BETHEL — It’s chaos, and that’s all part of Cliff White’s plan.

Whereas most races begin with competitors taking off from a starting line, the Maine Summer Adventure Race is not so. Instead, as they’re given the “GO!” command, athletes run to several race organizers holding course maps before heading in different directions to coordinate with their team members.

“Let the games begin,” said White, letting out a sigh of both excitement and relief as teams scrambled to plan and hit the trails around him.

It was the start of a chaotic 24 hours that are a product of a year’s work for Cliff and Kate White and their Strong Machine team. This year, they’ve taken on a new task, as the Maine Summer Adventure Race has traded its past homes in fields and by the ocean for the Western Maine mountains of the Bethel area.

The first Maine Summer Adventure Race was held in Jefferson in 2016. The race, which requires runners to capture more than 50 checkpoints during a 24-hour race that spans roughly 100 miles, later moved to New Gloucester and then to Brunswick before arriving in Bethel this year.

That move makes for a much different backdrop. In Brunswick, one of the primary challenges for contestants was navigating the Atlantic Ocean and Merrymeeting Bay. In Bethel, though, the mountains are the defining feature for competitors who have to tackle nearly 12,000 feet of elevation gain.

“This area is an absolutely fantastic place for adventure racing,” Kate White said. “The general trail-building efforts are really high here, and with the land-conservation efforts, you have a lot of nice pockets of nicely maintained forests. That and the mountains, rivers and hidden lakes, there’s so much to show racers.”

For years, the vast majority of the planning for that task fell to the Whites, founders of the nonprofit Strong Machine Adventure Racing. Kate and Cliff had to scope out trails, place checkpoints, manage permitting and gain approval for access to non-public lands.

In Bethel, though, the two have gotten a lot more help. Two other members of Strong Machine, Emily and Evan Moreshead, live in nearby Greenwood. The two came on as co-directors this year and used their knowledge of the area to help the Whites build an optimal race course.

“During COVID, we spent a lot of time outside exploring and trying to make the most of it, and we just discovered all these cool pockets,” Emily Moreshead said. “There are a couple private parcels (along the course) we had to use to link together, but we’ve pretty much been on everything to some extent.”

The course takes competitors all the way into Shelburne, New Hampshire, via bike before going as far north as Old Speck Mountain in Maine’s Grafton Township for the hiking trail. Other stretches include a bike along the Sunday River and a kayak paddle on the Androscoggin River from Bethel to Gilead.

“One of the great things we’ve found is that the state of Maine is very friendly to this kind of event,” Kate White said. “I think there are a lot of similar events in the state, and a lot of towns are just really excited to have us come in and use their trails and show off what’s cool about their area.”

Between the marquee 24-hour race and shorter 8- and 3-hour races also held this weekend, Kate White said the Maine Summer Adventure Race features approximately 340 competitors. The course, she said, will take those competitors nearly 96 miles should their teams execute flawlessly.

Even before they took to the course, some of the racers were thrilled about how it was set up. Derek Allison of New London, New Hampshire, said the course allowed for some flexibility and that it was the perfect setting for new teammate Lance Pinnock to make his adventure-racing debut.

“We’re kind of throwing poor Lance into the deep end and seeing how he survives,” joked Allison. “The course really allows you to adjust on the fly in a couple spots, so we’ve looked at some where we might cut points if we’re behind on time.”

White, who has been eying a competition in the Bethel area for a few years now, hopes to keep it here now that it’s arrived. Should that happen, Emily Moreshead’s expertise in mountain biking should only help what’s already a scenic course to improve even more.

“I’m primarily a mountain biker, so that helps,” said Moreshead, noting the area’s mountainous scenery. “The thing about an adventure race is you don’t use the same course every year, and in a place like this, there’s so much land you can use for courses.”