The Wild Driftless Adventure Race has been awarded a grant for $9,600 from the Iowa Tourism Office, a division of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, to support the “Wild Driftless: Experience Iowa as Never Before” campaign in 2026. The competitive grant program funds tourism-related marketing initiatives, meetings and events that benefit both local economies and the state’s economy.
The grant will help promote the second annual Wild Driftless Adventure Race, which will be held Saturday, October 3, 2026, in and around Elkader, Iowa. Registration and details for the 2026 race is now open at www.WildDriftless.com. In its first year, the Wild Driftless race drew more than 180 participants and more than 40 volunteers to Camp Ewalu, Backbone State Park, and the region around Strawberry Point.
“We are grateful to Iowa Economic Development and Travel Iowa for their support of the Wild Driftless. These funds will help us show off this beautiful region of the state,” said Frank Johnson, Wild Driftless race director. “This is a special place to host a world-class race that shows off some of Iowa’s best-kept secrets.”
The annual race benefits Ewalu Camp and Retreat Center, a Lutheran outdoor ministry located just west of Strawberry Point, and local conservation efforts who partner with the race. In 2025, the Wild Driftless donated $2,000 to Friends of Backbone State Park, a nonprofit that supplied volunteers and a refreshment area during the event. The race also works with several regional businesses and nonprofits, giving an economic and promotional boost to Northeast Iowa.
The Wild Driftless Adventure Race is currently the only US Adventure Racing-sanctioned event in Iowa and is a member race of the Wisconsin Adventure Racing Series. The Wild Driftless offers two race options: a shorter 5-hour Lite race, designed as a fantastic entry-level event for first-timers, and a 9-hour race to challenge the most seasoned adventure racers.
Adventure racing is a multidisciplinary, endurance team sport involving navigation over unmarked wilderness courses via trekking, biking, and paddling. It’s been described as a scavenger hunt with a clock. Racers are not allowed to use GPS, only a compass and a course map that is kept secret until the day of the race.
The Travel Iowa grant, along with a 20 percent match from Camp Ewalu, means $12,000 for the Wild Driftless to reach new heights in 2026, helping promote adventure racing in an area where it’s not well-known. The 2025 Wild Driftless event drew 95 percent of its participants from more than 30 miles away and 45 percent from out of the state of Iowa.
The grant comes through the Iowa Tourism Office, which announced about $300,000 in Iowa Tourism Grants to 32 organizations around the state.
