Wilson Creek 26.2hr
2018.

Race Start: Saturday, August 25, 2018
Race HQ: Wilson Creek Welcome Center, 7805 Brown Mountain Road, Collettsville, NC
Disciplines: Trekking, mountain biking and paddling
Waivers: All participants must sign a USARA Release and Waiver of Liability, Assumption of Risk, and Indemnity Agreement
More Info: www.ncars.info

Welcome back to the biggest adventure race in North Carolina! Yep, we are talking about 26.2 hours - not miles - of paddling, trekking and mountain biking in the mountains of the Pisgah National Forest. This race is a USARA 2019 National Championships qualifying event. Strategic thinking, solid night time navigation and the ability to push through some challenging elevation changes will always be a premium in Pisgah!

Get excited for some cool cash prizes, great SWAG and terrific post-race food. Bring your best to this test!

The race will provide canoes and kayaks

• Friday Night Check-in: August 24, 6:30-8:00 AM at Wilson Creek Welcome Center
• Saturday Morning Check-in: August 25, 2018, 7:00-8:30 AM at Wilson Creek Welcome Center
• Mandatory pre-race meeting: 8:45 AM at Wilson Creek Welcome Center
• Race Starts: Saturday, August 25, 2018 at 9:20 A.M. – With all mandatory gear.
• Race Ends: Sunday, August 26, 2018 at 11:30 A.M. Sunday
• Celebration lunch and awards: Sunday August 26, 2018 at 12:00 – 1:00 P.M.

Team Gear:

• Solo – Kayak
• Two and three person teams – Canoe or kayak
• Four person teams – two canoes
• Canoe paddles and PFD provided with boats

A limited number of rental canoes and/or kayaks, paddles and PFDs will be available (NCARS will transport your personal gear). Personal canoes or kayaks can be used.

Required Individual gear:

• A functional MOUNTAIN bike; no road or cycle cross bikes
• CPSC marked bicycling helmet on bike sections
• Food and drink to last the duration of the race; EMERGENCY water may be provided.  There is a lot of water available on the course, so a water purification system will be useful.
• A pen, pencil, or sharpie
• Knife
• Whistle
• Individual headlight with extra batteries
• Bike lights with extra batteries; white front, red rear

• Compass
• Watch
• Cell phone
• Basic first aid kit

• Appropriate clothing for the weather conditions; check the forecast before you leave
• Waterproof map case
• Water purification method
• Spare bike tube, method of tire/tube inflation and bike repair kit
• Altimeter

This course area includes one of America’s Wild and Scenic Rivers, innumerable creeks, the North Carolina Mountains to Sea trail and difficult wilderness terrain with all the elevation gain you want. If you love the mountains, this race course will dish up a good helping of them. Waterfalls are plentiful in this area, so expect to see a number of them. Oh, and there are a lot of black bears in Wilson Creek too. The race course follows a prescribed sequence of travel by bike, trek and moving water with flexible optional sections which are tough enough to challenge both experienced racers and to provide a very real (but flexible) adventure race experience for those new to the sport. And maybe you will find a grilled bratwurst along the way (not to mention a beer). The transition areas will be mandatory but most, if not all, of the checkpoints will be optional. Collecting all the checkpoints and winning the race will likely require most, if not all, of the entire 26.2 hour race period. Given the difficulty of this terrain, as well as some of the more remote areas on the course, the Race Director will allow only experienced racers to race solo for this race.

80+ miles. You may consider skipping some CPs to have enough time to complete other CPs. Some CPs may be mandatory in order to obtain an official finish, so read all directions on race day.

The map used to establish the race course is 1:24,000 MyTopo- Each team will get a copy at check in The maps you need to race will be provided the below are other maps of the area that could help.

Other useful map is the 1:24,000 USFS Wilson Creek National Wild and Scenic River Trail Guide Western NC Trail Guide.

1:60,000 Grandfather Ranger District map by the Pisgah Map Company. https://www.pisgahmapcompany.com/shop-trail-guides/grandfather-ranger-district

The check points will be plotted on a master map for teams to copy after they check in.

Ric Morton (704-604-8779) and Matthew Getz(704-533-3764) are the Race Directors. Many other NCARS personnel will be involved in pre-running the course, setting flags, staffing transition areas and organizing HQ on race day. Volunteer registration is also online.

As for all races, we hope for good weather but we prepare for the worst. In the mountains of North Carolina, the weather can vary dramatically from one set of hills to the next so make sure you are prepared for changing conditions. Weather will happen. It is an adventure, after all.

This is an event that is being conducted on the Pisgah National Forest and is authorized under a Special Use Permit.

USDA – Forest Service Nondiscrimination Statement

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service prohibits discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

You may use USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Forms AD-3027 or AD-3027S (Spanish) which can be found at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html or upon request from a local Forest Service office. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

Usted puede usar la forma de discriminación AD-3027 o AD-3027S en Español, la cual se puede encontrar en: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/es_us/sp_complaint_filing_cust.html o puede obtener en cualquier oficina local del Servicio Forestal. El Departamento de Agricultura ofrece oportunidades de programas y de empleo libres de discriminación.