Maine Summer Adventure Race to offer taste of the Atlantic Ocean July 22

A scene from the Maine Summer Adventure Race in 2017. JS O’Connor photo

BRUNSWICK — Adventure racing is about to get a taste of the Atlantic Ocean, as the 2023 Maine Summer Adventure Race hits the beaches and waves for its seventh annual edition on Saturday, July 22.

The 3-hour, 8-hour, and 24-hour editions of Maine’s only U.S. Adventure Racing Association-sanctioned adventure race will take teams of two to four people on a human-powered scavenger hunt on foot, bikes, and kayaks, in a search for 60 checkpoints hidden in the woods and on the waters of a 120-mile unmarked course.

This year’s race will start and end in Brunswick with the race beginning and ending at P-3 Park.

The 8-hour edition, geared toward beginner- and intermediate-level athletes, will begin at 8 a.m., and the experts in the 24-hour race will set off at 10 a.m., and the 3-hour beginner/family race is scheduled for a noon start on July 22.

This year’s race will include off-trail trekking and road biking in the three-hour race, with the addition of optional mountain biking and sea kayaking in the 8-hour race, and all that plus an overnight orienteering trek for the 24-hour race. Teams must combine athleticism with strategy and navigation to guide themselves to as many checkpoints as possible within the race’s time limit, according to a news release from race co-director Cliff White.

The Maine Summer Adventure Race, sponsored by L.L. Bean, OutThere Packs, Pasokin Peanut Butter Snacks, Squirt Cycling Products, and Zanfel, is designed to be the premier one-day race in New England. The Maine Oyster Company will also be featured, with an oyster bar greeting finishers of the three-hour and eight-hour races and a shucking challenge awaiting participants in the 24-hour race.

For the second year in a row, the 24-hour race has earned the prestigious distinction of being named USARA Regional Championship, meaning the winner of this year’s race will earn a free entry to the USARA National Championship in Smugglers’ Notch, Vermont, on Sept. 15 and 16. Additionally, the 24-hour Maine Summer Adventure Race is part of the inaugural edition of the Adventure Racing World Series North America Regional Circuit, with a free spot at the 2024 Adventure Racing World Championships in Ecuador on the line.

“When people think of Maine in the summer, they think of the ocean. With racers coming from all over the country for this event, we plan on delivering on the race’s namesake this year,” White said. “Adventure racing is just like Maine in that it offers something for everyone. We’re hoping to deliver a perfect Maine summer day for all our participants.”

The Maine Summer Adventure Race is directed by the members of Strong Machine Adventure Racing, a nationally ranked adventure race team based in Portland, Maine. More information on the race can be found at MaineSummerAR.com or by searching for the Maine Summer Adventure Race on Facebook.