Adventure Racing Route Selection: Dos, Don’ts, and Pro Tips for Smarter Navigation

Chris Daniels
Sep 5
2 min read

In adventure racing, few skills separate finishers from frontrunners like route selection. Picking the right path is more than just following the shortest line on the map. It’s about balancing time, terrain, and team ability.

Strong teams know how to analyze a map, anticipate obstacles, and choose routes that maximize efficiency without burning out. Whether you’re preparing for your first 12-hour sprint or a multi-day expedition race, mastering adventure racing navigation and route choice will save energy, avoid costly mistakes, and keep your team competitive.

Why Route Selection Matters in Adventure Racing

Every checkpoint forces a decision. Do you take the steep climb, the winding road, or risk the deadreckoning bushwhack? Each choice can gain or lose precious minutes and energy. Smart map recon and checkpoint strategy often matter more than raw fitness.

Adventure racing rewards teams that prepare, adapt, and tailor their approach to the course, matching it to their strengths and limitations.

The Dos of Route Selection

✅ Do Conduct a Thorough Map Recon

When you receive your race map, analyze it layer by layer:

Elevation: Steep contours may slow you more than an extra kilometer of road.
Water Crossings: Streams and rivers can be unpredictable—factor in weather and safety.
Vegetation: Thick brush or swamps can kill your pace. Roads, ridges, and game trails often save time.

✅ Do Match Routes to Team Strengths

Every team has unique capabilities:

Strong paddlers? Take advantage of the paddle sections and capture as many checkpoints as possible.
Solid trail runners? Don't be afraid to take the steep uphill that will save on distance.
Precise navigators? Bushwack straight through the terrain that others will avoid.

✅ Do Prepare Alternate Routes

Always identify at least one backup option. Race conditions change quickly, and flexibility can save hours.

The Don’ts of Route Selection

❌ Don’t Overestimate Your Team’s Fitness

Ambition is good—denial is dangerous. That “shortcut” with 3,000 feet of climbing could ruin your legs for the rest of the race.

❌ Don’t Ignore Cutoff Times

Checkpoint greed sinks teams. Always balance the checkpoint value against the time cost, especially when cutoffs loom.

❌ Don’t Blindly Follow Other Teams

The “conga line effect” leads many teams astray. Trust your own navigation and route plan, not the crowd.

Pro Tips for Smarter Route Choices

Think Energy, Not Distance: A longer but smoother road can save more energy than a short bushwhack.
Use Attack Points: Navigate checkpoint approaches using prominent, obvious features to minimize error.
Balance Risk and Reward: Shortcut? Maybe. But weigh the recovery time if it fails.
Layer Your Map Reading: Factor in elevation, vegetation, water, and man-made features. The fastest routes consider them all.
Communicate with Your Team: A shared understanding of the route helps maintain high morale and prevents wasted energy.

Final Thought

Route selection in adventure racing is where fitness meets strategy. The strongest teams aren’t just fast, they’re intelligent, adaptive, and brutally honest about their limits. Train your body, but sharpen your navigation skills even more. The map tells a story, and the teams who can read it win.