Endless Mountains Adventure Race

Teams to Watch for at the Endless Mountains Adventure Race

Abby Perkiss (Rootstock Racing) / 16.06.2022

Thirty-two teams will line up at the start of the inaugural Endless Mountains Adventure Race next week, a Demonstration Race in the 2022 Adventure Racing World Series season. The field, the largest among North American ARWS events this year, represents a wide swath of the US adventure racing community, with a few international racers on the line as well.

At the pointy end, expect to see the veterans of ‘Bones Adventure Racing’ and ‘Bend Racing’ mixing it up for the top of the podium. The Bones roster includes Roy Malone; Chad Spence, fresh off Expedition Croatia; Charles Triponez; and Mari Chandler, who recently raced with Team Vidaraid for the win at Expedition Oregon.

On ‘Bend Racing’, Jason and Chelsey Magness are joined by Lebn Lovejoy and Lars Bukkhave. Lovejoy and Bukkhave both retired early from Expedition Oregon last month and are likely hungry for redemption. Chelsey Magness, meanwhile, recently won the WEMBO 24-hour mountain biking world championship.

Pushing these teams will be ‘Rib Mountain Racing’, who took third place at the 2021 USARA National Championship. Their Endless Mountains roster is made up of Tim Buchholz, Anna Nummelin, Jesse Spangler, and Richard Sparks. Buchholz, Nummelin, and Spangler won the 72-hour Sea to Sea earlier this year, and Spangler and Sparks took the win at the Shenandoah Epic. This team races light and fast, and they have four capable navigators. They have a long history of top honors at shorter distances and are eager to race for the podium at Endless Mountains.

Other teams to watch include ‘Untamed New England’, with Erik Grimm, Michelle Hobson, Dave Lamb, and Jason Urckfitz; ‘No Complaints’, with Sara Dallman, Shawn Lemaster, Eric Olsen, and Doug Ritzert; and ‘Rootstock Racing’, with Andy Bacon, Michael Dickey, Kristin Eddy, and Mark Lattanzi. These three teams bring with them strong navigational chops, and they are capable of racing fast and strategically. They are also familiar with the challenging Pennsylvania terrain and the technical navigation emblematic of Rootstock Racing events.

Finally, keep an eye on ‘Strong Machine Adventure Racing’. Lead navigator Glen Lewis cut his AR teeth in the PA woods, and the team has been training hard and racing well in preparation for this event. 

In the all-male division, ‘Rival Racing’ and ‘Team Deviate’ look to push the pace early, and ‘Adventure Enablers’ and ‘Chaos Required’ both have the legs and the mapwork to vie for the podium. ‘Rival Racing’ is new to multiday adventure racing, but the team has a strong athletic pedigree and they have been asking all the right questions leading up to the 2022 Endless Mountains. Team member Jason Glenn was born and raised in Clarion, PA, host site for the race.

Kevin Poirier and Mike Garrison of ‘Team Deviate’, meanwhile, are coming off a fifth-place finish at Expedition Oregon (with Urckfitz of Untamed New England). Both are well trained and experienced at the multi-day distance. This is Garrison’s second of three ARWS events this summer.

The Endless Mountains is a rare ARWS race that will have a full podium of all-female teams. Two-time national champions ‘Chickpoints’ bring to the start line sharp navigation and many hours of racing together as a unit.They are less experienced at the expedition length, but their team chemistry and speed make them strong contenders.

Pushing them will be ‘Team Wildlings’, a collection of seasoned expedition racers with strong biking legs and excellent map skills. The team includes former pro soccer player Kathy Hoverman and former pro canoe racer Brenda Carlson-Brown. Their grit, combined with Shelley Johannesen’s training base – fresh off Expedition Oregon (with Lattanzi from Team Rootstock Racing) and a multi-week hiking trip in Tibet – and Barbara Niess-May’s navigational prowess make them a team to watch.

The all-women’s field is rounded out with ‘Masters in Age Only’. Diana Driscoll has twenty years of adventure racing experience – largely in Pennsylvania – to draw from during the event, and Donna Boots has racked up more endurance events in her short career than many racers will in a lifetime. Joining them is Megan Moir, new to expedition racing but eager to work with her teammates to get through the course together. Moir’s secret weapon is Biltong, a South African jerky sure to fuel her through five days in the PA Wilds.

The 2022 Endless Mountains Adventure Race begins Monday, June 20 at 10:00am EST. For more information, visit www.endlessmountainsar.com. During race week, following along at www.facebook.com/rootstockracing. Live tracking will be available through the race website.