Meet our Premier Co-Ed Teams
Co-ed teams of 4 are the 'traditional' team format in adventure racing, so that tradition carries on with this category.
11 - Mercators AR
From: Ontario & Québec
Profile: Mercators AR is bringing serious experience and a clear team philosophy to Wilderness Traverse: race hard as a unit, maximize individual strengths, and compensate for weaknesses through teamwork. Scott is the workhorse, Patrick apparently runs with canoes, Jerome keeps the coffee flowing, and Una handles logistics and morale. They’re looking for the fastest route through the woods—as long as it doesn’t involve swimming—and they’re happiest on paddle/portage sections. Transition areas are less beloved. With performance rather than ranking as their primary measure, Mercators AR is focused on efficient execution, stro
ng decisions and moving together as one team.
13 – Peninsula Mountain Bike Club
From: Grey-Bruce(ish), Ontario
Profile: This experienced team of racers is bringing a straightforward game plan: work well together, have some fun and move fast. Jack, Shannon, Matt and Simpy (aka Mike) make up the team, with Shannon’s enthusiasm singled out as the secret weapon. As you might expect from a mountain bike club, they’re comfortable with the physical side of the race, although they have a surprising favourite discipline: transition areas (do you think this includes all the fantabulous CP and TA staff that have outdone themselves? We hope so!). Their least favourite part of the experience may actually happen before the race, with bus rides to the start (phew, none of these this year!). On-course, there’s one small navigation detail they’re hoping to get right: declination.
14 – RaidPulse
From: Ottawa (ON), Gaspesia (QC) and New York (USA)
Profile: Raid Pulse is a well-seasoned team from Ottawa, Gaspesia and New York with a clear target: minimum top five, with the beaver firmly in their sights. Yannick handles navigation and David brings the workhorse energy. Their secret weapon is aggressive navigation (we’ve been watching this and it’s been a little nail biting at HQ), and their favourite discipline is trekking. Paddling is the one discipline they’d happily see less of (is 40km ‘less’?). They’re not sharing any grand secret beyond that—just an experienced team ready to race hard, navigate decisively and keep moving through the night.
17 – Spare Parts
From: Southern Ontario
Profile: Spare Parts is approaching Wilderness Traverse with a four-step mission: finish the Expedition Course, beat 24 hours, beat the sunrise, and chase a top-five finish. Natalie Green is pace counter and navigator, Cam Snodden sets tracks and carries packs, Mackenzie Buis powers the paddle, and Ryan Painter navigates. Their real advantage, though, is how they work together: they stay calm when things go sideways, make sensible navigation choices and keep the mood light. Mountain biking is where that teamwork shines, while the variety of disciplines is part of what they love about the race. At the centre of it all is one goal: get Mackenzie’s finisher’s belt buckle and cross the line with their friendship intact.
5 – Dad Reckoning
From: Collingwood and London, Ontario
Profile: Dad Reckoning brings together two dads and two workhorses (aka the ‘kids’) from Collingwood and London. Scott and Vince are the dads, while Isaac and Dakota are the workhorses ready to put in the heavy lifting. Their approach is simple: race hard, race smart, and—most importantly—have fun. With an experienced team that knows exactly what a 24-hour race demands, they’re embracing the whole kit and kaboodle. Their secret weapon? Having the kids carry the old guys’ packs. This year is especially memorable as it marks Isaac’s first Wilderness Traverse (welcome Isaac!).
15 – Reverse Orienteering
From: Toronto, Ontario
Profile: This team is hitting the WT course with this objective: complete the Expedition Course and target a top-15 finish. Alya captains, Vadim provides the workhorse power, Stas navigates, and Vladimir keeps morale high. Their secret weapon is unconventional route choice, which is particularly fitting given the team’s name (we’re here for the name, for sure). Portage is the favourite discipline, while navigation and packing are less popular. This is the first Wilderness Traverse for this particular team composition, so they’re heading into the race ready to write a new chapter together—and hoping that chapter ends at the Expedition finish.
6 – Great Lakes AR
From: London, Guelph, Milton, and The Sault, Ontario
Profile: Great Lakes AR is an experienced team and they’re coming with a competitive target: top ten without blowing up in the process. John is captain and a powerhouse on boat and bike, Derek leads primary navigation and strategy, Iris is the secondary navigator and foot workhorse, and Jay is the workhorse on everything plus an endless source of energy. Their secret weapon is an AI-generated performance plan (what could go wrong!?). Their favourite discipline depends on who you ask—and so does the least favourite. One thing is certain: they’re hoping for another memorable dose of Bob Miller “fun.”
1 – Adrenaline Rush
From: Guelph to Ottawa, so various places in Ontario
Profile: Adrenaline Rush is showing up with ambitions to race at the sharp end. Their target is the top five, and they’re not shy about saying they’re shooting to win. Adam Mallory is captain and navigator, Mark Honsberger is the energizer and team motivator, Laura Mallory brings nursing and nutrition expertise, and Marijke Vanderlaan is the rookie. Adam’s navigation and the team’s communication are central to their strategy. Favourite and least-favourite disciplines depend on who you ask, though canoeing may get the least enthusiasm from the group. With too many stories to fit in the survey, this experienced team promises plenty of them by the finish (do tell!).
8 – H.A.F
From: Collingwood, Ontario
Profile: H.A.F. is aiming for the simplest possible result: finish the whole thing. Anywhere on the finish list will count as a job well done. Dave B. captains and brings a prolific wilderness-pooping reputation, Dave H. leads navigation, Nate is the official bog basher and map ignorer, and Gill is a WT rookie responsible for jokes and sass. They’re experienced racers who particularly enjoy mountain biking and singletrack, while water crossings make their dainty feet hesitate. For H.A.F., Wilderness Traverse is somehow both the best and worst day of the year—a long, uncomfortable, occasionally ridiculous experience that they keep coming back to because there’s something magical about suffering together.
12 – NARly There
From: Niagara, Ontario
Profile: This Niagara-based team is chasing the kind of result that matters most after 24 hours: lots of laughs, a strong finish, and great stories. Meg is captain and a first-time navigator, Joe is the storyteller and vibes specialist, JC is the workhorse, and Deanna brings enthusiasm and drive. Their secret weapon is a never-say-die attitude and an ability to roll with whatever hiccups the course provides. Biking is the clear favourite, while hike-a-bike is less welcome. With limited adventure-racing experience, they know there will be surprises—and they’re ready to enjoy the good, the bad and the ridiculous.
10 – Kinetic
From: Québec
Profile: Kinetic knows what it came for: race hard, have fun, stay healthy and chase a top-three coed finish. Francis and Mathieu share navigation duties, Jo is the team clown, and Christine is the designated rattlesnake watcher. Their secret weapons are grey air and banana bread, while biking is the clear favourite. The prologue is less beloved. This is the first race together for this particular quartet, making the event both a competitive target and a chance to see how four experienced racers gel when it counts.
20 – We’re oak-eh!
From: Gatineau & Montreal, Québec
Profile: We're ok-eh! is more than a great name, they are a team with a dream, a goal: Get another WT mug. James and Sven are the Navigators, Marie-Michelle is the team Motivator, and Ian holds a special place as the Bike Mechanic (they are magical creatures if something goes wrong!). This experienced team has mad orienteering skills and see this as their secret weapon. They’re especially looking forward to Trek or bike depending on who you ask, while Paddling is certainly a less popular discipline.
9 – Iron Tricycles
From: Georgetown & Woodstock, Ontario
Profile: This team is chasing something they’ve wanted for a while: finally finishing the Expedition course. Evan is the technical engineer, Elizabeth the workhorse, Rob is trying to keep up, and Chris is the X Factor (which we assume means they rest of the team has buzzers in case things go sideways??). Their strengths are organization and teamwork, and they’re particularly happy when the course turns to biking. Paddling is less popular. With plenty of experience and a clear shared goal, this is a team looking to turn preparation, cooperation and persistence into a complete Wilderness Traverse finish.
2 – Analog
From: GTA-adjacent, Ontario-not adjacent
Profile: Analog has learned one thing the hard way: getting to the finish line is the goal, but that goal can be a fickle mistress. Courtney Mulligan and Robert Lucas share navigation duties, Christopher Bint handles organization and morale, and Sadhbh MacMahon brings more morale support. Their secret weapon is grit, which may be exactly what’s required after unfortunate circumstances kept them from finishing in recent years (HQ is rooting for you in 2026!). There’s no team consensus on a favourite or least-favourite discipline—opinions differ—but everyone agrees on the prize that matters: that elusive chocolate milk. This year, Analog just wants to finish.
These teams didn’t fill out the survey, so we took the liberty of writing a bio based on their team photo and absolutely no research, so obviously they will be highly accurate and not in any way completely made up. Ahem. Cough cough.
18 – St. Lawrence AR
From: Somewhere, nowhere, everywhere? Who knows? Not us since they didn’t tell us.
Profile: St. Lawrence AR is a trio of ladies and their rather tall friend (Andre, Andreanne, Frederique, and Aurélie) looking to CRUSH the WT course. They look pretty ready to rock and roll with smiles in place and maybe a snack or two along the way.
19 – Untamed Latitude
From: Somewhere, nowhere, everywhere?
Profile: Well, we know one thing. This team has a secret navigation weapon on their hands – Ekaterina who also brings strength. Bohdan, David and Matt will bring some AR experience and some power to those paddles! This team is looking pretty fierce – are those no-nonsense faces? We think they might be.
7 – GRIT Racing
From: Somewhere, nowhere, everywhere?
Profile: This team of seasoned racers is made of up Ross, Chris, Phil and Ursula. Past experience at WT and an intense drive to keep moving, this team is likely to do well out there!
16 – Route Roulette
From: Somewhere, nowhere, everywhere?
Profile: Now this team knows how to bring their coordination A-game with kerchiefs! Phil, Jennifer, David and Lexi look both stylish and ready to take on all that the 2026 WT course has to offer. This ain’t their first rodeo (race).
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