For the 14th year, the Osprey Packs Castlewood 8-Hour Adventure Race will explore southwest St. Louis county on Saturday, December 7. This sold out event will feature more than 300 people representing 100 different teams in seven different categories of teams tackling a mix of trekking, mountain biking and paddling.

Held on the first Saturday of December every year, the 8-Hour is a multi-sport, off-road, team event with no marked course. Teams must use a map and compass to navigate their way through a series of checkpoints on foot, bikes and canoes to reach the finish line. Teams anticipate covering 5-10 miles of paddling, 15-20 miles of biking and 5-10 miles on foot.

Teams will find out today, Friday, December 6, where they will start and finish. Part of the excitement with an adventure race like this is that the entire course changes each year and participants will only find out what they're expected to tackle - including start times - when they pick up their packets at Alpine Shop Kirkwood today.

An event that appeals to both expert adventure racers and beginners alike, the Osprey Packs Castlewood 8-Hour Adventure Race is the largest adventure race in Missouri and the third-largest in America. Since purchasing the event from Bonk Hard Racing in 2015, Alpine Shop has grown the event from 175 participants to 300 annually.

The top contenders for 2019 include:

4-Person Coed Division: The entire 2018 podium returns for 2019!
Alpine Shop (winningest team in race's history, division runner-up in 2018),
40 Down (division champs in 2018),
Off The Front (division 3rd place in 2018)

4-Person Male:
Bittersweet Kitchen (division champs in 2018)

2-Person Co-Ed: The entire 2018 podium returns for 2019!
Gary Busey's Teeth (division 3rd place in 2018),
Tiny Trail Ninjas (division champs in 2018, former owners of Bonk Hard Racing),
In Our Element (married couple, division runner-up in 2018)

2-Person Male:
Toporadicals,
Skeletal Pursuit (overall champs 2018),
Young & Shifty + Old & Nifty (rookie division champs 2018)

Teams of interest:
Team HAHA (team is 2 married couples who are neighbors, all first-time adventure racers)
Legion of Mild Inconvenience (friends and co-workers at Boeing)
Meat Science (captain is local butcher Chris Bolyard)
Don't Check My Camelback (Kuat Racks founder Luke Kuschmeader and friends)
Happy Campers (Christine has been a volunteer for 2 years, recently engaged to teammate John)
& EIGHT FAMILY TEAMS!!!