Race Description:

"The 2026 edition of Brake the Habit will take place in Pocahontas County West Virginia, over the course of 24 to 30 hours. Teams of 2-4 people will trek, packraft, mountain bike and navigate their way through a course that explores this amazing and unique corner of the state.

With the highest concentration of public land in the state—dominated by the mighty and vast Monongahela National Forest, 400 miles of trails, extensive backcountry and wilderness, legendary mountain biking, and free-flowing rivers—teams can expect a course that is rugged, and relatively remote for a race of this length. And the scenery? Some of the best on the eastern seaboard. Pocahontas County is known as nature’s playground for a reason. Outside of New England and the Adirondack’s, there are not many other places on the east coast with so much access to wild, rugged and remote terrain.

When most people think of West Virginia, they think of mountains and maybe even the New River Gorge. While we love the Gorge, we truly believe Pocahontas County in the Allegheny Mountains is where the real outdoor adventure is in the state. With terrain and history that is unique, interesting and diverse, it is the perfect playground for adventure racing,

The final timeframe for the event will be announced once the race course is finalized and vetted. However, based on our initial course scouting, we think the timing may lean towards the 30-hour mark. While this race will not be designed with the beginner in mind, it will be doable for teams of all skill levels and experience, with all of the checkpoints optional and the TA’s mandatory. There will be a minimum amount of the course that teams will be required to do, with options to skip checkpoints and choose routes that ensure that they get to the finish line in time. The team with the most points in the least amount of time wins. You can expect strategy and route choice to be key, with interesting checkpoints, challenging navigation, and a thoughtful, fun, adventurous course design.

Packrafting will also be featured in this race and teams MAY move over land with their rafts and gear at some point during the race. The mileage on this will range from a minimum of 3 miles to a maximum of 5 to 6 miles and will require teams to navigate, possibly off-trail. Teams will not be required to bike with their packrafts. Trekking with paddle gear will only take place on one specific leg of the race. Once the final course is done, we will communicate to all teams more about what they can expect with this. Long story short, be prepared to carry your paddle gear on foot for a specific section off the race. Fun fun!"