CheNarr Adventure Race and Rogaine

About

The CheNarr Adventure Race and Rogaine is returning for a third year from Hardwin Adventures. The first event is a 10 hour Adventure Race on the Harpeth River, in Narrows of the Harpeth State Park and throughout the Cheatham Wildlife Management Area. The AR will involve trekking, mountain biking and paddling. The second event is an 8-hr Rogaine which is a foot travel only race through the Cheatham. This year the race will be held on March 1st. The primary change from last year to this year is a slight shortening of the Adventure Race. This year's race will start with paddling and we are going to wait until 9 am for it to warm up a bit before getting going. Make sure you dress appropriately as it might be cold on the water!

Here's a primer for those who are unfamiliar with adventure races and rogaines.  Both adventure races and rogaines are navigation-based races. That means that this course is not going to be marked like a typical Hardwin ultramarathon. Racers will be given a map, will need a compass, and will be attempting to find as many checkpoints as possible.  Traditionally in an AR, racers compete in co-ed teams of three or four racers that travel together along the entire course from point to point. For the CheNarr, two person teams, same gender teams and solo racers are also acceptable. A rogaine is a similar event consisting only of foot travel that is also map and compass navigation based. The rogaine will also be a team-based event, but solos will be welcome just like the AR.

For both races, most checkpoints (CPs) are optional. Essentially, whoever makes it back to the start having visited the most checkpoints wins. If there is a tie, finishing time is used as a tiebreaker. There are penalties for being late. Arriving after the race finish time is a penalty of 1 CP, and teams will lose an additional CP for each additional five minutes that pass after the cut-off time. So don’t be late. 😉

Still don’t get it? Look over the details below and check out this explanation from the US Adventure Racing Association US that explains what an adventure race is, or head over to orienteering USA to find out what a rogaine is.

The CheNarr Adventure Race is proud to be part of the ARWS North America Series.  This partnership enables us to provide some additional swag to our racers, prizes for the winners, and also means that the race winners can get entered into a drawing for a free entry to the Adventure Racing World Championship. 

Schedule

Race Date: March 1st, 2025
Start Location: 2150 Sams Creek Road, Pegram, TN 37143
AR Race Course: Unmarked course that includes mountain biking and trekking in the Cheatham Wildlife Management Area and kayaking on the Harpeth River at Narrows of the Harpeth State Park
Rogaine Course: Unmarked trekking course in Cheatham Wildlife Management Area
Price: 10-hr AR - $180 per racer
8-hr Rogaine - $75 per racer

Schedule for 10-hr AR

Saturday, March 1st

• 6:30 AM – Race Check-in
• 8:15 AM – Load vans to start
• 8:45 AM – Arrive at start line
• 9:00 AM – Race Start
• 7:00 PM – Race cut-off time – all racers must be finished.
• 7:30 PM – Awards Ceremony
  
  

Schedule for 8-hr Rogaine:

Saturday, March 1st

• 9:30 AM – Race Check-in opens
• 11:00 AM – Race Start
• 7:00 PM – Race cut-off time
• 7:30 PM – Awards Ceremony

Stuff To Know

GPS TRACKING

One GPS tracker will be provided per team or solo by Adventure Enablers. Team locations will be web-hosted allowing friends and family to observe progress throughout the race. We may also have the trackers displayed on a TV at the start/finish. The trackers will also greatly aid us in locating any team in the event of an emergency. Click here to see what the tracking looked like for the 2023 race. You will be able to download your track off the website and post it to Strava after the race.

DIVISIONS

We will have divisions for co-ed, all male and all female teams, along with male and female solo divisions.

NOTE ON THE SOLO DIVISION

Both the 10-hr AR and the 8-hr rogaine courses will involve a large amount of off-trail travel in a remote area with only a map and compass for navigation aids. We do not recommend a racer without previous experience with map and compass navigation to compete as a solo. If you’re new and would like to try this out but don’t have a teammate, please email Paul at paul.steele@hardwinadventures.com. We will try to play matchmaker and set you up on a team.

That said, if you know what you are doing, knock yourself out. We will be setting up a challenging course for you all.

The solo division has an additional wrinkle this year. The race will start with paddling, and all racers will be in canoes. After a brief prologue, solo racers will be paired up and will share a canoe with another solo racer. This year's paddle will be longer, and the canoes should be both faster and drier than the sit-on-top kayaks our solos have used in years past. If there are an odd number of solo racers, the final three solos will all share a single canoe. You will be able to separate from the racer you shared a boat with at the first transition area.

WHERE TO LEARN

Nashville has an orienteering club, Nash-O, that hosts somewhat regular orienteering meets around the City. If you’ve never done this before, we recommend honing your skills at an orienteering meet or two if you haven’t ever done this and intend on either navigating for your team or going solo. Nash-O’s event schedule can be found here. Nash O will be hosting orienteering meets on January 11th and February 15th 2025 in the run up to the CheNarr. Their events include courses of various difficulty levels and are great avenues for learning the basics.

RULES

Penalties:

• All teams must be checked in at the finish line by the posted race deadline. The penalty for arriving late to the finish will be the loss of one CP. An additional one CP will be deducted from the team’s total for every 5 minutes thereafter.
• For example, if the penalty for arriving late to the Finish (7:00PM) is the loss of one CP per every 5 minutes late, then one CP will be deducted at 7:00PM; an additional one CP will be deducted from the team’s total for every 5 minutes thereafter. So, a team arriving at 7:16 pm will receive a four point deduction.
• Loss-of-CP or time penalties will be administered by the race directors for any rules violations.
• If specific penalties are not mentioned, penalties for rules violations will be determined on a per case basis by the race directors. The decision of the race directors will be final. There is no formal appeal process.

General Race Rules:

• Only maps provided by HardWin Adventures may be used during the race.
• Teammates must stay within 30 meters of each other at all times.
• Teams may not receive support, food, mechanical assistance, or gear from non-racers.
• Race Volunteers have limited information and may not interpret race rules or provide clarification to racers.
• Teams must have the Race Bib Number (provided) visible at all times except while paddling.
• Racers must assist any person in danger.
• Any person or team withdrawing from the race must notify a race official in person or ensure that their intentions are communicated clearly to a race director. Failing to notify race officials of a withdrawal will result in that team being responsible for all search and rescue expenses. The remaining team members may continue the race as an unranked team.
• Race officials reserve the right to alter time cut-offs or the course itself to accommodate changing conditions, and to ensure that teams finish on time.
• Leave No Trace
• No GPS Devices: Keep all GPS-capable devices (including GPS watches) out of sight for the entirety of the race. If everyone follows this rule, then we should never get an accusation of a team using such a device to cheat. There are a few models of Garmin watches that have an Adventure Race mode. If you intend to utilize one of these watches, check in with Paul both prior to the start of the race and again after the event to validate the activity. (Click here for more information on AR mode and a list of supported watches.)

Awards

Custom awards will be provided for the category winning team for Coed Team, Female Team, Male Team, Solo Male, and Solo Female. In addition, awards will be sent to any solo or team who finishes top 3 overall without winning their category. Awards will be custom made and shipped out post-race.

FAQs:

Can I bring my own boat for the paddle section? No. We are contracting with an outfitter to provide boat rentals. We do not have a specific boat drop. 

Can I bring my own paddle gear? (PFD and Paddle) Yes. Leave any personal paddle gear in a labeled paddle bag. Paddle bags will be brought to the start of the paddle leg and picked up at the end of the paddle and returned to the race start. Anyone not bringing their own paddle gear can use gear from the outfitter as paddles and PFDs are included in the race price.

Do you have bike rentals? No, we do not. Last we checked, both Ride 615 and RB’s Cyclery had a couple of bikes available for rent. If you are looking to rent, do so as soon as you can, as there are not many available.

Where should I stay? There is ample space at the start line for you to pitch a tent. There will be bathrooms and water from a spigot to use as well. There are several hotels off the Bellevue exit of I-40 (exit 196.) You can get to the start line in 20 minutes from there.

Where can I eat? There are several restaurants nearby.

Where’s the course elevation profile and map? We will provide the maps at race check-in. The 10-hr AR contains roughly 9 miles of paddling, 30 miles of biking and 10 miles of trekking. The rogaine essentially has as much trekking as you can do in 8-hrs, but the distance can vary! In the 2024 rogaine, two solos cleared the course. One traveled 23 miles and took several off-trail shortcuts, the other traveled 35 miles doing mostly out and backs on established trails. The distances for the 2025 event will be similar. 

Mandatory Gear - AR and Rogaine

CARRIED BY EACH PERSON AT ALL TIMES:

• Backpack
• Emergency Space Blanket
• Food and Water
• Hydration Bladder or Bottles (minimum 70 oz capacity)
• Headlamp or Flashlight (w/extra batteries)
• Whistle

CARRIED BY ONE TEAM MEMBER (AND ALL SOLOS) AT ALL TIMES:

• Compass
• Duct Tape (minimum 5')
• First Aid/ Safety Kit: (Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight Medical Kit .7 or equivalent)
• Knife (minimum 3" blade)
• Lighter or Waterproof Matches
• Water Purification
• Fully charged cell phone in waterproof container stored in backpack for emergency use
• Race-provided GPS tracker
• Race Provided Maps
• Race Provided Passport

Mandatory Gear – AR only

WHILE CYCLING (EACH TEAM MEMBER)

• Bicycle (mountain bike required, no road, cyclocross or gravel bikes)
• Helmet
• Front Light mounted on bike or helmet
• Rear Red Flashing Light
• Spare Inner Tube (even if you ride tubeless)

WHILE CYCLING (ONE PER TEAM)

• Tire Repair Kit: patches, tire levers, and pump
• Bike Tools: 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8mm Hex Wrenches; Pedal Wrench (hex wrench OK if it can remove your pedal); Small Philips & Straight Screwdrivers

WHEN PADDLING

• Paddles – each boat rental will come with paddles. Canoes will receive single-blade paddles, kayaks will receive double blade paddles. Racers/teams providing their own paddle gear must have all gear stored in a paddle bag.
• PFD (lifejacket) – PFDs will be included in your rental, but you are welcome to bring your own in a paddle bag as above.
• Boat will be provided

TECHNOLOGY – AR and Rogaine

• GPS features NOT ALLOWED: any GPS capable device that can display a map, coordinates, speed, or distance. This includes smartphones with GPS ability and running watches.
• GPS features ALLOWED: GPS trackers that measure distance, speed, altitude, tracking for later review. GPS watches with a certified Adventure Race mode are allowed, but must be verified pre and post race with the race director
• Phones may be used for emergency calls ONLY. Smartphones must be turned OFF except for emergency use. No use of navigation, social media, internet, calls for advice, etc. during the race.
• Altimeters are allowed.
• Bicycle computer / speedometers are allowed.