The new Adventure Racing World Series Championship will see 38 junior teams representing 10 countries competing in Temiscamingue, Canada.
BENTONVILLE, AR, UNITED STATES, July 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — TÉMISCAMINGUE, QUEBEC, CANADA – Adventure racing is about to celebrate one of the most significant events in its history as the first-ever ARWS Junior Adventure Racing World Championship takes place from July 23 to 26, in the Témiscamingue region of Quebec, Canada.
The new Adventure Racing World Series Championship will see 38 junior teams representing 10 countries competing; including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Uruguay, and the United States—compete in pairs across Under-18 and Under-25 categories. France has made a particularly strong commitment, sending eight pairs to cover every age group and division, while the host nation and the neighboring US also boast substantial representation.
A Milestone for the Future of Adventure Racing
Historically, adventure racing has attracted a predominantly mature demographic, with participants typically discovering the sport in their 30s or 40s. The launch of this new Junior Championship is an investment in the sport’s future, which will inspire a new generation to grow up as adventure racers. By providing a clear international pathway, the championship aims to lower the average age of participants, encourage national federations to establish youth development programs and cultivate lifelong adventure racers, who will one day become the sport’s elite athletes, coaches, and leaders.
A Dream Fulfilled by Global Collaboration
ARWS CEO Heidi Muller is travelling from Australia for the event and is the driving force behind the launch of this groundbreaking new ARWS championship.
“This is a concept I have been dreaming about and working towards for so many years,” she said. “As an event organiser for two decades I always included junior races in our programmes, and after taking on the role of ARWS CEO in 2023 it was a priority for me to establish a Junior World Championship. This came with the significant challenges of finding the right event partners and format, funding the race, recruiting the junior teams and then making it affordable for them to travel to an international event.
“Temiscamingue and Endurance Aventure were the location and event partners I was searching for and they have been working tirelessly to get us to the point where junior teams from around the world are now arriving in Quebec for Raid Temiscamingue!
“This was achieved with the help of the recently established International Adventure Racing Association, which co-ordinated selecting teams through their member national associations. The associations selected, trained and fundraised to get the best young racers from their country to this championship, and the athletes themselves were the final piece of the puzzle. They are the trailblazers for a new era in our sport and will inspire school and junior racers around the world to follow in their footsteps.
“This is a turning point for our sport and I’m so proud of the immense collaborative effort the whole global adventure racing community has made to support this first ARWS Junior Adventure Racing World Championship.”
Raid Temiscamingue Welcomes International Teams
Daniel Poirier, founder of Endurance Aventure and organizer of Raid Témiscamingue, shared his excitement on hosting the historic race:
“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,” Poirier said.
“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 have all included a youth prologue. This partners local school children with international athletes for a day of adventure racing and will once again be part of the event.
“We are looking forward to welcoming teams at the opening ceremony, where they will experience local indigenous culture and we have a spectacular course ready for them in the rich forests and amongst the thousands of sparkling lakes of Temiscamingue. They will have the adventure of a lifetime!”
Event Programme Explores Temiscamingue
Set against the backdrop of Témiscamingue’s vast boreal forests, lakes, and rivers, the multisport race will test teams across trail running, mountain biking, canoeing, swimming, and rope challenges.
The official championship schedule is as follows:
Thursday, July 23: Registration and Opening Ceremony.
Friday, July 24: Desjardins Youth Raid Prologue (10–20 km), a fun stage where international athletes race alongside local schoolchildren.
Saturday, July 25: World Championship Race Day 1 (50–60 km).
Sunday, July 26: World Championship Race Day 2 (40–50 km) and Closing Ceremony.
Fans, families, and adventure racing enthusiasts worldwide can follow the historic event moment-by-moment via live tracking at arworldseries.com/live. All ARWS social media channels (@arworldseries) will have frequent news, video and photo updates, as will @raidtemiscamingue.
For more information and to see a full list of teams, visit the official event website at www.arwsjuniorworld.com
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Preview of the first ARWS Junior Adventure Racing World Championship – Raid Temiscamingue
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