure racers, and it offers a great entry point for those ready to take on their first expedition race.

Teams of 2-4 will have five days to complete a 325-mile/525-kilometer course, exploring the sprawling, majestic PA Wilds region, comprising more than two million acres of land spanning one national and eight state forests, twenty-nine state parks, fifty state gamelands, and countless towns and villages nestled in the mountains and valleys of north-central PA. Teams will encounter local history, paddle scenic waterways, climb and traverse rocky ridges and mountainsides, and trek and bike through some of our state's most remote forests.

Along the way, teams will work together to overcome the challenges that only expedition races can bring: being tested to the physical and mental limits with challenging overland navigation, wild terrain, and weather that can tame even the most hardened outdoors enthusiasts. It is in those moments where the best stories are written.

Dates
Saturday, June 24 - Sunday July 2, 2023
​
Preliminary Schedule:
  • Saturday-Sunday, June 24-25: Teams arrive
  • ​Sunday, June 25: Registration, gear checks, pre-race briefings
  • Monday, June 26: Race starts (AM, exact time TBD)
  • Saturday, July 1: Race finishes (AM, exact time TBD)
  • Saturday, July 1: Post-race ceremony (PM, exact time TBD)
  • Sunday, July 2: Teams depart

Teams
​Team Composition: Single-gender and mixed-gender teams of 2, 3, and 4*

While we honor the desire to explore on your own, this event is not open to solo racers. If you are a solo competitor looking for a team, consider posting on the Adventure Racing Discussion Group, on our facebook page, or contact us directly.
​​
*Top prizes (cash purse, full podium prizes) will only be available to the premier division teams: four-person, mixed-gender. 

Location
Event check-in and all pre-race activities will take place at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, home to the Little League World series. From there, teams will be bussed to a remote start location and the race itself will largely route teams through the incredible PA Wilds.

Disciplines
  • Trekking/Running: trails, bushwhacking, overland travel, forest roads, and jeep tracks. Expect rocky terrain and wet feet. You may also encounter short stretches of pavement.
  • Mountain Biking: single-track, forest roads, paved roads.
  • Ropes: The 2023 event will likely include top-rope climbing (easy-intermediate [5.4-5.8] level climbs) and rappelling. At this point, all team members can expect to do some combination of top-rope climbing, rappelling, and potentially belaying. These will be optional checkpoints so teams not comfortable on ropes may still complete the mandatory course. Details TBC.
  • Packrafting: flat water and up to class I and II-; teams without packrafts who are unsure of whether they can or will invest in them may still participate, but they will be unranked. 
    • ​Water levels in PA's waterways tend to be low during the summer; accordingly, all paddle sections of the 2023 course will take place in packrafts. We anticipate that 80-90% of the paddling mileage will be floatable in tandem packrafts. The remaining 10-20% may be a bit bonier and better suited for single rafts. Solo paddlers may still encounter some sections where they will be in and out of the water.
    • We have developed alternate route options, should water conditions be too low to paddle.
  • Navigation: Overland, wilderness-based map-and-compass navigation using USGS topographic maps; urban navigation; maps will be printed in a variety of scales, likely ranging from 1:5000 - 1:50,000. We will also supply teams with supplementary, overview maps of relevant forests and parks that will be useful!

Prizes
Premier Division (4-Person, mixed-gender teams):
  • Podium
  • Two randomly drawn cash prizes for remaining full course teams; all divisions are eligible ($1,000 prize for each drawing)
  • ​Points toward the USARA national points series
  • Potential additional in-kind or cash prizes, pending sponsor support

Other Divisions:
  • We will rank non-premier teams in three divisions, regardless of team size: Female (teams of 2-4), Male (teams of 2-4), and Mixed-Open (teams of 2-3)
  • Credit to future Rootstock Racing events for division winners
  • Potential additional in-kind prizes, pending sponsor support

Safety and required certification
Required: WFA Certification
During the Endless Mountains, teams will be in remote wilderness environments, sometimes far from EMS assistance, and may need to be self-sufficient for extended periods. As a result, we are requiring that at least one member of each team hold a WFA certification or higher (standard Red Cross First Aid will NOT suffice).

WFA (Wilderness First Aid) and WFR (Wilderness First Responder) are industry-standard wilderness-based first aid courses for outdoor enthusiasts and professionals. Being able to take care of yourself or a teammate is critical, and in a multi-day expedition race each team should know how to manage a variety of common wilderness-relate scenarios that may unfold in remote settings.

WFA courses are commonplace and typically take a weekend to complete. WFR courses are quite a bit longer in duration but are truly incredible experiences and prepare you to more fully respond to backcountry emergencies. A number of organizations offer WFA and WFR courses, but the recommend industry-leaders are: SOLO, NOLS, and WMA. Collectively, these groups organize hundreds of courses across the country every year. 

Recommended
We encourage teams to consider investing in river-paddling safety and skills courses such as the American Canoe Association's (ACA) Level 3 River Safety & Rescue course and ACA Level 3 River Kayaking (or equivalent). The conditions are such that we are not requiring proof of training or skills, but we recommend building such skills into your toolbox.

Friend of Rootstock Racing and fellow adventure racer Eric Caravella is an ACA-certified River Safety and Rescue instructor, who offers packraft-specific skills and river safety training courses through his company, Packrafting Adventures.