The Chill Winter Adventure Race

  • Date Sat 24th January 2026
  • Time 7:00AM EST
  • Location Cumberland, Virginia
  • Price $170.60
  • Races 1 race
  • Distances Ultra

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Event summary

Get ready for an exhilarating day of adventure at The Chill Winter Adventure Race, taking place on Saturday, January 24th, 2026, in the stunning Cumberland State Forest and Bear Creek Lake, located in the heart of central Virginia. This beloved winter event, now in its 14th year, invites solo racers and teams of 2-4 to immerse themselves in the great outdoors for an action-packed 8-10 hours of trekking and biking through a creatively designed course.

With no paddling this year, participants can focus on honing their navigation skills and decision-making as they explore the crisp, clear woods. Whether you're looking to assess your off-season fitness, bond with fellow adventure racing enthusiasts, or take on a new challenge, The Chill offers the perfect opportunity to embrace the winter elements. Expect a course that balances foot and bike segments while providing optional checkpoints and mandatory transition areas. Don’t miss out on this chance to enjoy the invigorating winter air and make lasting memories in an exciting race that promises fun, challenge, and camaraderie!

Organiser's Description

Your favorite winter adventure race is back! Over the past 13 years, the Chill has given many of you the excuse to get outside in the dead of winter for a fun and adventurous day of racing in the off season. We are excited to bring this popular event back to Cumberland State Forest and Bear Creek Lake, nestled in the heart of central Virginia.

If you need an excuse to get outside, get off the trainer or treadmill and spend a day in the woodswith a chance of some very cold weather, crisp air, clear runnable woods, and NO creepy crawlers out and aboutthis is the race for you! Its the perfect race to gauge your off-season fitness, work on some racing skills, race with new teammates, or even just see your adventure racing buddies who you missed all winter.

Over the course of 8-10 hours (the final time will be determined once the course is done and fully vetted), solo racers, and teams of 2-4 will trek, bike and full on navigate their way through a fun, challenging, and creative race course. Due to the winter season, there will be NO paddling in this race.

As is standard for our events, strategy will be key and you can expect a lot of decision making and route choices on both bike and foot. While this race wont necessarily be designed with the beginner in mind, it is a great race to get your feet wet, learn a few things, test your gear and tolerance for racing in a cold environment and, if you're new to the sport, work on your navigation.

While we are still in the early stages of the course design, we do anticipate roughly half of the course being on foot and half on bike, time-wise. Of course this is ultimately up to each team and how fast they move, route choices, race goals, etc.

All checkpoints will be optional and all TAs (transitions areas) are mandatory. Teams will be able to do as much of, or as little of, the course as they feel comfortable doing in the allowed time.

Races

  • The Chill Winter Adventure Race

    Incl. $10.60 Fee & T-Shirt

    Sat 24th January 2026 (7:00AM EST)

    $170.60

    RACE DISCIPLINES Navigation: Teams can expect navigation through out the entire race. A majority of the trekking will be off trail navigation and route choices will be key. You can also expect an equal amount of navigation on the bike, with plenty of route choices and options. Depending on the final race duration and finish time, teams may be racing in the dark. Make sure you have a good light system on both bike and headlamp. Biking: The state forest is a maze of forest roads and trails. Teams can expect to be riding on a little bit of everything and anything. From some pavement to gravel, dirt, single track, fields, and even a hike or two through the woods. If you can ride it, it will be an option. Trekking: Teams can expect a significant amount of off trail travel and some advanced navigation. With minimal elevation gain and loss, the features can be very tricky and subtle. The forest also has abundant wetlands, a river running through it, and a lot of creeks. There will most likely be some wet water crossings depending on route choices.

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Location

22 Bear Creek Lake Rd, Cumberland, 23040, VA, United States

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Jan 24, 2026

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