North Face Endurance Challenge comes to Costa Rica in May

The famous international adventure race, The North Face Endurance Challenge, is once again coming to Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

The 3rd edition of The North Face Endurance Challenge Costa Rica – four trail-running endurance races – will be held on May 30, 2015 from the headquarters at Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin. Organized by The North Face outdoor gear and clothing company in the USA, hundreds of runners from all over the world will be in Costa Rica’s northern Guanacaste region to compete in trail-running races of 10km, 21km, 50km and 80km. There are categories for beginning trail runners along with intermediate and expert ultra runners. The race courses vary in difficulty and terrain, spanning altitudes between 850 feet and 3,280 feet.



Rincón de la Vieja is the largest volcano in Costa Rica’s northwestern Guanacaste province. It is a ridge-shaped massif, with several craters and peaks, lying along a northwest-southeast axis within the Rincón de la Vieja National Park. The highest point is 6,286 feet (1,916m). Rincón de la Vieja is one of six active volcanoes in Costa Rica, and has a large number of fumaroles and hot springs on its slopes. The Rincón de la Vieja Volcano and National Park were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999.



Launched in 2007, The North Face Endurance Challenge Series promotes the sport of ultra-trail running. In North America, the series features annual two-day, trail-running festivals in six locations, culminating with the championship in San Francisco in December. The competition has become one of the most popular International trail-running events in Latin America, with races held in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, in addition to Costa Rica.

Also coming again to Rincón de la Vieja is the third annual Rincón de la Vieja Challenge mountain biking endurance race on Aug. 22, 2015. The 100-mile (160 km) extreme adventure race is unique in Costa Rica and Latin America to circumnavigate an active volcano.



Explore Rincón de la Vieja on your own adventure at Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin. The first-class eco-lodge next to the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park is a prime destination for adventure and nature lovers, offering the best Costa Rica adventure tours – canopy ziplines, canyoning, waterfall rappelling, river tubing, horseback riding, mountain biking, nature trails, and natural volcanic hot springs – all on a working horse and cattle ranch. The award-winning hotel in Guanacaste, Costa Rica is located 15.5 miles (25 km) northeast of Guanacaste’s principal city of Liberia.

Article by Shannon Farley