Every August a couple hundred kids ride, run, climb, and swim their way across our mountain in teams of two. It is called the Kids Adventure Race now (for years it was the Kids Adventure Games), and it started right here in Vail. Both our kids grew up racing it.
Race-day logistics are our specialty. Our Vail car service hauls kids, bikes, and gear, and car seats are always free.
Vail is the original. The whole series started in this valley, and the Vail course is still the one everybody measures the rest against: alpine singletrack, creek crossings, and a finish line that means something. In 2026 it runs August 6 through 9, and Vail sells out earlier than any other stop on the calendar. Every single year.
We have watched this race for a long time, from back when ours were small enough to need a hand over the log hurdles. So here is the rundown: what the race actually is, how the weekend runs, and the easy way to get here if you are coming in for it.
What the Race Actually IsAges 6 to 14 · Teams of Two
Two kids to a team. Ages six to fourteen. The course runs anywhere from three and a half to six miles depending on the age group, with somewhere between twelve and seventeen obstacles strung along the way. They mountain bike the singletrack, they run and scramble the trail, and, because it would not be an adventure race without it, every course has a water section, so they get wet.
The obstacles have names the kids never forget: the Tyrolean traverse, the slick wall, the cargo net, the slack line, and the one simply called Everest. Helmets and gloves are required, and there is a real gear check at the start line. No kit, no start. Nobody carries you out there. It is you, your teammate, the terrain, and the clock.
How the Weekend RunsThursday to Sunday · Aug 6 to 9
It is four days, not one:
- Thursday: a balance bike race for the littlest ones, ages five and under, at Mountain Plaza in Vail Village. A perfect warm-up for the whole family.
- Friday: an optional four-hour skills clinic: mountain biking, ropes, map reading, first aid. Spots are limited and registered racers get priority.
- Saturday: race day for the older kids, ages 10 to 14, in morning waves with the awards after. Then at 4:30 that afternoon, the Family Mud Run.
- Sunday: race day for ages 6 to 9 and the Open group. Shorter course, same obstacles, same finish-line pride.
The Family Mud Run
If your kid is too young for the race, or you just want in on it yourself, Saturday afternoon there is a one-mile mud run at Mountain Plaza: pits, obstacles, costumes encouraged, and the Vail Fire Department hosing everybody down at the finish line. It is the most fun you will have covered in mud all summer, and everyone who finishes is in for prizes.
Our Kids Raced the Original
We did not just watch from the sidelines. Ours were out on that course back when they were kids. Senna and her teammate Amailia ran it as a team, bib 1106, and tore it up. Our Enzo raced the boy/girl class with a friend from down the street, and the two of them took second.
That muddy finish line was the start of something. You just cannot see it yet when they are twelve and grinning through the dirt.
Here is the part that gets me, looking back. Senna is a wildland firefighter now, on a helicopter crew up in the Tetons. The kid who used to scramble the cargo net spends her summers fighting fire off a helo. And Enzo is twenty, one of our drivers here at Vail Powder Cars, and still rips this mountain top to bottom. The freestyle kid who flew off everything on Cookshack is the guy who might be driving you up the hill this winter.
And the people behind it are not strangers to us. Billy Mattison started the whole thing right here in Vail back in 2009, a world-class adventure racer who has run Eco-Challenge events around the globe and even spent a year overseas helping open a new ski resort. Mongo runs Vail Ski Patrol, partners on the race, and has been a buddy of mine for years. We still ride dirtbikes together. Local legends, friends and neighbors, the kind of people who build a course the right way: trained crews at every obstacle and transition, gear checked before anyone is allowed to start, and the whole thing designed and tested by folks who do this for a living. That is not nothing when it is your kid out there.
Getting to Vail for the Race
Two things. First, register early on the official Kids Adventure Race page. Vail fills before any other location on the calendar, and they are not kidding about it. Second, if you are flying in, both airports work: Eagle County (EGE) is about 35 minutes out and is an event partner, and Denver (DIA) is about two hours on I-70. We run private, door-to-door service from both, so you can land, skip the rental car, and get your racers to the start line rested instead of road-weary. On a packed race weekend, that is worth a lot.
Get a free quote →The Driver's Take
I have watched a lot of kids cross that finish line over the years, mine included. They come through caked in mud, half-wrecked, grinning like they just conquered something, because they did. The race does not hand anything out. You earn the medal, you earn the t-shirt, you earn the soaking-wet ride home. That is the whole point, and it is why it sticks with them long after the mud washes off.
Bring your kids. Let them get filthy. We will get you here.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Kids Adventure Race in Vail in 2026?
The Kids Adventure Race in Vail runs August 6 to 9, 2026. The balance bike race for ages five and under is Thursday, the optional skills clinic is Friday, the main race for ages 10 to 14 is Saturday, and the race for ages 6 to 9 and the Open group is Sunday. The Family Mud Run is Saturday afternoon.
Is the Kids Adventure Race the same as the Kids Adventure Games?
Yes. The event was known for years as the Kids Adventure Games and has been rebranded as The Kids Adventure Race. It is the same event, and Vail is the original location where the whole series started.
What ages can do the Kids Adventure Race?
Kids ages 6 to 14 race in teams of two. Older kids (10 to 14) race Saturday and younger kids (6 to 9) plus an Open group race a scaled course Sunday. There is also a balance bike race for ages five and under on Thursday.
What is the Vail course like?
The course runs roughly 3.5 to 6 miles depending on age group, with 12 to 17 obstacles. Teams mountain bike singletrack, run and scramble the trail, and cross a water section. Helmets and gloves are required, and a required gear list is checked at the start line.
Does the Vail Kids Adventure Race sell out?
Yes. Vail fills earlier than any other location on the calendar every year, so register early if you plan to come.
How do I get to Vail for the race?
Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) is about 35 minutes from Vail and is an event partner. Denver International (DIA) is about two hours out on I-70. Vail Powder Cars runs private, door-to-door service from both, so families can skip the rental car on a busy race weekend.
From Vail Powder Cars
Getting a team of kids to a start line is its own adventure race. Our private car service in Vail runs it door to door, every car seat free.
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