Wild Driftless Adventure Race

06/08/2026

June news is out!

1. 2026 Wild Driftless Adventure Race weekend schedule of events featuring Turkey River Arts and Music and Art in the Park Fine Art Festival

2. Early bird pricing ends July 31!

3. Camping and hotel options in the area

6:30-10:00 p.m. FREE Art in the Dark concert at Coulee Creek Barn in partnership with Turkey River Arts and Music. Wild Driftless is primary sponsor for the event and participants are free to come and go as you please!

06/07/2026

Don't let him fool you, he's testing out adventure race ideas. Everybody loves long portages, right?

Jamie Borglum IS NOT LOST!!! 🧭

If you see this canoe walking🚶‍♂️down the road or sidewalk in the coming months, he's not lost! Jamie is just preparing for his own big adventure this summer.

In late July he will be dropped off in International Falls MN and paddle solo approximately 265miles with 38+ miles of portage on the Border Route all the way to Lake Superior. He plans to take 14 to 17 days to complete the journey.

"For me, being alone and in my own head is the part of this adventure that will be out of my comfort zone" Jamie says. "I've come to realize that even though I am in wilderness areas often, I'm never alone." "In fact I haven't been alone without electronics or distractions for more than 24 hours in my adult life"

Follow along here, as we post Jamie’s story both preparing before and debriefing after his adventure.

06/07/2026

Announcing: Pre-race / Friday night cabin concert!

We are thrilled to announce the first of a couple awesome partnerships to make for a full weekend of activities for the 2026 Wild Driftless Adventure Race in Elkader.

You are invited out on Friday evening from 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. for FREE live music at the Coulee Creek Barn in Elkader in partnership with Turkey River Arts and Music!

9-hour racers: Early bike drop is also available from 7-9 p.m. on Friday evening, so come early, make an evening of it, and have a little less stressful race morning! Come and go as you please--enjoy the music and meet participants and volunteers.

www.turkeyriverartsandmusic.org

Turkey River Recreational Corridor
Main Street Elkader
Art in the Park Fine Art Festival
CrawDaddy Outdoors
Travel Iowa
Clayton County Conservation
Bike Rags
Ewalu Bible Camp & Retreat Center
USARA
The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast
The Brim Coffeehouse - Elkader
Wisconsin Adventure Racing Series
Zanfel
GearJunkie

06/03/2026

Your moment of zen from the Turkey River just outside Elkader.

Main Street Elkader
Turkey River Recreational Corridor

06/01/2026

We love working with 180 Adventure!

Their signature race is the Stubborn Mule Adventure Race, June 27 in Cable, Wisconsin--5-hour, 12-hour or 24-hour races--part of the Wisconsin Adventure Racing Series.

Join us in the beautiful northwoods!

https://180adventure.com/sm-race-info

The Wild Driftless adventure race is October 3, 2026, in Elkader in northeast Iowa. Trek, bike and paddle using orienteering skills to reach the checkpoints.

05/30/2026

We love cool events in the driftless area, including the Crater Trail Run, June 6 in Decorah!

Everything from 50k to 5k to the kid's mile. Come check out the awesome soft trails in Decorah! Registration closes tomorrow at midnight!

Register Now!

05/30/2026

Sneak peak of a draft for the front/back cover of the 2026 Wild Driftless Adventure Race Race book.

This one-pager will have a complete synopsis of the race course and overall flow of the day on the backside... and no, you won't see that until race day.

Early registration deadline is July 31. Get your teams together today!

www.wilddriftless.com

Travel Iowa
Ewalu Bible Camp & Retreat Center
CrawDaddy Outdoors
Bike Rags
Monticello River Rentals
Clayton County Conservation
Main Street Elkader
HJR Financial
Turkey River Recreational Corridor
The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast
Zanfel
GearJunkie
The Brim Coffeehouse - Elkader
USARA
Wisconsin Adventure Racing Series

05/26/2026

50!!!

We just hit 50 registrations for the 2026 Wild Driftless Adventure Race! Last year, at this time, we were sitting at 17. Word is getting around that we have a fantastic race planned for you on October 3 in Elkader.

There is still plenty of room--our permits have us with room for 350 total between the 9-hour and 5-hour races. Let's see if we can get there!

CrawDaddy Outdoors
Ewalu Bible Camp & Retreat Center
Travel Iowa
Wisconsin Adventure Racing Series
USARA
Bike Rags
Main Street Elkader
Turkey River Recreational Corridor
Turkey River Arts and Music
Clayton County Conservation
The Brim Coffeehouse - Elkader
Zanfel
The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast
GearJunkie

Photo courtesy of Timberdoodle Photography, Elkader in the fall.

05/25/2026

Memorial Day weekend means the unofficial entry into summer and while we love many things about summer, poison ivy is not one of them. Thankfully, we have Zanfel, who is once again sponsoring the 2026 Wild Driftless Adventure Race!

We are especially grateful to Zanfel, not only for providing free samples to racers, but also for their donations to Ewalu, as nothing can ruin a week of camp quite like poison ivy.

Check them out at www.zanfel.com

05/14/2026

Last chance reminder! Learn the basics of navigating and then train on the Ewalu orienteering course is this Saturday, May 16 from 10 a.m. - Noon at Camp Ewalu in Strawberry Point, IA

Register at the link below!

CrawDaddy Outdoors
Ewalu Bible Camp & Retreat Center

Learn everything you need to know for a fun and successful first adventure race experience. From orienteering skills to route planning and strategy, this class and training session will provide hands-on, practical skills that will prepare you for the unknowns that come with adventure racing.