Corsica Prepares for the Adventure Racing World Championship

Corte, Corsica - Sept 21 2026 - In just a few days, nearly 100 teams representing 30 nations will converge on the Corsican fortress town of Corte to compete in the Adventure Racing World Championship 2026 (ARWC 2026).

From 27 September, with the arrival of the first teams, ten days of adventure between Corte and L’Île-Rousse will begin. A parade of nations, a prologue through the Citadel, a dawn start, live race coverage and beach finishes: Corsica is preparing to embrace the excitement of the world’s greatest adventure racing event.

The Adventure Racing World Arrives in Corte

After several months of preparation, ARWC 2026 is entering its operational phase. From 27 September, 400 athletes from around the world will settle into Corte with their bikes, packrafts, paddles and several hundred kilograms of equipment.

World champions, leaders in the international rankings, ultra-endurance specialists and Corsican teams will all share the same objective: to reach L’Île-Rousse after an expedition covering more than 500 kilometres and 20,000 metres of elevation gain.

For five to eight days and nights, mixed teams of four athletes will race continuously, without any outside assistance. Trekking, mountain biking, packrafting, sea kayaking, canyoning and rope challenges will follow one another along a course that will remain secret until the start.

The First Stage of the Championship

From 27 to 29 September, Place Tuffelli will become the first arena of the competition. Teams will be welcomed for their technical tests and the mandatory inspection of their equipment.

White-water and sea skills, ropework proficiency, safety equipment and self-sufficiency gear: before they are allowed to start, every team will have to demonstrate that it is ready to face the demands of the Corsican terrain.

Far more than a formality, this phase already represents the competitors’ first challenge. It will also provide journalists with a valuable opportunity to meet the teams, discover the behind-the-scenes preparations and appreciate the logistical scale of a world-class expedition race.

Three Major Events in Corte

On Tuesday 29 September, the Championship will officially open to the public with the parade of nations, starting at 4.30 pm from Place Tuffelli.

Thirty nations will parade through Corte before the official opening ceremony, held at the University of Corsica at 6.30 pm.

On Wednesday 30 September at 9 am, competitors will take part in the Prologue through the Citadel of Corte. This first sporting confrontation, designed as an immersion in Corsica’s history, language, culture and environment, will offer a unique spectacle in the heart of the town.

Finally, on Thursday 1 October at 6 am, the teams will set off from Cours Pascal Paoli. In the first light of dawn, they will leave Corte behind, head into the unknown and discover the first maps of a course prepared in the utmost secrecy.

“After months of work, the time has come to make way for the teams and the race itself. We have designed a genuine expedition: a demanding and committed challenge that will reveal the full diversity of Corsica’s landscapes. Once the race begins, strategy, navigation, team spirit and the ability to cope with sleep deprivation will be every bit as decisive as physical ability. Nothing will be certain until the teams reach L’Île-Rousse,” explains Pascal Bahuaud, Race Director of ARWC 2026.

A Race that is Impossible to Predict

Who will take the lead during the opening hours? Will the international favourites withstand the steep and highly technical terrain? Will the Corsican teams be able to capitalise on their knowledge of the island?

Unlike a traditional competition, the ARWC is not decided by speed alone. Teams will have to navigate without GPS while managing their food, equipment, fatigue and rest periods. A navigational error, a mechanical failure, a change in the weather or one team member struggling could completely transform the rankings.

Throughout the race, every team will have to remain together: all four members must cross the finish line. This rule places team cohesion and solidarity at the very heart of performance.

A Global Adventure to Follow Live

From 1 October, the public and the media will be able to follow the teams’ progress and experience the race as closely as possible on www.arwc2026.com.

The platform will feature:

• real-time GPS tracking of the teams;
• race rankings and developments;
• news, photographs and videos published throughout the event;
• daily race reports;
• all the information needed to understand the different stages of the race.

The official ARWC 2026 and Adventure Racing World Series social media channels (@arworldseries) will also share highlights, images from the course, competitors’ reactions and all the major developments.

Two press centres, located first in Corte and then in L’Île-Rousse, will welcome journalists throughout the event. The media team will assist newsrooms with requests for interviews, reports, images and access to the event’s key moments.

Teams Expected to Finish in L’Île-Rousse from 6 to 9 October

After several days and nights of racing, the first teams are expected to reach the beach in L’Île-Rousse from 6 October. Finishers will continue to arrive until 9 October, with every team experiencing one final emotional moment by the sea.

The Championship will conclude on Friday 9 October, from 6.30 pm in Place Paoli, with the closing ceremony, prize-giving and gala dinner.

From Corte to L’Île-Rousse, ARWC 2026 promises to be an extraordinary sporting, human and collective adventure. For ten days, the eyes of the global adventure racing community will be firmly fixed on Corsica.