2023 Winter Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge

RIB MOUNTAIN, Wis. (WSAW) - Wisconsin’s only Winter Adventure Challenge Race happened on Saturday. Race organizer Tim Buchholz said racers as young as nine all the way through their sixties took part in today’s challenge. From competitive athletes to people just looking to have fun, Buchholz said anyone can enjoy this race.

“Seeing those people race side by side and giving each high fives at the finish line and sharing stories afterward is one of the great joys of this sport,” said Buchholz.

But first racers have a choice. Racers can either start by running to the forest to look for clues or bike to Nine Mile and back.

“We have placed checkpoints little three-dimensional flags throughout the woods and they have those marked on their map and they have to use a compass and a map to navigate to those checkpoints, and there is a digital tracker that keeps track if they have made it to those points,” said Buchholz.

To add a little winter cheer to the race, competitors must create a snow angel and donate a warm piece of clothing before finishing.

“My wife Anne and I are the co-race directors have been adventure racing for twenty years and we wanted to create some races to give back to the community that offers others a chance to participate in this sport,” said Buchholz.

People have three hours to finish the race, but runner and first finisher of the 2023 Winter Adventure Challenge, Kevin Leedham completed the race faster than expected.

“It felt great to finish. This is my first winter adventure race, so it was really fun to figure out how to deal with the cold while you are racing,” said Leedham.

This Ironbull race is nonprofit. The money from this race will be used to support scholarships for students at UW Stevens Point and Wausau. The next Adventure Race will be held during Labor Day weekend.

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