First junior adventure racing world championship kicks off in Quebec

The inaugural ARWS Junior Adventure Racing World Championship runs July 23-26 in Témiscamingue, Quebec, with 38 junior teams from 10 countries competing in Under-18 and Under-25 categories. The event is designed to build the sport’s future by creating a global pathway for younger athletes and expanding youth development programs.

Why it matters: - The first ARWS Junior Adventure Racing World Championship is meant to lower the sport’s average age and build a pipeline of future elite athletes, coaches and leaders. - The event gives junior racers a clear international pathway and could push national federations to create more youth development programs. - Adventure racing has historically drawn participants who enter the sport in their 30s or 40s, so a junior world championship marks a major shift in how the sport develops talent.

What happened: - The inaugural championship runs July 23-26 in Témiscamingue, Quebec, Canada. - Thirty-eight junior teams from 10 countries are competing in pairs across Under-18 and Under-25 divisions. - The countries represented are Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Uruguay and the United States. - France sent eight pairs, with entries across every age group and division. - Canada, as host nation, and the United States also have substantial representation.

The details: - The race is part of the Adventure Racing World Series Championship structure. - Teams will compete across trail running, mountain biking, canoeing, swimming and rope challenges. - Thursday, July 23 includes registration and the opening ceremony. - Friday, July 24 features the Desjardins Youth Raid Prologue, a 10-20 km stage where international athletes race alongside local schoolchildren. - Saturday, July 25 is World Championship Race Day 1, covering 50-60 km. - Sunday, July 26 is World Championship Race Day 2, covering 40-50 km, followed by the closing ceremony. - The course runs through Témiscamingue’s boreal forests, lakes and rivers. - Raid Témiscamingue is organized by Endurance Aventure. - Daniel Poirier, founder of Endurance Aventure, said the event is a dream project and that regional authorities backed the effort. - Endurance Aventure’s previous three Raid Témiscamingue editions included a youth prologue pairing local schoolchildren with international athletes. - The opening ceremony will include local Indigenous culture. - The championship is being tracked live at live coverage. - More information and the full list of teams are available on the official event website. - Updates will also be posted across ARWS social channels and @raidtemiscamingue.

Between the lines: - ARWS CEO Heidi Muller said the championship is the result of years of planning, including efforts to find event partners, fund the race, recruit teams and make travel affordable. - Muller said Temiscamingue and Endurance Aventure were the right partners to launch the championship. - The recently established International Adventure Racing Association helped coordinate team selection through member national associations. - National associations selected, trained and fundraised to send their top young racers to Quebec. - The athletes are being positioned as early ambassadors for school and junior racers around the world. - The strong French turnout suggests some countries are already more organized around youth development than others. - The host region is also using the event to showcase outdoor recreation, local schools and Indigenous culture.

What's next: - The first junior world champion teams will be crowned after Sunday’s race day and closing ceremony. - Organizers are likely to use the event as a model for future junior championships and broader youth programming in adventure racing. - The sport’s global development effort now depends on whether more countries build junior pathways after this debut event.