The Adventure Racing World Series (ARWS) will stage the first ever Junior Adventure Racing World Championship in July 2026, in association with the Raid International Témiscamingue and the International Adventure Racing Association (IARA).
The Adventure Racing World Series (ARWS) will stage the first ever Junior Adventure Racing World Championship in July 2026, in association with the Raid International Témiscamingue and the International Adventure Racing Association (IARA).
The venue will be the Témiscamingue region of Quebec, Canada, with the race organised by Endurance Aventure, working with the Municipalite Regional de Comte de Témiscamingue and the Témiscamingue Development Society. The Raid Témiscamingue stage race is already part of the Adventure Racing World Series in North America and for 2026 and 2027 it will host the new championship event.
ARWS CEO Heidi Muller said, “This is an idea I have been dreaming about and working towards for many years and it’s been a priority since I took the leadership role at ARWS three years ago. However it’s been hard to find the right partners who believe in youth as strongly as I do and were prepared to back a new idea. Temiscamingue and Endurance Aventure were the partners I was searching for and I’m so excited to announce this news!
“Our races around the world have been working hard to grow junior participation and we are seeing more and more young competitors in adventure racing. At the recent International Adventure Racing Conference the talks we heard about youth racing in France, South Africa, Canada and Denmark were absolutely inspiring and show we are on the right track.
“The new world championship will have global media coverage and will put the spotlight on junior adventure racing for the first time. Young racers around the world will now aspire to represent their countries and to be world champions, there will be more opportunities for them to take part, and we hope the athletes racing in Canada will be the influencers who will help to enthuse the next generation of adventure racers.
“Now is the perfect time to have a first Junior Adventure Racing World Championship!”
The race will take place over 4 days from July 23rd to 26th, including opening and closing ceremonies, a prologue and two full days of racing. There will be categories for Under 18 (15-17) and Under 25’s and the first championship race will be for pairs, with teams travelling with managers and supporters. Entry fees have been kept to a minimum ($250 CAD for the selected international teams and $500 for open entries) and entry will open on December 1st. Final selection of the accepted teams will be made after entries close on Feb. 28th 2026.
Daniel Poirier, who founded Endurance Aventure with Jean-Thomas Boily in 1998, said, “For us this is a dream project and we are proud to work with the ARWS to bring the first Junior AR World Championship to Quebec and Témiscamingue. We couldn’t do this without the support of the regional authorities who have backed our belief in youth and the value of being outdoors and active.
“At Endurance Aventure we have always supported young racers and our previous three editions of Raid Témiscamingue (and previously the Raid International Gaspésie) have all included a youth prologue. This has partnered local school children with international athletes for a day of adventure racing and will again be part of the event. Some experienced racers have had a hard time keeping up with the children in the past which means there are already some strong and experienced young racers here in Quebec who will want to race in the Junior World Championship!”
Endurance Aventure has a long history of race organisation, including adventure races and Xteme Triathlons in Canada and internationally. Since 1998 they have prepared outdoor adventure courses covering 10,000km of trails and rivers! Their well established and expert team draws on a network of 150 Canadian and international specialists who will help set a world class course in the wild and beautiful landscapes of Témiscamingue.
The Endurance Aventure team also includes its own TV production company to ensure international visibility for their events and partner regions. They are specialists in outdoor filming and their highlight and documentary productions are broadcast by hundreds of channels worldwide.
The new Junior World Championship project is a continuation of their partnership with the Témiscamingue region and its First Nation communities. The race will once again take place in the heart of the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe (Algonquin) First Nation and will partner closely with local indigenous communities, notably the Kebaowek First Nation, and showcase their culture and ancestral traditions.
The region is a perfect setting for adventure racing, with thousands of lakes and rivers spread through rich boreal forest and accessed by a vast network of trails and rivers. Teams can expect the race to feature lots of water activities and also spectacular ropes and climbing stages, which Endurance Aventure are well known for. Teams will also camp out overnight in a remote location between the two days of racing, enjoying a social evening together under the stars.
IARA has already begun work assessing the level of development in junior racing amongst its member countries, and will oversee the selection of the 30 available international team places. Countries that are able to send teams will have autonomy in the selection process as some may not yet have their own national junior championship, but the aim is for all countries to work towards this before the 2027 race.
IARA Chairman Cormac MacDonnell said, “IARA aims to support and develop adventure racing across all ages. The Junior Adventure Racing World Championship is a wonderful opportunity to work with all of our members on the process of building national junior racing programmes and selection policies. There is lots of work to do and this new championship will encourage and inspire our members to put initiatives in place which will secure the future of adventure racing.”
Muller will be attending the race next July to see her dream realised and added, “We want to encourage young people to get involved in adventure racing all around the world. This is an important initiative and perhaps a turning point for our sport and I’m sure the adventure racing community worldwide will come together to support it. It is a chance for our young athletes, who are all heroes in my eyes, to have their moment and be in the spotlight. I can’t wait to give our first Junior World Adventure Racing Champions their medals!”
Information on the ARWS Junior Adventure Racing World Championship can be found on the event website at www.arwsjuniorworld.com and more details will be added before entries open on December 1st.
The Adventure Racing World Series (ARWS) is a global platform uniting professional adventure races in iconic locations to serve a worldwide community of adventurers and endurance athletes. The series includes over 80 events on 6 continents in 2025. www.arworldseries.com
Raid Temiscamingue is organised by Canadian outdoor event company Endurance Aventure in partnership with Municipalite Regional de Comte de Témiscamingue and the Témiscamingue Development Society. https://enduranceaventure.com/
The International Adventure Racing Association (IARA) is the independent governing body for the sport of adventure racing, established in 2023 by national organizations and race directors from 22 countries. https://internationaladventureracing.org/
Video Resources;
Junior Adventure Racing World Championship Teaser https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_amgE93Ius
Raid Jeunesse Desjardins et Prologue Raid International Témiscamingue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4muV6gXTp50
How to Inspire the Next Generation of Adventure Racers (International Adventure Racing Conference) - https://www.youtube.com/live/hfYEpgNYDjY?t=3596s
The 2024 Youth Prologue at Raid Temiscamingue – Video by AR Insider https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppJOrwnu9i4&list=PLHBd6RVw8meMmyphktneGLmiCkyHSsWgf
ARWS CEO Heidi Muller Announces the new championship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hK3wZUhkR0
