New This Year:

New in 2012:

Specialized Bike Raffle
Great Northern Cycles has donated a super sweet Specialized bike to be raffled off at our Friday evening Pre-Race Party. Tickets are on sale for $5 or 5/$20 and are available at GNC or the Flathead Youth Home. Click here to get an overview of the bike. Bike will be raffled off at the Friday night pre-race party.

Friday Evening Pre-Race Party [5:30-7:30]
Join us the night before the race for a great event. This year, racer packet pickup will be on Friday night at Riverside Park. This will be your only opportunity to get your race bib, timing chip and ask questions about the race and route. If you are unable to pick your packet up at this time, you are responsible to find someone who can. We will have live music, beer from Great Northern Brewery, a Q & A time about the race, and food from Qdoba. If you would like to join us for dinner, please add $10 to your registration fee. [If you have a spouse, partner, or friend who would like to join you for the festivities, please make a note on your registration and include an additional $10/per person with your registration.] Qdoba food tickets available for sale at Qdoba in Kalispell.

Join us on Friday evening to begin the Glacier Challenge festivities.

Racer Fund-Raising Contest
We are continuing to challenge racers this to get involved in the fund-raising. [And a great way for you to get your boss to pay your registration fee!] We are challenging you, our racers, to ask family, friends, co-workers, and bosses to support your participation in the Glacier Challenge. All the help and information you need may be found on the ‘Racer Fund-Raising’ button on this website. And we’ve tried to make it as simple as possible for everyone in your life who wants to help. Check out www.crowdrise.com/theglacierchallenge. The top  fund-raising teams will be awarded [and win a cool prize] at the award ceremony on race day.

Competitive Co-Ed Teams
We have heard from several of you and heed your words. This year, we are taking one more step to ‘level the playing field’ to make the competitive side of this more fair. If you are a team and would like to compete for a ribbon/medal/trophy, you must have the following male-female ratios.
Competitive Co-ed Team Ratios
3 members – 1 woman
4 members – 2 women
5 members – 2 women
6 members – 3 women
7 members – 4 women
Teams that do not wish to place or race competitively may have any ratio of men and women.

Revised and Simplified Rules
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah blah… “The following boats are not eligible for the race unless you are in the individual OR COUPLE: canoes over 18’6” in length, any and all kayaks (unless you are in the individual division), Olympic Flatwater Canoes (C-1s, C-2s), Olympic Flatwater Canoes (k-1,-2,-4s), rowing shells and motor driven boats. HOWEVER C-1s will be permitted if they meet the following exceptions: 1] the C1 must be 18-1/2’ or less; 2] it must be completely open [no decking] and no outrigging…” see what we mean? Past race rules were ridiculously detailed and complex and made sense to only a few. Most racers, when they read those rules, read, ‘blah blah blah blah blah blah’. We get it. That is why we have refined and revised, reduced, and simplified this year’s rules. Please take a minute to read the race rules over. The few rules we did keep – we really mean! [and will enforce].

Kid’s Event
For the most part, the Glacier Challenge is a big kid’s event but, we want to include our little buddies, too. This year, Flying Fish will be returning to organize the fun Kids’ Obstacle Course for our soon-to-be competitors of future Glacier Challenges. Event will run from 9:30-11:30 on the tennis courts of Riverside Park. Event is FREE.

Use your Stand-Up Paddle Board this year!
Stand-up paddle boards are permitted in the Kayak Leg of the race!