Which Dots to Watch?

John Price is an active Ontario adventure racer and a Wilderness Traverse veteran. A training mishap means he's limited to dotwatching this year, so we asked him to share some dots worth watching on our live coverage page. See you back on the start line next year, John!

With this year's Wilderness Traverse being the ARWS North American Championships it is not surprising that the ARWS (Mixed Premier) division of 4 person co-ed teams is the largest and deepest we have seen at a WT in recent history. There will be 25 teams in this division vying for the Bob the Beaver trophy and an entry into the 2026 ARWS World Championship in France. With a field so large, who do we watch? Honestly, you can likely count on a great showing from a lot of teams. However, at the pointy end of the race we will likely have a number of WT regulars.

Returning champs Team 4 - Bend Racing / 4 Hour Fuel are always exciting to watch. Last year they showed us all how to recover when they came back to win after an early error had them in 15th position going into TA2.

Team 18 - Raid Pulse will have their eyes on Bob and a little redemption after some struggles in the beaver marshes late in the race last year cost them a potential win.

Team 22 - Team Canada Adventure as most of us will know is race director Bob Miller’s team. Obviously Bob will not be racing but with the members they have slotted in they will still be a tough team to beat.

Team 3 - Attack from Above, Team 5 Beowulf and Team 1 - Adrenaline Rush are all long time WT teams that will for sure be mixing it up at the front.

There are some other teams to watch that may not be WT regulars but have the depth to do well. Team 19 - Solomon Canada is a strong team made up of Harper Ford, Mike Simpson, Pete Cameron, Leanne Mueller with decades of racing experience they will very much be a team to watch.

Team 8 - Expedition Canada is a strong west coast team representing the host race for the 2025 ARWS World Champs, special shout out to James Galipeau who has a long history with the Ontario racing scene and WT specifically.

Team 21 - St. Lawrence AR is a team representing an awesome stage race in the ARWS North American Series based in Quebec. This will be the first time we have seen the team as a coed 4 so it will be exciting to see how they do.

Team 16 - No Complaints is a strong team based in the US. I believe this will be their first taste of a Bob Miller WT but they certainly have the experience and strength to do well.

Team 12 - GRIT Racing had a strong showing last year as an All Male team, this year they will be racing as a coed in preparation for the World Champs in September.

Whichever team or division you focus on for your dot watching I am sure it will be exciting to watch. Remember the louder you scream at the dot the easier it is for the team to hear you. Happy Dot Watching!

Follow all the dots on our LIve Coverage page starting Saturday morning.