Want to push yourself even farther in the most amazing gravel race on the planet? The Rift Gravel Race has added two new distances for 2026, including a monstrous, partially self-supported 330km epic. But don’t worry, the sun barely sets there in July, so at least you won’t need lights for its midnight start.
UPDATE: It’s sold out, but you can still register for the 200km and other distances…
Come summer, you’ll now have four distance options to choose from for Iceland’s homegrown gravel race:
- The Crack – 60km (37 miles)
- The Crevasse – 140km (87 miles)
- The Rift – 200km (125 miles)
- The Abyss – 330km (205 miles)
For anyone just looking to sample the event or entertain yourself while your friends are racing the longer distances, the new 60km RIFT Crack offers plenty of the event’s epic scenery with the likelihood that you’ll be enjoying finish-line beers before anyone else (and, quite possibly, before lunch).
For those seeking the ultimate backcountry adventure through Iceland’s raw, natural landscape, the 330km RIFT Abyss sends you deep into the highlands…and your head.
It’ll have countless water crossings, including spring-fed streams where you can top off bottles with fresh, clean water filtered by Iceland’s volcanic substrate. Which is good, because the first bag drop doesn’t appear until the 140km mark. And your first stocked feed station comes at 230km, shortly after merging onto The RIFT’s 200km course and, maybe, finding someone to draft.
Registration cost for The Abyss is the same as The RIFT 200km, but entry isn’t guaranteed, you’ll need to prove you’re up for it. And the field is capped at 30 riders, with winner take all prizes for each gender. There are no runners up.
Registration for all distances is open now, and the event is likely to sell out. Having raced this ourselves, we’ll vouch for the bucket-list pedigree of the event. And trust us, the Lauf crew behind this event know how to put on a party, er, race.
