Countdown to New England



A Team Multisport Event

Untamed New England is a team event, requiring teams of 2, 3, or 4 racers mountain bike, trek, paddle, orienteer, complete conservation projects, and rope challenges on their way to the finish line. 4-person teams are the main division for prizes and qualification for the Adventure Racing World Championship.

Team Paddling Skills Put to the Test

For whitewater sections of the race, some teams choose to portage their boats around the "excitement" . . . this photo shows the Berlin Bike / EMS team taking an aggressive line down river. The pristine lakes and rivers of the region make up key elements of the race course, and teams will paddle canoes and/or kayaks at Untamed New England.

Dramatic Rappel Far Above the Forest

Don't look down . . . but 100s and 100s of feet below is the forest canopy New England is famous for. Untamed New England racers complete rope activities such as rappels, and exposed cliff faces such as this one in Maine set the stage for the excitement.

Environmental Conservation As Part of the Race

Teams complete environmental projects while they're on the race course. This photo shows a team working on a stretch of natural history trail for the town of Berlin, NH. These activities require teamwork and problem solving: the clock keeps ticking while doing these projects, so the more efficient teams can gain an advantage here.

Leanne Mueller ATP/Salomon from Canada & USA (ATP/Salmon)

"I've done many races on American soil, and not one of them gave us the true wilderness experience that Untamed New England delivered . . . I am going to highly recommend this race to everyone up here!"

Scott Pleban ATP/Salomon from Canada & USA (ATP/Salmon)


"That was amazing. A true world class course.
The beauty of route choice and off-track trekking, with real nav involved!"

Mark Bottomley Team Endurancelife from UK (Team Endurancelife UK)

"A very beautiful and mysterious location, with some wonderful wildlife (moose and the real “trouser filler” for us: a sighting of a huge bear less than 75 meters away!); a very tough and interesting course layout, which showed off New England, and it’s people, to the very best."

Jonathan Neely GOALS ARA from USA (GOALS ARA)

"Adventure Racing doesn't get any better than unsupported, multi-day racing in stunning terrain with challenging navigation and Untamed New England really delivers."

Patrick Willcock HRAdventure from USA (Patrick is from South Africa) (HRAdventure)

"This race has moments of flat-out racing, technical & awe inspiring natural challenges, moments requiring pure survival instincts, peace in the quiet of the night, & feelings of great accomplishment at the top of another hill! It is a whole lot of real living compressed into 3 days."

Brian Schmitz Dirty Avocados from USA (Dirty Avocados Adventure Racing)

"Untamed New England was an amazing experience! The local terrain was spectacular; the rugged course was super challenging; and the organization was second to none. This race was definitely worth the cross-country trip to get there!"

Frederico Tiago XPD Portugal Team from Portugal XPD Portugal Team

"Great course, beautiful landscape, and wonderful people ... definitely one of the best times in my life! You will not regret being there!"

Alexandra Kamin Area Goats from USA Area Goats

"I have not stopped thinking about Untamed New England. I loved every minute of it, I'm serious; it hurt and it was hard, and I had some serious stomach issues going on, but it pushed me to limits mentally and physically, and it was fun, I feel honored to have been on the same course as some of the best in the world."

"That was amazing. A true world class course. The beauty of route choice and off-track trekking, with real nav involved!"
-- Scott Pleban ATP/Salomon from Canada & the USA, ATP/Salomon
"Adventure Racing doesn't get any better than unsupported, multi-day racing in stunning terrain with challenging navigation and Untamed New England really delivers. "
-- Jonathan Neely GOALS ARA from USA, GOALS ARA

View all testimonials →
Quick Race Summary
  • Race date: August 12-15 2010
  • Race location and host hotel: the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire. More about the race location can be found here.
  • Race duration: 3 days
  • Team composition: 2, 3, or 4 racers of any gender. The "premiere division" for prizes is 4 person coed. Note: only 4-person coed teams are eligible for the AR World Series prizes.
  • Race disciplines: paddling, mountain biking, trekking, fixed ropes, conservation projects, and navigation throughout the race including technical orienteering. For more details, see below.
  • Support crew: no support crews will be allowed, but we will have a "friends & family" program available for those wishing to closely follow the action but not render assistance to teams. No outside assistance is permitted. Teams will turn-in gear bins at the race check-in; these bins will be staged for teams at specific locations along the race course. Don't count on seeing those gear bins very often, however -- maybe even just once during the race!
  • Required gear: refer to the gear list for the specifics. You should also review the gear bin requirements.
  • For registration details visit the registration specific page.
  • Official race rules are available here.
  • Race format: traditional "first across the finish line" wins. There are 2 mid-race cut-offs, approximately 36 hours into the race and 45 hours into the race, that will route slower teams on to shorter & easier routes; this keeps the race from being 5-days long for an inexperienced or slower team. There are no optional checkpoints except for a section near the end of the race where teams can earn time bonuses for visiting optional checkpoints. Besides this final area of the course, there are no optional checkpoints and everyone can focus on just racing the same course and beating the other teams and course cut-offs.
Untamed New England is proud to be an AR World Series event and a qualifier for the Adventure Race World Championship. The AR World Series is a circuit of premiere adventure races creating a 12 month calendar of professional events around the world. A world champion will be crowned at the 2010 Adventure Racing World Championship in Spain in October, and podium finishers at Untamed New England will qualify for this Championship race!

For three days, August 12-15 2010, teams will race non-stop through the mountains, rivers, and forests of Untamed New England. They must travel under their own power. Teams will navigate with map and compass through pine forests, wetlands, and mountains; paddle rivers fed by melting snow; bike staggering mountain passes and twisty trails; dangle from ropes on exposed cliff faces.

The racing is non-stop until they cross the finish line. There are no aid stations, no support crews, no specified "rest" periods; it's just the team, totally self-sufficient, against the Untamed New England course.


Race Discipline Details

  • Mountain Biking

      Teams will mountain bike on a variety of surfaces; asphalt vehicular roads, gravel jeep roads, and technical singletrack may all factor into the course. Racers are required to use a mountain bike -- no road bikes -- , ride with a helmet at all times, and have a front and rear mounted safety light (full details in the gear section).

      Teams should expect the unexpected, including some portions that may not be rideable (hike-a-bike) and even bike-&-tie.

        Bike & Tie is where a team has fewer bikes than they have racers -- the key to making bike-&-tie work is in the "leapfrogging", where one teammate rides ahead and drops the bicycle. For example, if you figure that it is 1 mile from where you are standing to where your next checkpoint is, one teammate would start on the bicycle, ride 1/2 mile, drop the bicycle and continue on foot. The other teammate would start off running, find the bicycle 1/2 mile down, and ride to the checkpoint. If both teammates are of even running and biking abilities they should arrive at the checkpoint at nearly the same time. If one teammate is a substantially stronger runner it may make more sense for that person to have a shorter time on the bicycle.
  • Paddling

      The race will include significant paddling sections, on both flat and moving water. Teams should be prepared for up to Class 2+ water in some cases and possibly night paddling. There also could be portaging opportunities for teams.

      The specific boats are being finalized (such as canoes and/or kayaks) and we will update this area soon as our plans are complete.

      The race will provide watercraft for teams; this includes basic PFDs and basic paddles. Teams are welcome to bring additional paddles, pfds, and canoe seats but it will be your responsibility to fit them into your allotted gear bins or plan to carry them as needed. We will not be transporting additional paddle gear beyond what fits into the gear bin requirements.
  • Trekking

      Trekking will figure prominently in the race course. The term "Trekking" can mean running, hiking, walking -- in essense travel on foot.

      Some of the trekking will be on trails . . . some of the trekking will be off trail.

      The race is projected at 170+ miles (one could plan on 50 trekking miles or more), so teams should be prepared for long stretches of foot travel through rugged terrain and without assistance.
  • Fixed Ropes

      Teams will have fixed rope sections in the race; these will be rappels and there may also be traverses and other less-technical rope challenges. The descent may have free-hanging sections (where there is a rock overhang and contact with the wall is not feasible). There will be no knots to cross while rappelling or ascending.

      The race sites will all be staffed with professionals.

      Teams must bring their own climbing harnesses and other personal climbing equipment; see the gear list for details.

      Teams may choose to bypass a rope section but will incur a significant time penalty (4 hours or more per racer).
  • Conservation Projects

      Teams will complete environmental projects through the course of the race. We never reveal the details before the event, but participants should be prepared for some fun activities that serve to conserve and protect the natural areas we enjoy through racing. We have partnered with numerous environmental organizations to include some very creative projects, and 2010 Untamed New England will be no exception.
  • Orienteering

      Wilderness navigation and orienteering will be required of teams for the duration of the race. Teams will have a list of checkpoint locations, race provided topographic maps, and their compasses and altimeters to help them find their way; GPS devices are not permitted.

      Teams will need to find their own way to each checkpoint; some locations will be easier to find than others, and there will most certainly be some "technical" orienteering locations where teams will need strong navigating skills (reading terrain, contours, etc).

      Some checkpoints will be staffed by race volunteers, while other checkpoints will be marked with orienteering flags.

      The race-provided maps will be full colour topographic maps, water-proof, with UTM grid lines printed on them; supplementary maps may be of any variety.

      The race booklet, which contains the checkpoint locations as UTM coordinates, and official race maps will be distributed to teams before the race. There will be locations on the course where teams will need to "plot on the clock" meaning additional UTM coordinates will be provided and teams will need to plot checkpoint locations while the race is in progress.

      Outside maps are NOT permitted.
  • Swimming

      There will be a "swim" leg in Untamed New England and, for safety, racers will be required to wear PFDs while in the water. This could be done in darkness or daylight, on flat or gently moving water. Racers are permitted to bring swim fins and inflatable devices -- no hard paddles will be permitted.
     Untamed New England Adventure Race Results 2009
Overall Rank Division Team Name
1 Premiere ATP/Salomon 
2 Premiere Team Kinetic 
3 Open Team Endurancelife 
4 Premiere Berlin Bike / Eastern Mountain Sports 
5 Premiere NYARA 
6 Premiere Team Merrell/Zanfel Adventure 
7 Premiere Milton Basement Racers 
8 Premiere Team Halfwaythere.com 
9 Open UltraBambi 
10 Premiere Salomon / Chlorophylle 
11 Premiere Team Untamed Adventure 
12 Open Ducky Fuzz and the Masters of Rubber 
13 Open SEA SPORTS ADVENTURE Racing Team 
14 Open Team Cogeyed AR 
15 Open Dirty Avocados 
16 Open www.adventuresportsmag.co.uk 
17 Open Towanda 
18 Premiere Green Mountain Adventure Racing Association 
19 Premiere Breathe Multisport Mag 
20 Open Raggamuffin Racing 
21 Open Team Average Joe's 
22 Open Wing It! 
23 Open Running with Scissors 
24 Premiere TrackMe360.com 
25 Premiere Team WMUR – NH Chronicle 
26 Premiere Team Pain Syndicate 
27 Premiere Had No Plans  DNF
28 Open Dirty Avocados #2  DNF
29 Premiere E2 Vert le raid  DNF
30 Premiere GOALS ARA  DNF
31 Premiere NaturalSelectionAR.com  DNF
32 Open Tecnu Extreme/Staphaseptic  DNF
33 Open brendacohenjewelry.com  DNF
34 Open RaceIt/Odyssey AR/ASR  DNF
35 Premiere East Coast Bicycles/Richmond ASR  DNF
36 Premiere Mundial Saint-Raymond  DNF
37 Premiere NineOFour-253-Eight4Five-617  DNF
38 Premiere Vertleraid.ca  DNF
39 Premiere Team ASICS-XT  DNF
40 Open Team Bailout  DNF
41 Open Calleva  DNF
42 Open Axis Gear  DNF
43 Premiere Team Littleton Bike & Fitness / Untamed NE  DNF
44 Open Estoril Portugal XPD Team  DNF



Untamed New England Adventure Race Course 2008
2008 Course Overview

Review the 2008 race course >> Untamed New England Wins NEARA's Race of the Year For 2008
Untamed New England 2008 Race Results
Overall RankDivisionTeam NameFinishing Course
1ProSummit Achievement Full
2ProRunning Free Full
3ProLittleton Bike And Fitness Full
4ProNYARA Full
5ProTeam Gung Ho / Hype Full
6ProAquan / RWG Full
7ProBerlin Bike Full
8OpenWicked Pissah / Fitness Together Full
9OpenTeam Pain Syndicate Full
10OpenCalleva Full -1
11OpenWishful Thinking Fools Alt 1
12OpenNaturalSelectionAR.com Alt 1
13OpenNYARA Men Alt 2
14OpenNine O`Four 253 Alt 2
15OpenRide Too Fast Alt 2
16Openbrendacohenjewelry.com Alt 2
17OpenRunning With Scissors Alt 3
18ProTeam ABC / Capital Bikes Alt 3
19ProBreatheMag.ca Multisport Magazine Alt 3
20OpenFugawee Alt 3
--UltraBambi Unofficial
--LakedaemoniansUnofficial
--GMARAWithdrawn (Medical)
--Team A-ListWithdrawn
Untamed Adventure Racing WMUR New Hampshire Television TrackMe360 The Balsams Resort
© Untamed New England Adventure Race | Call Us At 1-877-486-8263 | More An Adventure Than A Race