2024 GMARA Event Schedule

We’ve fielded lots of questions about our 2024 schedule. It’s exciting to see all the interest!

Thanks for your patience while we sorted through what was possible. After hosting last year’s USARA National Championships, we needed some time to see who had energy to focus on this year’s events.

We will be hosting the 24-hour Hard Fall in southern Vermont. We expect this event to sell out well in advance, so please sign up as soon as registration opens to guarantee your team a spot. We are determining if we can also hold a shorter Test Your Nettle event that same weekend; we’ll have an update on that front in a few weeks.

We’ll also be hosting, in partnership with Women of AR, a weekend training clinic to help women grow in the sport. Details will be posted to the site soon.

And inclosing, some disappointing news to many – we will not be holding a Bitter Pill in 2024. Our organizers are either focused on the two events above or spending some time racing themselves. We do expect the Bitter Pill to return in 2025!

USARA Nationals Results

This past weekend was a special one for GMARA – when we started hosting races 20 years ago, bringing the national championship to Vermont wasn’t something anyone expected.

Thank you to USARA for the opportunity, thanks to the teams for racing, thanks to the sponsors for making the event special, and thanks to Smugglers’ Notch Resort for a great host location. Lastly, a huge thanks to all the volunteers who made it happen – this was the biggest team we’ve ever had helping at a race, and their dedication made it run like clockwork.

USARA shared links to provisional results and a replay of the live tracking provided by Enabled Tracking. Adventure Racing Insider has course flyovers & interviews. Curated race photos are being uploaded to the USARA Photo Collection and volunteer photos are being gathered in the GMARA Photo Collection. If you have more to add, drop us an email!

2023 USARA Nationals

What’s that you say? The USARA National Championships are coming to Vermont in 2023?

In this case, the rumors are very true! GMARA is proud to be designing and hosting Nationals next year. We are hard at work on designing a worthy 30-hour race course. The race is currently full and many teams are on the waitlist hoping that a space frees up.

If you are new to GMARA and wondering what type of events we offer, we suggest you peruse our various write-ups from two decades of putting on adventure events large and small. We look forward to showing you what Vermont has to offer.

2022 Bitter Pill – Results

The Bitter Pill returned to familiar terrain for 2022, starting from Blush Hill Country Club in Waterbury on a crisp 49º morning.

A heavy fog was rising as racers began their descent, and the silence was unbroken but for the eerie cry of burning brakes on a rented Mongoose mountain bike and the crunch of broken glass under bike tires in the middle of the road. Starting things off right!

Racers received maps at race start, one big overview map with a number of smaller focus areas. The first leg was mostly on Vermont roads and the navigation wasn’t too complex, so teams set out without needing much planning time, collecting a single checkpoint flag on a local bike path.


Whatever route teams chose, one thing was certain – reaching the first transition area meant a lot of uphill biking, a harbinger of the day ahead.

The next leg had checkpoints placed all around the Waterworks trail network, the source of Waterbury’s water supply. Unlike many GMARA legs with the word “water” in them, this wasn’t a swamp – but it was a maze of twisty passages, with official trails not always matching the reality on the ground.

Racers at TA1 had many options – they could leave their bikes in the large field of goldenrod and pick up points on foot, they could attempt to bike the trails (with permission from the town for our event), or a little of both. Teams even had the option of hitting the final two CPs as part of this section or on the way to TA 3.  A few teams found all the points 2-9 and Bonus Point A during this leg, but all the teams found the navigation a challenge.

After they’d had their fill of trails, racers left TA2 on their bikes. Dirt roads, paved roads, and a bit of travel on scenic route 100 took them over the north end of Waterbury Reservoir into the Mount Mansfield State Forest, collecting one beautiful waterfall checkpoint midway.

Thankfully, this did involve a bit more biking uphill. Wouldn’t want those tires to get cold.

It was during this leg that racers had their first shot at CP Y, a non-standard “get it anytime today” checkpoint on the edge of the reservoir.

At TA3, a gallon of fresh water and some happy birthday mini cupcakes were waiting for racers when they arrived. Bikes were set aside again for “the big trek” – checkpoints 11-19 and three bonus points B-C-D at higher elevation were available for teams on foot.

Many racers expressed appreciation that this was “pure orienteering”, no nasty web of trails to throw off your navigation. Volunteers staffing TA 3/4 enjoyed seeing that there was no clear consensus about the best way to start, and racers chose a variety of routes. If you’re curious to see more route details, check out the Strava Flyby. It’s fascinating! If you’ve uploaded your track to Strava and need help making it public so it adds to the tangle, please let us know.

After the trek it was back to TA4. Teams traded in their old, ripe passport for a fresh new one and enjoyed a few snacks including Seriously Sharp Cheddar provided by Cabot. The next leg would take racers through the flow trails at Little River State Park, so they were handed a WATA trail map to make sure they weren’t going up the downhills or biking on the hike trails.

As expected, everyone was super stoked to start another 1000′ of climbing. During the climb, there were 3 checkpoints to collect, the first at the site of a large landslide in 2019, which destroyed the shortcut trail from TA 4 to Little River State Park. The history of the region is quite interesting, as the Ricker Basin was once a thriving community in the 1800s.  However, after the flood of 1927, the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed a dam and flooded the region creating what is now the Waterbury Reservoir.

There are still old stone walls, foundations, and chimneys remaining in the area, but racers may not have noticed as they enjoyed the well-crafted S curves and the downhill travel. 3 more checkpoints and another possible “get it when it feels right” CP X on a tiny peninsula on the reservoir, and racers arrived at TA 5.


At TA5, racers were psyched to drop off their bikes for the last time, and prepared to start their paddle… but unlike most years, the boats were on the dry side of the dam and teams would have to lug their boat up and over before they could get in the water.

Our thoughts exactly, Jim.

Up, over, and into the reservoir they went.

One team even swam out to CP 26, a buoy close to shore.


Checkpoints 26-31 were waiting on the water, as well as another chance to pick up CP X — and CP Y if you wanted to add an extra 2 miles of paddling!
After bringing their boats back to TA6, it was time for the final trek back to Blush Hill. For the ambitious, there were an additional 5 bonus points to collect during the final trek, but teams had to clear the entire paddle section to even be eligible. After such a long day, it’s no surprise only a couple of teams even attempted these bonus points.

As can happen during adventure races, the challenge on the trek to the finish was less about navigation and more about land ownership and permissions, so racers were given a detailed map review before heading out. After 11 hours of racing, “Follow this exact route, but don’t be too exact about it” is guaranteed to make your head spin a bit.

Oh, and since they were heading back to Blush Hill, racers closed their day with another 600′ of elevation gain! Supposedly if you finish where you started, the amount of downhill should equal the amount of uphill. More than one team might now be questioning this logic after spending what felt like all day climbing.

Friends, family, and volunteers were waiting at the finish line. Almost every team was off the course by 5:30, undoubtedly looking forward to dinner and relaxation.

Two teams collected every point and continued to the post-paddle bonus section. Ultrabambi won the premier 3-person coed division picking up every primary point and one of those final bonus checkpoints in 11 hours and 39 minutes, while Strong Machine’s 2-man team picked up one point more than that and finished only 4 minutes later. Winning teams (and raffle winners) went home with some fabulous prizes from Mammut, the Outdoor Gear Exchange, and Cabot.

Check out the extensive details on the results page.

Thanks to all the sponsors, partners, volunteers, and racers for making this another great day in the woods. With so many GMARA regulars racing (in this race and overseas) it was a bit of a trick to pull this all together, and this year’s crew was phenomenal. If you’ve ever wanted to spend more time in the woods, take up photography, lift 110 bikes into a truck, chat with sponsors or talk landowners into letting a crowd run through their backyard – reach out and let us know!

Photos are up in the usual spot. If you’ve got photos, videos, blog posts, GPS tracks or stories from the trail, please send a note to staff@gmara.org with details and we’ll get them up here.


2022 Bitter Pill Racer Update #2 (#1 was not posted, but would not be valid anyways)

Racers – you should have received this in your inbox.

Hi Racers!
We are just a week and half away from 12 hours of epic adventuring by foot, bike, and boat.  In the 11th hour, we got some good news regarding course design resulting in a few changes that we are excited to share.

1) There will be NO bike drop-off Friday evening.  You simply bring your bikes with you to the race start Saturday morning.  For those of you who like to sleep with your bike the night before for good luck, be our guest.

2) In fact, we are CANCELING the entire Friday night check-in.  If you are receiving this email, you are indeed registered and all set.  Simply show up Saturday morning bright and early with all of your gear and ready to race.  If you happen to be in the area and have last minute burning questions or just want to say hi, I (and perhaps other GMARA volunteers) will be hanging out at a local bar from 6-8 pm.  Stay tuned for the update next week as to what bar we will be at, but this will not be an official event nor will any checkpoint location hints be given out.

Lots of good news for both course design and travel/sleep plans.  But that is not all.  Oh, no.  That is not all.

3) In our generosity, we are giving you an extra 15 minutes of more sleep.  The 2022 Bitter Pill race will officially start at 5:15 am from Blush Hill Country Club.  You should plan on being ready to race at 5:15.  This means bags are packed, gear is ready, and stretching is done, so show up early to give yourself enough time.  GMARA volunteers will be on site by 4:45 am.  We are currently working on having bathroom access early in the morning, and will be included in next week’s final race update.

4) There will be a cash bar at Blush Hill open as soon as you finish.  They have asked for as many folks as possible to use cash to speed up the line as their credit card machine can be slow.  If possible, please bring cash with you if you will want a beverage.

5) We do not have access to their showers.  Please respect our host venue’s request as their water system would not be able to handle the load.  Don’t worry about your smell, as we will all be sweaty together (except for teams whose boat capsized).

Answers to other questions we have received via email:
– Camping is not allowed on site
– Parking Saturday morning will be at Blush Hill Country Club.  There will be a GMARA volunteer instructing you where to park starting by 4:45 am.
– You should plan on being able to carry all gear with you (except for bike) during all parts of the race.  You may find that you are allowed to leave certain items such as bike shoes or water bottles with your bike at various points in the race.  However, it is possible that your bike may be moved by GMARA race volunteers, perhaps for significant distances, and we are not responsible for any gear that might become dislodged easily from the bike.
– Declination for the area is about 14 degrees west.  The exact declination will be given at race start.

Next race update will be next Wednesday.  Don’t hesitate to reach out via email with any other questions before then.  Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.
Cheers,
Ross and the GMARA crew

2022 Bitter Pill Adventure Race – Registration is Open

The moment you have all been waiting for … registration for the GMARA 2022 Bitter Pill is now open!  This year we return to a home base at Blush Hill Country Club for 12 hours of navigating while biking, trekking, and paddling through the Green Mountains.  We would love to share more about the details of the course and the location of checkpoints, but that will have to wait till bright and early on August 13.  One thing you can count on is plenty of adventure with some fun surprises mixed in.

With the exciting rise in popularity of adventure racing, we do expect the race to sell out.  Registration is first come, first serve, so sign up early and guarantee your spot.   Note that we have separate caps for 2 and 3 person teams based on boat availability, and thus, recruit your teammate(s) now.  We are trying out a new registration process this year, so please reach out if you run into any difficulties or have any questions at all.

With the snow melting and spring arriving, it’s time to start your training.  While we promise to be friendly to new racers, those looking to compete for the podium will surely be challenged.  Looking forward to seeing you this summer!

2022 Test Your Nettle Update

We’re exploring options currently to see if we can host a Test Your Nettle event in 2022. There’s a chance we’ll be able to align one with the Bitter Pill. If it comes together we’ll update the site and announce it via our mailing list.

2022 Hard Fall Update – Patience is a Virtue

We’ve decided to wait a year to bring the Hard Fall back. It’s a lot to put on two major summer events; it’s important that we keep our organizers energized and our volunteers happy. Never fear – we expect to return with another 24 hour race in 2023!

2022 Bitter Pill – Registration Opening Soon

The Bitter Pill Returns!
We’re excited to announce that we’ll be opening registration for the Bitter Pill on 4/1. Event basics are posted. It’s safe to say you’ll get to enjoy all the summer classics – paddling, trekking, navigation, and mountain biking.

We do expect to fill up again, and fill quickly, regardless of how many boats we can source from our suppliers. If you plan to race, sign up quickly to reserve your spot!

2021 Hard Fall – Results


The 2021 Hard Fall was GMARA’s first 24-hour race – and what a race it was!

Taking place in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, the course highlighted the beauty, the challenge, and the remoteness of this amazing area.


Teams received their maps after completing registration early Saturday morning in St. Johnsbury. Depending on when they completed check-in, they had almost two hours to review the course and make their plans.

They were then loaded onto buses at 9am to take them the race start at the north end of Lake Willoughby, Vermont’s deepest lake.

There were no checkpoints on this initial section section, just a paddle due south to the far end of the lake to get to the first transition area (TA).

Teams looks determined on the beach as they heard the final set of pre-race instructions. They had spent months getting ready for what was moments away. As they looked out at Lake Willoughby, the magnitude of the challenge took shape.

In 1915, Robert Frost wrote about this body of water:
“I see it’s a fair, pretty sheet of water,
Our Willoughby! How did you hear of it?
I expect, though, everyone’s heard of it.
In a book about ferns? Listen to that!”


If only it were a sheet of water…in reality, there were incredibly strong headwinds greeting racers as they stood on the beach. It was clear their paddle wouldn’t be a fast cruise over glass, but instead a brutal paddle straight into the wind and through some whitecaps.

Given the wind and waves, boats were taking on water faster than most teams would have liked. A few teams did indeed capsize, and in true adventure racing fashion, either self-rescued or were assisted by other teams. Many teams stopped at least once to drain their boats and continue on.

In contrast, the last quarter mile was quite smooth!


After reaching the first TA, racers headed into a multi-hour trek with a twist. The points in this area were worth varying amounts (25, 50, 75 or 100 points). Every one hundred points would count as one full checkpoint. There were 1100 total points available, and racers could score up to nine checkpoints in this section. This led to lots of strategy decisions: Which points to get? How many to get? What order to get them in?

There were some truly spectacular views from a few of the points – well worth the hike even when not part of an adventure race!


After finishing this trek at TA 2, racers got on their bikes for the first time and biked to a mystery discipline, picking up one checkpoint in a culvert along the way. There was a lot of speculation from racers as to what this would entail. Everything from axe throwing to summer dog sledding was suggested, but several teams got it right: a corn maze!

Teams arrived to TA 3 at the Kingdom Corn Maze, with not one but three corn mazes. In an adventure racing first, racers would actually be biking in two of these mazes, and trekking in the largest of the three. Racers had a detailed map for the two larger mazes, but only knew where the next checkpoint was located at any time, discovering the next one as they went.


For most teams, the sun was setting as they were in or just leaving the corn mazes. It was a glorious evening! Teams now headed off to bike the Kingdom Trails – a massive network of excellent biking trails, a true gem of this area. There were many points which could be retrieved in any order. Teams again had to decide which points to get and how to attack them.

To finish this section, most teams had to hike-a-bike, gaining more than 600 feet, and then coasted down into TA 4. Some teams found other creative ways to wind their way to TA 4. Here they were greeted by the volunteer staff with access to their gear bins, water, a hot meal provided by Good to Go, and a warm fire. That fire was seductive, tempting teams to stop moving.

From TA 4, teams had the option to head out onto a fully off-trail bushwhack to retrieve more points, before returning. An altimeter was definitely an asset in this section.

Teams then had a fairly short bike ride to get to TA 5, where they would begin the second paddle of the race.

Far from open water with chop, this was on the slow moving Passumpsic River. Water levels had dropped considerably, and racers found themselves initially having to pull their canoe or kayak over rocks and sandbars until things got a bit deeper. The ability to read a river and pick the best lines was definitely an asset here. Most teams had the sun rise while on this paddle, and a fresh batch of daylight definitely helped keep away the sleepies.

Just in case the in-river boat dragging wasn’t enough “fun”, teams were treated to multiple required portages. On their third portage, about 8 miles into the paddle, racers were surprised with their bikes. Given how slowly the paddle leg was going, race organizers called the audible to cut the paddle short and get them on their bikes earlier.

A tough call to make during the race, but overall this allowed the majority of teams to experience the timing of the race course as designed and not be overly penalized for something outside of their control.


Racers then biked a few miles to TA 6, and for those teams with time to spare headed off into the St. Johnsbury town Forest for three quick trekking check points. Finally, teams biked a short distance via a specific route on their map, to the finish line, where a breakfast buffet and hot coffee awaited them!

Special thank you to our sponsors!
Mammut
Outdoor Gear Exchange
Good to Go
Kingdom Coffee Roasters
The premier 3 person coed division was incredibly close, with the top 3 teams being separated by a mere 2 checkpoints. In the end, it was Strong Machine AR that edged out the competition and took first place overall, with an impressive 51 checkpoints! Check out the full detailed results here.


Thanks to all the volunteers, and racers for making this another great day in the woods. We couldn’t do it without your support!

A special thanks to spouses and kids who put up with adventure-planning craziness. They know that these events aren’t just a huge amount of work, they’re a huge amount of fun – like a family reunion — but a family with some really odd traditions.

Photos are up in the usual spot. If you’ve got photos, videos, blog posts, GPS tracks or stories from the trail, please send a note to staff@gmara.org with details and we’ll get them up here.

Writeup from Strong Machine
Writeup from NH Trail Vets
Writeup from Rootstock

Thanks for racing!

– The GMARA Crew