Meet our All-Female Teams
Our female field has veteran WT racers and some pretty amazing fresh adventure racers coming in with solid wilderness experience, so we're feeling pretty excited to watch this group. We'll be sure to do a little dot watching on this race within the race.
33 – Les Folles Alliées
From: Québec (Montréal and Magog)
Team Profile: Les folles alliées are a four-woman team from Montréal and Magog taking on Wilderness Traverse with a blend of navigation, strength and experience. Aurore Varela is captain and backup navigator, Nadine Cybulski is the lead navigator, Catherine Claude brings mountain-bike and canoe strength, and Linda Gagnon contributes wisdom to the team. Trekking is the favourite for Nadine, Linda and Aurore, while Catherine would happily choose canoe or mountain bike. It’s a team with complementary strengths—and a shared appetite for adventure. With confidence in the abilities of their two navigators, the team has the finish line in their sights.
34 – Grit and Giggles
From: Ottawa, North Bay, Bracebridge, Vancouver Island
Team Profile: Grit and Giggles brings together four women connected by a shared willingness to do hard things together. Liz is the playful and relentless squirrel, Kate the focused border collie, Nadine the nurturing and efficient sea otter, and Kristy the dependable, organized ant (perhaps she can also carry 50x her body weight??). Their goals are to use their strengths, make smart decisions, support one another and learn as much as possible. Their secret weapons? Good communication, stubbornness and humour. Favourite and least-favourite disciplines? Apparently all of them, depending on who you ask. Three teammates met at the 2026 Adventure Racing Training Camp, so the adventure starts before race day.
35 – Mud, Sweat & Beers
From: Peterborough & Area
Team Profile: The mission is simple: to challenge themselves, have fun, and finish as much of the course as they can. Jenna Buck is captain and engine, Heather Temple handles organization and acts as the social committee, Darbie McKinley is workhorse and medic, and Kate Godwin anchors the team as navigator. Their secret weapons are excellent snacks (I mean, you gotta keep the energy up, right?!) and very weird humour (I like them already). The paddle is their favourite discipline; hiking a bike is firmly on the other side of the spectrum. With limited adventure-racing experience but plenty of enthusiasm, they’re ready to find out what a 24-hour race really feels like.
52 – The Breakfast Club
From: Central Ontario
Team Profile: This veteran Wilderness Traverse racing team is led by captain and navigator Tracy, with Kat on front navigation and canoe duty and Heather bringing workhorse energy and morale. Their goal is to complete the Explorer Course, and their secret weapon is simply having fun (otherwise, why do it? Right?). Mountain bike and canoe are the favourites; night trekking is not. There’s plenty of WT history here: Tracy has raced the event many times, while Kat and Heather are back for their second go. Heather famously joined as a last-minute fill-in with just three days’ notice last year. The team will also be missing a familiar supporter this year—Tracy’s mom Myra (aka Racer Mom if you’ve followed in previous years), who is celebrating her 70th birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY Myra!)
53 – W.I.L.D (Women in Love Dirt)
From: Kingston Ontario
Team Profile: W.I.L.D. brings three longtime canoe trippers from Kingston to Wilderness Traverse, backed by guiding and instructing experience. Meghan is captain, morale booster and overall workhorse; Candice leads navigation and brings the strength; and Kate handles organization while promising a midnight dance party. Their goal is to finish without being short-coursed, but they’re prepared to fight all the way to the finish regardless of what the course delivers. Paddle/portage is their sweet spot, while trekking is less beloved. Pringles are the secret weapon (tasty parabolas that they are, we at HQ can get behind this). This is the team’s first adventure race, but they’re bringing plenty of outdoor experience and even more determination.
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