It might take a moment to wrap your mind around the undertaking that was the Wilderness Traverse Adventure Racing North America Championship last weekend in Sudbury and area.

No less than 73 teams (261 participants) took part in the endurance event that ran for a full 24 hour period – and beyond.

Seven busloads left Laurentian University early Saturday morning, heading off to Moose Lake, just north of the La Cloche Ridge and North Channel, south west of Espanola.

From there, race legs were as follows: 27km hike towards Willisville; 45km paddle (Lang Lake/Lake Panache); 80km bike (towards Walden Trails and Kivi Park and eventually Lake Laurentian Conservation Area) and finishing with a 10km hike back to L.U. some time on Sunday (but before the 30-hour limit of 4:00 p.m.).

Drawing competitors both from Canada and the U.S., including a large contingent from Quebec, the run/walk/paddle/mountain bike undertaking also requires at least one team member (each team must include 3-4 people, all of whom must remain within 100 metres of each other for the duration of the race) who has a very solid knowledge of orienteering.

“We’ve been wanting to up here for a while – the terrain is just so well-suited for this type of event,” noted Counter Adventures founder and event director Bob Miller from Collingwood, though he has family on Manitoulin Island and has plenty of adventure race background in the Parry Sound area.

“We look for the hidden gems and then try and figure out how we can piece them together,” said Miller, running race headquarters from Laurentian University – also the site of the finish line.

“The actual City of Sudbury is unique. It’s not a grid but a city with streets that go all over the place, with all of this elevation and topography. It’s just really cool for what we do.”

“From our perspective, in setting the course, it’s super unique from the rest of the province.”

A mainstay on the adventure racing scene since roughly 2012, Chris Laughren was making his first visit to Sudbury - and clearly made the most of it.

Teaming up with friends from in and around the Milton area (one from London) to form Attack from Above, the determined quartet would finish tied for second overall with Expedition Canada, trailing only race winners Bend Racing / 4 Hour Fuel who completed the trek in 21:02.27.

For as much as this is a "race", competitors apparently do not lose sight of the bigger picture.

"It's a beautiful area," said Laughren, a 48 year-old who acknowledged that his athletic background, pre-adventure racing, was limited to the likes of golf and softball - not exactly the type of training one might envision for the challenge that is Wilderness Traverse.

"To be so close to Killarney and see some of the silouette of the La Cloche Mountain range, that's cool," he continued. "In Toronto, we have the Niagara Escarpment, but nothing like that."

"To see that white rock in the distance was pretty nice."

Rounding out the top four was Team Canada Adventure, with that entire quartet of entries all coming in some two hours or so ahead of Raid Pulse and Uterati.

The truth, however, is that all of these teams have spent hours of planning to ready themselves for a conquest that is nothing if not rewarding, regardless of where you finish in the pack. Finishing, above all else, is the end goal, and requires a mix of skills that differs from most other organized sports.

"To have at least one good navigator on the team is crucial if you want to be competitive," noted Laughren. "It's vital to this kind of racing. You could be going the wrong way pretty quickly in the bush and double or triple your time out there."

Beyond that?

"Most teams have a workhorse, someone who can carry extra weight and is often a good motivator," added Miller. "Most teams have a Momma Bear, someone who is looking after their teammates."

"One big problem is that people don't speak up when they are struggling. A team that communicates really well can overcome that."

For as much pre-event preparation as teams can undertake, things never go to plan.

"Adventure racing is unique because you kind of don't know what you're going to do until you show up at the start line," said Laughren. "It's a lot of map and compass, a lot of mountain biking, paddling and trekking."

"And what we have come to expect from Wilderness Traverse and Bob is that there are always elements of surprise out there. That's what makes it more challenging, but also what makes it that much better when you finish it too."