The Castlewood 8-Hour Adventure Race celebrated its 18th edition this year, and it did not disappoint. The sold-out race, with over 250 adventure racers, featured an intense and action-packed course.
Racers had an early start, with bikes dropped off at Route 66 State Park before heading to Wyman Center by 7 a.m. to catch buses to the remote start at Allenton River Access. Armed with three course maps, teams kicked things off with a 3-point orienteering section to spread out the pack before launching into a 6.5-mile paddle to Route 66 State Park.
At the park, participants were reunited with their bikes and entered the “Pedal & Pound” challenge, where teammates alternated running and biking in a leapfrog fashion around a 2.5-mile loop. From there, the race continued through Downtown Eureka and into Wildwood, featuring two major climbs up Alt Rd and Melrose Rd, before descending into Greensfelder County Park. At this point, racers had a choice: ride the mountain bike trails or take on two surprise orienteering maps before heading back to Wyman Center to finish.
For the fourth consecutive year, 46 Down emerged victorious, with an impressive 17-minute lead over Deviate and 33 minutes faster than third-place finishers, Toporadicals.
The race wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors. Optimal Performance Center was there to provide free post-race care, while Texas Roadhouse of Kirkwood brought the party with giveaways. City-Wide from 4Hands Brewing Co. kept the energy high, and a special shout-out to Terrain Magazine, Great Harvest of Kirkwood, Fits Socks, and Kuat, who continues to surprise one lucky racer with a free bike rack every year.
A huge thank you also goes to the fearless leadership of Jeff and Carrie Sona, as well as the many volunteers and organizations that made this event a success, including St. Louis County Parks, the City of Wildwood, the Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri State Parks, Wyman Center, and Bass’ River Resort.
See you all in 2025 with for another unforgettable adventure with registration open NOW!
RESULTS:
PHOTOS:
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Strava Flyby (If your activity is public, it should show up here!)
RACE REPORTS- NONE YET! Send to jsnyder@alpineshop.com
MAPS:
- Map 1 (Orienteering Start)
- Map 2 (River + Route 66 + Eureka)
- Map 3 (Wildwood)
- Map 4 (Greensfelder + Mountain Biking)
- Map 5 (You Frei’d It Orienteering)
- Map 6 (Hilltop Orienteering)
WANT MORE?
The best place to find more adventure races is the Race Calendar by USARA. You can review races by location and filter by race length. If you have any questions about particular races, please get in touch with Carrie and Jeff (Race Directors) since they’ve done most of these events and can help your pick one (or three)!