What is adventure racing?

In short, adventure racing can be defined as a multi-sport, non-stop, team race. The teams compete together as a complete unit. Each team member must complete the race with his or her team to finish ranked. If one team member cannot continue, the team may choose to withdraw or compete without that teammate unranked, or unofficially. Teams typically range from 2-5 persons and are both single sex and mixed gender. More and more races are bringing the solo catagory to adventure racing however. The mixed gender teams are commonly called elite teams. Races can range from 2-3 hours, called sprint races, to 3-10 days, called expedition races. The core disciplines of adventure racing are mountain biking, trekking/running, and some form of paddling (canoes, sea kayaks, inflatable kayaks, etc.). Races can include navigation, orienteering, jumaring, abseiling, horseback riding, swimming, canyoneering, and more!

How did adventure racing start?

The seeds of adventure racing were planted with a multi-sport race in New Zealand called the Coast to Coast. The first race began in 1980 with mountain running, kayaking, and mountain biking. It was actually created when someone misunderstood a conversation they overheard suggesting some American's were looking to create a wilderness challenge.

The next huge step was the Raid Gauloises, held in New Zealand in 1989, the first mixed team multi-sport, multi-day wilderness race. Created by Gerard Fusil, the Raid quickly popularized the sport of adventure racing in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand (known as the birthplace of adventure racing). The Raid travels to different locations around the world every year. The Raid has been held in New Zealand, Costa Rico, Oman, Borneo, and other exotic locations. Typical racing time for the Raid is 10 days.

In 1991, the Southern Traverse was founded in New Zealand. The race held to the true spirit of the Raid, yet is commonly completed in 3-5 days. The popularity of the sport continued to grow around the world, except for the United States.

The adventure racing bug first began in the United States with the birth of the Eco-Challenge held in Utah in 1995. Created by Mark Burnett, a former Raid competitor, the Eco-Challenge brought the sport of adventure racing to the minds of American athletes. Like the Raid, the Eco-Challenge is held in a different host country every year. The huge media attention brought by the Eco-Challenge helped put adventure racing on the sports map.

According to many, adventure racing is now the fastest growing sport in the world. The popularity has boomed with the creation of shorter races, called sprint races. These races allow the weekend warriors of the world to enjoy the sport without the training, financial, and logistical aspects of expedition races such as the Raid or Eco-Challenge.

-excerpts of this answer provided by Frontier Adventure Racing, Inc. www.raidthenorth.com

What are special tests and mystery events in adventure racing?

Most commonly found in sprint races, the terms special tests and mystery events can be used interchangeably. The competitors have no knowledge of what these events might be up until the pre-race meeting and sometimes not until they begin them. These events can be literally anything. The tests/events can be: team pushups, changing a "flat" tire, putting together a small puzzle, scaling a Crisco covered wall, scaling a wooden wall, balancing tests, archery, crossing a huge mud pit, carrying one team member up a hill on a log, a rope traverse, an obstacle course, and much more! The most common test I've seen is the Crisco covered wall.