5th in the World: Team Subaru Expedition Canada

Team Subaru Expedition Canada just finished 5th at the Adventure Racing World Championship in Corsica. Let that sink in. Fifth. In the world. The first team from outside Europe to cross the finish line, ahead of dozens of full-time professional European squads, in a 500-kilometre, six-plus-day sufferfest across mountains, canyons, and coastline with no GPS and nothing but paper maps and tired brains.

I have been thinking about how they did it, because the number alone does not tell the story. For most of the race, Ben Kwiatkowski, Kiah Davidson, Jasper Edge, and James Galipeau were chasing from behind. They did not panic. They made smart decisions, moved efficiently, stayed patient, and steadily reeled in some of the best adventure racing teams on the planet. By the final stages they were not just holding position, they were catching the front of the race. At one point, fourth place was in reach. We've been fortunate to race against this team and know them personally and their calm, allowing them to perform, is unmatched.

That is not fitness. That is teamwork and navigation.

Here is what the rest of us can steal from them.

**Navigate clean when you are tired.** The team that won the whole race did it with one brilliant route choice on the final night. The Canadians climbed from deep in the field the same way: one good decision at a time. In our races, the team that stays calm at the checkpoint beats the team that runs fastest between them.

**Stay together.** Six-plus days, almost no sleep, and four people still moving as one unit at the finish. Adventure racing punishes the team that fractures. It rewards the team that checks in, shares the load, and keeps talking.

**Race your own race.** They spent days outside the top ten and never forced it. Patience is a strategy, not a consolation prize.

Fifth in the world. The top North American team. From deep in the field to the sharp end of the race.

Proud does not cover it. Congratulations, team.

Photo: Team Subaru Expedition Canada (@teamexpeditioncanadaar), ARWC 2026