RACE DETAILS

Dates: October 2026

Location: Central Oregon

Race Director: Bend Racing

USARA is stoked to bring the 2026 USARA National Championships to the Pacific Northwest for the first time in the 27-year history of the race. With Bend Racing as Race Director and Jason Magness as Course Designer, the race promises teams 30 hours of full-on adventure that will test your mettle against the elements of the Central Oregon high desert. We recommend racers come early, stay late and bring the family to experience why everyone wants to Visit Bend.

The 2026 USARA National Championships are open to 4-person teams in mixed gender, all-female and all-male categories.

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THURSDAY

1-5 pm: Check-in

6:00 pm: Pre-race meeting

FRIDAY

9 am: Race Start

SATURDAY

3 pm: Race Finish

6 pm: Awards ceremony & dinner

SCHEDULE

Subject to change as this year’s course is finalized, and may be adjusted depending on the weather forecast.

Subject to change as this year’s course design is finalized.

Click here for a video with instructions on how to wear the tracker, to ensure friends and family back home will enjoy the dot-watching experience.

AWARDS

  • FINISHERS

    All finishers will receive a custom finisher's medal commemorating the event.

    Special awards will be given in the following categories:

    Peter Jolles Award: awarded to a team demonstrating ingenuity in navigation on the course

    Spirit Award: awarded to a racer or team demonstrating the highest qualities of altruism, fair play, team spirit, or other AR values on the course

  • PREMIER CATEGORY

    The First Place team in the premier Mixed Gender category will win a FREE ENTRY into the following year's National Championships and $1,500 worth of RACE CREDITS to be applied to any USARA-sanctioned races for the following season (from 2025 Nationals to 2026 Nationals).

    The Second Place team in the premier Mixed Gender category will win $1,000 worth of RACE CREDITS to be applied to any USARA-sanctioned races for the following season.

    The Third Place team in the premier Mixed Gender category will win $500 worth of RACE CREDITS to be applied to any USARA-sanctioned races for the following season.

    Plaques will be awarded to the top five teams in the premier Mixed Gender category.

  • MASTERS

    The top Masters team across all categories will win a $500 RACE CREDIT to be applied to any USARA-sanctioned races for the following season. A Masters team is defined as an average age of 50 and minimum age of 45 for all team members.

  • ALL-WOMEN CATEGORY

    The First Place team in the All-Women category will win a $500 RACE CREDIT to be applied to any USARA-sanctioned races for the following season.

    Plaques will be awarded to the top three teams in the All-Women category.

    Additionally, the Women of AR campaign will offer the winning team the opportunity to be the official Race Team of the Women of AR for the following season, with a $1,000 cash stipend and free entries or race credits to multiple races across the continent.

  • ALL-MEN CATEGORY

    The First Place team in the All-Men category will win a $500 RACE CREDIT to be applied to any USARA-sanctioned races for the following season.

    Plaques will be awarded to the top three teams in the All-Men category.

  • FASTEST TEAM AWARDS

    Plaques will be awarded to teams in the following special categories:

    O-team: awarded to the team with the fastest time on a designated trekking section of the course

    Blazing Paddles: awarded to the team with the fastest time on a designated paddling section of the course

    Mountain Bike Award: awarded to the team with the fastest time on a designated mountain biking section of the course

Every team will be issued a tracking device for safety and live tracking of the race. A Garmin watch in AR mode is the only other permissible use of GPS by racers. Click here for more information about Garmin AR mode.

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