Wilderness Traverse, adventure race draws hundreds to Sudbury

Sudbury hosts two adventure races this weekend: the 24+ hour Wilderness Traverse championship and the beginner-friendly Apex Adventure Challenge.

Hundreds of adventurers will be in the Sudbury region this weekend for two endurance races, including one that’s more than 24 hours non-stop.

On Saturday, 74 teams or more than 220 racers from all across Canada and parts of the U.S. are participating in the Wilderness Traverse, the 2025 Adventure Racing World Series North America Championship.

Teams of three will hike, paddle and bike their way through an unmarked course using only maps and compasses, making their way to the finish line at Laurentian University. It takes between 24 and 30 hours to complete.

The other race is the inaugural Apex Adventure Challenge, where 30 teams will participate in a more beginner-friendly and much shorter event on Sunday. It’s between three and six hours and will be confined within the Lake Laurentian Conservation Area.

“I’m excited to have teams come and experience the wilderness of our region,” said Dennis Legault, founder of Apex Warrior Gym in Sudbury.

“Working with experienced organizers like the Wilderness Traverse team for this new event will help create just the right kind of safe, challenging adventure I know Sudbury athletes will love.”

For the past 15 years, the Wilderness Traverse event has been held all over Ontario’s Cottage Country. This is the first time the event has come north for the course.

“The topography is amazing. It really suits the event,” said Sudbury’s Wilderness Traverse race director, Bob Miller.

“The final leg we’re going to have here through Lake Laurentian Conservation Area is really one of the more unique stages we’ve ever hosted.”

“Even just driving around the city, we were all commenting on how it’s not like your normal Southern Ontario grid. You’ve got amazing winding streets, and all this elevation gain and loss. It’s a really neat city and it really suits the event,” Miller added.

The youngest participant is 16 while the oldest is in their 60s. Miller told CTV News that they’re “outdoorsy men and women that have participated in sport, probably have some outdoors background with canoe tripping or mountain biking.”

“Once they’re 5 to 6 hours in then they’re going to really start feeling the endurance fatigue and they’re going to be tired and a bit cranky,” Miller said of the participants.

“A bit part of this sport is staying positive. You know it’s going to be tough. Everyone knows they’re going to go through these lulls out on the course, but if the team can remain positive and just keep moving forward that will be a big help to get them to the finish line.”

The course is kept secret until the morning the longer adventure event starts. Teams will each have a satellite tracking beacon so their locations can be followed online WildernessTraverse.com.

“They’re not allowed to know where their location is. They’re only using map and compass, but the rest of the world will be able to see where they are and they can track them,” Miller said.

The winning team wins a free entry to the World Championship in France next year.