The Douthat State Park Tenderfoot adventure race is designed for a beginner--a Tenderfoot--and will be simple enough to learn and enjoy, but challenging enough to be considered an adventure race. This adventure race at Douthat (pronounced "doubt-that," according to Virginia State Parks, but this seems to be up for debate!), will have you paddling on the 50-acre lake, mountain biking on trails considered among the best mountain biking on the East Coast with its classic mix of rocky and fast singletrack, and trekking through some of Virginia’s best backcountry, with almost every trail leading to an amazing vista. Nestled in the Allegheny Mountains of south central Virginia and surrounded by the George Washington National Forest, the park opened in 1936 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as one of the original state parks in Virginia, and its design played a large in park development across the United States. The Outside Family Vacation Guide named Douthat State Park one of the nation's 10 best. Come discover it--and what you can do at--this super fun event!

The best part about a Tenderfoot is that it’s basically an off-road, all-terrain, high-octane scavenger hunt. It's perfect for beginner adventure racers--you can choose how far and how hard you race. And after this event, you're sure to be hooked!

The morning of the race, we'll give you a map with checkpoints and a list of "Rules of Travel." This gives you clues to checkpoints and tells you how you'll get to them--by trekking, paddling, or mountain biking. Teams will have 3-4 hours to find as many checkpoints as possible. The highest point accumulation in the shortest amount of time will determine ranking. Once the teams have found all of the required checkpoints, they sprint back to cross the finish line.

We offer two "types" of Tenderfoot categories: Family and Adventure Class. The family team (with 2- or 3-person teams) must have at least one member younger than age 16 and participates in a shorter, easier version of the Adventure Class course. (It's still an achievement for teams but not meltdown inducing. For this particular event at Douthat, we recommend kids be at least 10 years old because the mountain biking is tricky in spots.) The Adventure Class (soloist or 2- or 3-person teams) offers a longer, more challenging course with a lot of optional opportunities to really have an adventure and hone those navigation and trail skills. (Note: We have found that if the youngest team member is 13 or older, Adventure Class is a better choice, offering more of a challenge.)