Dear racers,

We are less than 1 week from race day and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome you all to the 9th annual Maine Summer Adventure Race! This email will serve as our final communication before race day. Please review carefully, discuss with your teammates, and email us (StrongMachineAR@gmail.com) with any last-minute questions that arise.

24-hour race:

Race Headquarters and Parking. The start and finish are at Gould Academy’s Pine Hill Trails on Grover Hill Road in Bethel. Please follow volunteer instructions when you arrive to ensure that you are parking in the correct area. Parking is tight so we will be squeezing cars into these lots as efficiently as we can. Do not arrive before 7:15am or else we will need you to re-park your car. If you plan to camp out of your car or van, please do not camp at the start/finish area; instead consider camping at Pleasant Hill Campground or Stony Brook Campground (get 15% off your stay at both campgrounds with code MSAR 2025).

Race registration will be at the Pine Hill yurt on the Race Loop trail, about a 2 minute walk from the parking area. We recommend bringing your own water to fill your bottles and bladders for the race start. We will not provide water at the start.

Race Day Schedule. The schedule is as follows:

• Saturday 7:30am - Registration opens, maps distributed.

• Saturday 9:30am - Pre-race meeting.

• Saturday 10:00am - Race start!

• Sunday 10:00am - Race finish! Post-race party begins.

• Sunday 11:00am - Awards.

Live Tracking. We are excited to partner with Enabled Tracking to offer live GPS tracking throughout this year’s event! Tracking will be viewable at this link [https://live.enabledtracking.com/msar2025/] after the race starts on Saturday morning. Share with your friends and family who want to follow along! You can also view this video on how to wear your trackers so that your signal will remain strong throughout the race.

Course Schematic. This year we are including a course schematic to help you plan for your gear and nutrition. The schematic, which is attached at the bottom of this email, provides information about the approximate distances, elevation, and slow and fast estimates for completing each stage. Note that these are only estimates; actual time on course may vary significantly based on your team goals, fitness, navigational strategy and success, and course conditions. The slow estimates greatly exceed the 24-hour time limits; teams should monitor their time carefully throughout the course and pay attention to suggested time cut offs in the course instructions. Most teams will not clear the course and will be strategically dropping checkpoints throughout the race. 

Teams will also have access to a resupply bin at TA 1 and their paddle bags at TA 2. Teams are limited to 1 bin or bag per team and 10 lbs of gear/food per racer per bin/bag. We will weigh bags and bins at check in. Due to the remote nature and abundance of natural water sources on this year’s course, race staff will not be providing water at the transition areas. Teams should use their mandatory water filtration systems to filter water as needed throughout the race. There are ample clean water sources everywhere along the course, including at or near each of the transition areas.

Racers should review update #2 with information about how to carry their bikes during the optional bike-whack section.

Boats. Racers will be paddling in canoes and kayaks depending on their team configurations. Solo racers will receive a single kayak, 2-person teams will receive either a tandem kayak or canoe (depending on team category), 3-person teams will receive a canoe, and 4-person teams will receive 2 canoes. Three-person teams should bring a middle seat, milk crate, or something else to sit on. Our boat provider has a limited number of middle seats but teams may prefer their own. Three-person teams who bring a middle seat can add it to their paddle bag without it counting toward their weight limit.

Weather and Change to Mandatory Gear Requirements. The forecast for race weekend looks generally pleasant in the Bethel area, with highs in the mid- to upper-70s and overnight lows in the high 50s. Teams can expect to be racing in mountainous terrain overnight where temperatures can fluctuate dramatically. As a result, we have decided to add two items to the mandatory gear list: long pants (close-fitting tights recommended) and an insulating long-sleeve top. Teams will be required to carry these items throughout the race as well as the mandatory rain jacket and space blanket regardless of conditions at the start line. We have experienced a wide range of weather conditions during our race scouting including unseasonably cold temperatures in the mountains and on the water. We want all teams to be prepared, especially in case of injury or navigational difficulty.

GPS Devices. Please note that GPS-enabled watches and bike computers are not allowed. Racers who wish to use their Garmin watch in AR-mode must alert volunteers at registration. We will check your watch at the finish to ensure that it remained in AR mode for the duration of the event.

General Tips. We highly recommend arriving at or before when registration opens because maps will be handed out as you register, as arriving early means you will have the maximum amount of time to plan your route. Most teams in all of our races will not get all checkpoints (i.e. “clear the course”), meaning that they will need to make strategic choices throughout the race about which checkpoints to go for and which ones to skip. All checkpoints (unless otherwise noted) will be marked with orange and white orienteering flags. Teams will use the punch hanging from the flag to mark the race-provided passport, showing which checkpoints they obtained. The team that obtains the most checkpoints in the least amount of time wins the race!

Spectators. Friends and family are welcome and encouraged to cheer you on throughout the course. We recommend that they follow the event tracking page to locate TAs or other areas to find you on the course. Please alert your fans that they are not allowed to provide any special assistance to your team while the race is in progress.

Post-Race Celebration. We will hold a post-race party immediately following the race. All food will be provided by our race partner, Luchador Tacos. Racers will also enjoy post-race beverages including cold sodas and locally-brewed beer courtesy of Steam Mill Brewing.

Final Reminder for Maine GearShare On-Site Gear Repairs. We are excited to announce a partnership with Maine GearShare at the 2025 Maine Summer Adventure Race! Bring any gear in need of repair to the race and the expert fixers at Maine GearShare will do their best to get it back in working order. All done for free while you're off racing through the woods! All items must be clean. Common repair types accepted: stuck or misaligned zippers, nylon with rips, puffy coat holes, broken backpack buckles and straps, seam failures, etc. Some stoves, tents, snowshoes and other hard goods can be repaired on a case-by-case basis. 

If possible (though not required), please use this link to submit your repair requests. After you enter a submission, you will receive an email with a repair ID that should be attached to your item when you drop it off. This is not required but will help Maine GearShare plan its day in advance.

This program is part of Strong Machine Adventure Racing's commitment to sustainability and giving back to the outdoors community.

Last Minute Bike Needs? If you find yourself in the Bethel area before the race and need any bike supplies or a last-minute tune up, visit Barker Mountain Bikes and mention that you are part of the Maine Summer Adventure Race for a 10% discount! They also have mountain bikes to rent if you are still looking for a race ride.

Sponsors. We couldn’t do this without the generous support of our sponsors! Endless thanks to L.L. Bean, Squirt Cycling Products, Zanfel, OutThere Packs, Pasokin, Sap Hound Maple Company, Barker Mountain Bikes, Pleasant Hill Campground, Stony Brook Campground, The Inn at Rostay, The Bethel Inn, OutThereUSA, Maine GearShare, and Steam Mill Brewing.

Facebook. Please “like” our Facebook page to get updates before, during (for friends and family), and after the race!

Be sure to review our 1st racer update and 2nd racer update!

8-hour race:

Race Headquarters and Parking. Race registration is at The Gem Theater in downtown Bethel. Please park in the adjacent parking lot. The finish is at Gould Academy’s Pine Hill Trails on Grover Hill Road in Bethel. Racers will bike about 1.5 miles after the race back to their cars at the start. If you plan to camp out of your car or van, please do not camp at the start or finish areas; instead consider camping at Pleasant Hill Campground or Stony Brook Campground (get 15% off your stay at both campgrounds with code MSAR 2025).

We recommend bringing your own water to fill your bottles and bladders for the race start. We will not provide water at the start. The Dunkin’ Donuts by the start area opens at 5:00am!

Race Day Schedule. The schedule is as follows:

Saturday 6:00am - Registration opens, maps distributed.

Saturday 7:20am - Pre-race meeting.

Saturday 7:45am - Short group ride to the start location.

Saturday 8:00am - Race start!

Saturday 4:00pm - Race finish! Post-race party begins.

Saturday 5:00pm - Awards.

Resupply bags. We mentioned in a previous communication that teams would have access to a resupply bag at some point during the race. When we finalized the flow of the course we decided to remove the resupply bag. As noted in the recent email, we will move personal PFDs and paddles to the paddle section for teams who wish to use their own gear, but we will not move any other gear. However, we highly recommend that teams stash some food or other resupply gear on their bikes. We will do a short group ride to the start from the registration area and teams will stage their bikes there to access later in the race (Stage 3). A volunteer will stay with the bikes until you see them later in the race. You must take any food or gear stashed with your bikes with you for the rest of the race.

Course schematic. Please note that the course schematic that we sent out includes distances and elevations for the full course. As noted in the email, most teams will not clear the full course so the minimum distances to complete the course are much shorter than the distances included in the course schematic.

Team registration. If you have any changes to your team configuration please let us know ASAP! The race is completely full and we are limited by our access to boats. If your team drops a member or adds a member this will change our boat configurations so please give us a heads up to confirm.

Course Schematic. This year we are including a course schematic to help you plan. The schematic provides information about the approximate distances, elevation, and slow and fast estimates for completing each stage. Note that these are only estimates; actual time on course may vary significantly based on your team goals, fitness, navigational strategy and success, and course conditions. The slow estimates greatly exceed the 8-hour time limit; teams should monitor their time carefully throughout the course. Most teams will not clear the course and will be strategically dropping checkpoints throughout the race. 

Due to the abundance of natural water sources on this year’s course, race staff will not be providing water at the transition areas. Teams should use their mandatory water filtration systems to filter water as needed throughout the race. There are ample clean water sources everywhere along the course, including at each of the transition areas.

Boats. Racers will be paddling in canoes and kayaks depending on their team configurations. Solo racers will receive a single kayak, 2-person teams will receive either a tandem kayak or canoe (depending on team category), 3-person teams will receive a canoe, and 4-person teams will receive 2 canoes. Three-person teams should bring a middle seat, milk crate, or something else to sit on. Our boat provider has a limited number of middle seats but teams may prefer their own.

Our boat provider has single- and double-bladed paddles and PFDs for all racers. However, if you prefer to paddle with your own gear you can bundle it together (securely!) and drop it with race staff at registration and we will transport it to the start of the paddle section. Only paddles and PFD are permitted in this gear drop, no other gear or food!

Weather and Recommendations. The forecast for race weekend looks generally pleasant in the Bethel area, with highs in the mid- to upper-70s. We recommend continuing to monitor the weather forecast and coming prepared to manage potential sudden weather changes (e.g., rain, sudden hot or cold temperatures), which are common in this area of Maine in July.

GPS Devices. Please note that GPS-enabled watches and bike computers are not allowed. Racers who wish to use their Garmin watch in AR-mode must alert volunteers at registration. We will check your watch at the finish to ensure that it remained in AR mode for the duration of the event.

General Tips. We highly recommend arriving at or before when registration opens because maps will be handed out as you register, so arriving early means you will have more time to plan your route. Most teams in all of our races will not get all checkpoints (i.e. “clear the course”), meaning that they will need to make strategic choices throughout the race about which checkpoints to go for and which ones to skip. All checkpoints (unless otherwise noted) will be marked with orange and white orienteering flags. Teams will use the punch hanging from the flag to mark the race-provided passport, showing which checkpoints they obtained. The team that obtains the most checkpoints in the least amount of time wins the race!

Spectators. Friends and family are welcome and encouraged to cheer you on throughout the course. Please alert your fans that they are not allowed to provide any special assistance to your team while the race is in progress.

Post-Race Celebration. We will hold a post-race party immediately following the race. All food will be provided by our race partner, Good Food Store. Racers will also enjoy post-race beverages including cold sodas and locally-brewed beer courtesy of Steam Mill Brewing.

Final Reminder for Maine GearShare On-Site Gear Repairs. We are so excited to announce a partnership with Maine GearShare at the 2025 Maine Summer Adventure Race! Bring any gear in need of repair to the race and the expert fixers at Maine GearShare will do their best to get it back in working order. All done for free while you're off racing through the woods! All items must be clean. Common repair types accepted: stuck or misaligned zippers, nylon with rips, puffy coat holes, broken backpack buckles and straps, seam failures, etc. Some stoves, tents, snowshoes and other hard goods can be repaired on a case-by-case basis. 

If possible (though not required), please use this link to submit your repair requests. After you enter a submission, you will receive an email with a repair ID that should be attached to your item when you drop it off. This is not required but will help Maine GearShare plan its day in advance.

This program is part of Strong Machine Adventure Racing's commitment to sustainability and giving back to the outdoors community.

Last Minute Bike Needs? If you find yourself in the Bethel area before the race and need any bike supplies or a last-minute tune up, visit Barker Mountain Bikes and mention that you are part of the Maine Summer Adventure Race for a 10% discount! They also have mountain bikes to rent if you are still looking for a race ride.

Sponsors. We couldn’t do this without the generous support of our sponsors! Endless thanks to L.L. Bean, Squirt Cycling Products, Zanfel, OutThere Packs, Pasokin, Sap Hound Maple Company, Barker Mountain Bikes, Pleasant Hill Campground, Stony Brook Campground, The Inn at Rostay, The Bethel Inn, OutThereUSA, Maine GearShare, and Steam Mill Brewing.

Facebook. Please “like” our Facebook page to get updates before, during (for friends and family), and after the race!

Be sure to review our 1st racer update and 2nd racer update!

3-hour race

We are less than 1 week from race day and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome you all to the 9th annual Maine Summer Adventure Race! This email will serve as our final communication before race day. Please review carefully, discuss with your teammates, and email us (StrongMachineAR@gmail.com) with any last-minute questions that arise.
Race Headquarters and Parking. The start and finish are at Gould Academy’s Pine Hill Trails on Grover Hill Road in Bethel. Please follow volunteer instructions when you arrive to ensure that you are parking in the correct area. Parking is tight so we will be squeezing cars into these lots as efficiently as we can. Do not arrive before 10:00am or else we will need you to re-park your car. If you plan to camp out of your car or van, please do not camp at the start/finish area; instead consider camping at Pleasant Hill Campground or Stony Brook Campground (get 15% off your stay at both campgrounds with code MSAR 2025).
Race registration will be at the Pine Hill yurt on the Race Loop trail, about a 2 minute walk from the parking area. We recommend bringing your own water to fill your bottles and bladders for the race start. We will not provide water at the start.
Race Day Schedule. The schedule is as follows:

• Saturday 10:30am - Registration opens, maps distributed.

• Saturday 11:30am - Pre-race meeting.

• Saturday 12:00pm - Race start!

• Saturday 3:00pm - Race finish! Post-race party begins.

• Saturday 3:30pm - Awards.

Weather and Recommendations. The forecast for race weekend looks generally pleasant in the Bethel area, with highs in the mid- to upper-70s. We recommend continuing to monitor the weather forecast and coming prepared to manage potential sudden weather changes (e.g., rain, sudden hot or cold temperatures), which are common in this area of Maine in July.
GPS Devices. Please note that GPS-enabled watches and bike computers are not allowed. Racers can use their Garmin watch only if in AR-mode for the full duration of the event.
General Tips. We highly recommend arriving right when registration opens because maps will be handed out as you register, so arriving early means you will have more time to plan your route. Most teams in all of our races will not get all checkpoints (i.e. “clear the course”), meaning that they will need to make strategic choices throughout the race about which checkpoints to go for and which ones to skip. All checkpoints (unless otherwise noted) will be marked with orange and white orienteering flags. Teams will use the punch hanging from the flag to mark the race-provided passport, showing which checkpoints they obtained. The team that obtains the most checkpoints in the least amount of time wins the race!
Spectators. Friends and family are welcome and encouraged to cheer you on throughout the course. Please alert your fans that they are not allowed to provide any special assistance to your team while the race is in progress.
Post-Race Celebration. We will hold a post-race party immediately following the race. All food will be provided by our race partner, Good Food Store. Racers will also enjoy post-race beverages including cold sodas and locally-brewed beer courtesy of Steam Mill Brewing.
Final Reminder for Maine GearShare On-Site Gear Repairs. We are so excited to announce a partnership with Maine GearShare at the 2025 Maine Summer Adventure Race! Bring any gear in need of repair to the race and the expert fixers at Maine GearShare will do their best to get it back in working order. All done for free while you're off racing through the woods! All items must be clean. Common repair types accepted: stuck or misaligned zippers, nylon with rips, puffy coat holes, broken backpack buckles and straps, seam failures, etc. Some stoves, tents, snowshoes and other hard goods can be repaired on a case-by-case basis.
If possible (though not required), please use this link to submit your repair requests. After you enter a submission, you will receive an email with a repair ID that should be attached to your item when you drop it off. This is not required but will help Maine GearShare plan its day in advance.
This program is part of Strong Machine Adventure Racing's commitment to sustainability and giving back to the outdoors community.
Last Minute Bike Needs? If you find yourself in the Bethel area before the race and need any bike supplies or a last-minute tune up, visit Barker Mountain Bikes and mention that you are part of the Maine Summer Adventure Race for a 10% discount! They also have mountain bikes to rent if you are still looking for a race ride.
Sponsors. We couldn’t do this without the generous support of our sponsors! Endless thanks to L.L. Bean, Squirt Cycling Products, Zanfel, OutThere Packs, Pasokin, Sap Hound Maple Company, Barker Mountain Bikes, Pleasant Hill Campground, Stony Brook Campground, The Inn at Rostay, The Bethel Inn, OutThereUSA, Maine GearShare, and Steam Mill Brewing.
Facebook. Please “like” our Facebook page to get updates before, during (for friends and family), and after the race!
Be sure to review our 1st racer update and 2nd racer update!
See you all next weekend!
- Kate, Cliff, Emily, and Evan