Adventure race events calendar

Depending on your definition of adventure, every event that we list could count as one - they all get you outside and active, and often involve exploring the great outdoors.

For a genuine, no-doubt, full-throttle adventure, though, these events have got you covered.

No two adventure races are the same - racing across the Highlands of Scotland by foot, bike and kayak is not the same as an eight-day slog across the wilderness of Patagonia, for example. What they all have in common is the thrill of exploration and the emphasis on being self-sufficient, often will a heavy focus on navigation.

Adventure races are multi-discipline events, which means that you'll complete the distance in a number of different ways. This could include: running, cycling (on or off-road), trekking, mountaineering, kayaking, swimming, abseiling, or really any other kind of outdoor activity that the organisers want to throw into the mix.

These events can be placed into one of four categories:

Sprint

The shorter end of the adventure racing scale, which essentially means anything that only takes a few hours to complete.

12-hour

As it says on the tin, these events will take half a day to complete.

24-hour

A full day of adventuring in the great outdoors.

Multi-day

This category ranges from two days of racing to 10 days or more, depending on the location and the challenge that's been set.

As they are so varied, adventure races are rarely about racing at all. Instead, they are about getting stuck in outdoors, sharing the experience with friends and creating some unforgettable memories.