Move over soccer players, Frisbee throwers and runners — there’s a new sport in town.

This summer, Calgarians will be lacing up their running shoes, practising their navigating skills and exploring the city through urban adventure racing.

On June 11, CityChase will be pitting 1,000 participants against one another in a one-day scavenger hunt meets obstacle course race.

“It’s getting active but not in a boring way,” says event director Alison Turcotte.

Two head-to-head teams will don colourful jerseys and race by foot and public transit to complete a variety of challenges throughout the city.

“(CityChase) pushes you to your limits,” Turcotte says. “If you’re afraid of heights, you’re going to be afraid at some point. If you’re afraid of snakes, you’re going to be afraid at some point.”

Competitors will receive clue sheets with 40 chase points, each a unique physical, intellectual, adventurous or humorous challenge.

“I can’t go into detail about the exact chase points because we don’t like to give that information out, but it’s going to be great.”

Participants use maps and navigation applications on smart phones to find 10 chase points scattered at businesses and parks across the city as they race to the finish line. It’s the eighth time for the event.

“It’s going to be pretty physical, but at the same time, there are a lot of mental challenges and it’s a lot of fun,” says Turcotte. “It’s basically based around really having fun and getting out there, getting off the couch and getting active.”

Inspired by popular television shows like The Amazing Race and Fear Factor, CityChase is a creation of InField Marketing group and began in Toronto eight years ago. The event slowly grew and today it’s known as the world’s largest urban adventure series.

“You’ll learn things about Calgary that you never even knew,” says Turcotte.

CityChase may be the biggest, but it is not the only adventure racing event Calgarians can compete in this summer.

Christine Caddell and her cousin Tricia Kawahara started Blitz Events in 2009 as a way to engage Calgary’s active community through creative fitness events, including a duathlon in September, a snowshoe race in February and for the first time, an adventure run in June.

The Blitz Adventure Run, a 90-minute treasure hunt and trail run in the knolls of Nose Hill Park, takes place on June 5. Fifty teams of two will have a map with 10 checkpoints and must use basic map reading skills to choose their own path and reach as many checkpoints as possible before time runs out.

“It’s an introduction to what adventure racing could be,” says Caddell of the Nose Hill course which, depending on the route racers choose, is up to 12 kilometres.

Adventure racing is a trend that’s been spreading across the world in recent years. Courses are typically located in the remote wilderness and teams are given a map and must navigate to checkpoints. At its core, adventure racing is a multi-day, multi-sport, team event.

Calgarian Marisa Norona’s brother has always competed in adventure races and the stay-at-home mom has always wanted to compete, but like many, was intimidated by the length and physical difficulty of traditional adventure races.

The self-described competitive recreational athlete has since competed in Blitz’s snowshoe race and duathlon and is looking forward to the upcoming adventure run, an event she sees as the perfect stepping stone into adventure racing.

“I’ve wanted to get into (adventure racing) for a while, but it seems daunting. Races can be extreme,” says Norona, who has three children under the age of five.

“Blitz is a perfect opportunity for people to give it a try and get a taste of (adventure racing) in a smaller scale and safe environment.”

Blitz Events is, for now, a part-time project that Caddell sees as a way to give back to her community.

“It’s very grassroots and we’re bootstrapping it ourselves, but we’ll see what happens.”

The small company relies on volunteers who help cheer on participants and make each event successful, and even Caddell’s grandmother is involved. She bakes cookies that competitors enjoy upon crossing the finish line.

Norona will be competing in the adventure run with her husband and the pair’s training routine has included trail runs and navigation practise.

“It’s not all about speed,” says Norona. “In fact, it’s not at all about speed in this kind of race where you really have to be cognizant of where you’re going and have some skills in navigation and map reading.”

Both traditional adventure racing and urban adventure racing combine physical fitness with intellectual ability, in a team setting.

“You can win races because you’re better at reading a map, not because you’re the fittest,” says Caddell.