Monday 10 December 2012

Swisse Mark Webber Challenge


Day 1 Launceston – The navigator’s day!

Launceston was the location for Day 1 of the challenge. Gary and I were both on the start line, but racing in different teams. I was a part of the Mountain Designs sponsored Tri Adventure Aunties and Gary was racing for Team Rexona. We started with a short navigation session at  the Country Club with some fun challenges including – tennis serve, push ups & chin ups, golf putting, underwater swim, before heading toward Cataract George for White Water Rafting. I could not believe that Jan and I got through this leg faster than Gary and his team of Olympians – Ken Wallace and Courtney Atkinson. 



We got to do the rafting together as teams had to combine, and go through a safety briefing before we took the plunge! Lucky for us we managed to all stay in the raft, and Courtney was thankful he kept his cast dry! Teams had an opportunity to go for bonus checkpoints to get time bonuses, so we took advantage of this on the MTB leg as the purpose built trails at the Kate Reed Nature Reserve were too good to pass up. We finished the day with a paddle along the South Esk River and a trek back to near we did the rafting and finished the day at the James Boags factory right in the middle of town.

Day 2 Ben Lomond – Altitude + Gravity 


The day started with an epic 18k cycle up to the Ben Lomond Ski Fields which too about 2hrs. Ken was unaware of what was ahead and decided to lead the pack on the charge to the mountain, before being called back by Gary. The Tri Adventure Aunties took it steady, and I managed to tow Jan for the entire ride to the amazement of onlookers! CP1 for the day was at the watchtower, quite visible as we encountered the never-ending switchbacks and the helicopter doing flybys in all directions. It was a picture perfect day as we summited Stonjeks Lookout at Hamilton Crags which was at above 1500m and crossed over Summit pass also above 1500m before descending along the Summit Track to our bikes. 

The MTB leg which followed was rewarding, and we were treated to some awesome single track before the kayak launch at Blessington. On the map the North Esk River looked really windy, so I wondered if there would be some rapids, and there was! I am told that Ken Wallace paddled some of the rapids Gondola style, and used a scooter action to get through some of the shallow areas! It was a fun paddle and as the water levels were low but it was a bit tricky to manoeuvre the big yellow kayaks, so we plunged into a few prickly bushes, so lucky we had helmets on. We exited the kayaks and completed the trek to the finish without wasting anytime and finished the day about 2k from where we had started. For something different Mark from Octagon decided to include a rally drive to the event. In our Renault, we cruised along enjoying the scenery to our accommodation at Ironhouse Point, and at some point I think Gary, Kenny and Courtney flew past us as they could not resist the temptation to race!

Day 3 Scamander - The challenge really begins!

Rock hopping was the theme for the day with 6k of coasteering from Four Mile Beach to Falmouth Creek where we were to commence the kayak. The swell was big and the waves were crashing, Gary and Ken breezed through that big surf, and somehow Jan and I got out too, as we watched kayaks being smashed all around us! We still had to get in, though, and this is where we got pummeled by a big wave and ended up like beached whales. The rest of the paddle was rather long and hot, it was nice to finish this with a bit of a creek walk to the TA! 


Rather than take the easy route to the TA, we decided to take on a few optional CP’s on the bike as we wanted to challenge ourselves that little bit more. Big mistake, as the 30 minute time credit ended up a big deficit as I encountered 2 flat tyres and a malfunctioning pump. But we never gave up, riding on the rim for about 7km and getting Jan to tow me while I ran and she rode, seemed to be the only way to finish the leg. But thanks to Dr Luke and Wilson from Singapore,  I managed to get back on the bike in time to enjoy the rewarding descent. 


The day was far from over we had a trek and ride awaiting us. We felt refreshed as we summited St Patrick's Head and were able to enjoy the spectacular views and amazing rock formations as we popped out at the top. It was not long before we were back on the bikes again for some more descending, and tackling one of those trails that only John Jacoby would find to send us down! It was a downhill thrill down Heises Gully which ended up back at Four Mile Creek (where we started the day) and onto the Tasman Highway back to Ironhouse Point to the finish line!

Day 4 Bay of Fires – Challenge accepted!
The Tri Adventure Aunties had a good lead on the Red Bullettes and Gary and Team Rexona were getting more and more competitive as Courtney and Ken were getting the hang of this sport called Adventure Racing! We started at The Gardens at the Bay of Fires with a short coastal trek followed by a long ocean paddle from Taylors Beach to Binalong Bay. When we commenced the paddle it was sunny beautiful and calm, but the wind picked up and before long we were being blown to Binalong Bay. 

We were freezing by the time we finished and were shocked when we saw teams returning from snorkelling without wetsuits! I was concerned that I would not be able to see a thing as the water was so choppy! Gary sent Ken and Courtney off for this leg, but Jan and I both braved the icy water and collected our tokens and were in and out of the TA onto the Trek in a flash, just so we could warm up by running! The next CP was “an Island” so guess what? One of us had to get wet again, so I did the safety jump into the water, punched the CP and then we got to warm up as we ran the Skeleton Bay coastal track. 

As we picked up a few extra CP’s on the trek, we thought we would have a go on the bike too, and we were pleased that it was worth it, and that the trails were really worth riding, as we love single track! Final paddle was shortened, so we had an early finish before a 3 hr drive to our accommodation at Wrest Point  Hobart, to prepare for the final day!

Day 5 Mt Wellington - The Finale!
Mt Wellington was 2 degrees and the wind chill -10, so lucky we had our Mountain Designs Gortex Jackets. The 7k descent was lightning fast and was followed by an orienteering leg! The tracks were steep and rocky in parts and the scenery beautiful; we picked up all the CP’s and a bonus before getting back on the bikes! We were required to follow the North South Track to Glenorchy and pick up 3 CP’s along the way, and there were plenty of optional CP’s on offer too. We were flying along passing quite a few teams on the quite technical descent, when I got flat tyre number 3 for the event. So all of a sudden frantic panic! I broke the valve on the tube and thought our day was over, but Rob Pommie stopped and gave me a tube as they were whizzing past! So all sorted we decided just to get to the end, no bonuses and that’s what we did! I got another flat at the final CP and had to ride the final 1.5k on the rim, again! 

We had to get through the streets of Glenorchy to Cornelian Bay on foot, our route along the power lines had us scaling fences, and wrestling with blackberry bushes. The last paddle was nice, and we went for the bonus, and got some time credit for it! We finished the paddle at Constitution Dock and had a quick run up to the finish line in front of the Henry Jones Hotel!  Gary, Courtney and Ken had already finished, and everyone was smiling, having pictures taken with Mark Webber himself!

What a day, what a challenge, what an event! This 5 star charity adventure race, known as The Mark Webber Challenge had everything! It was long, hard tough, but the fact that we were well looked after before and after each day, allowed the body to rest, recover and relax! We had physio’s doctors, massage therapists bike mechanics at our fingertips, and the accommodation, transport and support from individual Team Hosts allowed us to totally relax after a day of hard racing and reflect on our experiences. We thank our team host Susie Blissner for giving up a week of her time to share the adventure with us! We loved the event so much that we hope that Gary and I can race together as Team Mountain Designs in the 2013 Mark Webber Challenge and that Jan and Susie Team up as Tri Adventure Vintage.

For the full event results and highlights go to the event website  http://www.markwebbertasmaniachallenge.com/

Thanks to Mountain Designs for all their support throughout the year, we certainly made the most of our gear and put it through some of the toughest challenges you could imagine – it is certainly the best gear for – places you would rather be!

Saturday 24 November 2012

Mountain Designs & The Swisse Mark Webber Challenge


Gary and Kim will be rewarded with some excitement and adventure at the Swisse Mark Webber Challenge in Tasmania this week.

Mountain Designs is sponsoring Team Tri Adventure Aunties with some fantastic gear and equipment for the event, where we will see Kim racing with fellow Tri Adventure co-founder Jan Leverton.  Kim and Jan are teaming up for this event as the finale of our ‘focus on women in Adventure Racing' year.  Jan was the inaugural winner of the Mountain Designs sponsored Wild Women Adventure Race with Susie Williams. Susie will also be at the Mark Webber Challenge as team host for Tri Adventure Aunties! 


Gary has landed a spot in Team Rexona where he will race with Australian Olympians Courtney Atkinson and Ken Wallace. This year at the Swisse Mark Webber Challenge the three person team will allow one of the three to sit out an activity which will allow athletes to focus on their strengths. Gary being the expert navigator and with a wealth of adventure racing experience is going to be the linchpin of the team, as he is likely to complete all legs without taking a break.

The Swisse Mark Webber Challenge is a charity 5 day stage Adventure Race which commences in Launceston on Wednesday 28th November and finishes in Hobart the following Sunday. The disciplines include 10-20k of paddling, 30-50k of mountain biking and 15-20k of trekking per day with some other adventure activities such as snorkelling, white water rafting and abseiling. As per any adventure race, teams will be required to use a map and compass to navigate their way around the course each day, without the assistance of GPS or mobile phones.

John Jacoby and Sam Maffett from Rapid Ascent are the event directors so we are sure the event will be very challenging yet still full of fun, excitement and adventure! You can follow the event via live tracking on the event website

Sunday 18 November 2012

Team Mountain Designs 2012 "What a year"


Team Mountain Designs has had one of its most successful years and certainly one with plenty of adventure in places you would rather be! Finishing XPD the World Adventure Racing Championships in Tasmania as the 3rd Australian Team was certainly the highlight of 2011, so that was going to be hard to top!

Signing up for Godzone was the first big challenge! Coming off XPD, Gary and I were keen for another epic adventure, so we enlisted Robbie and Sloshy (who now are event management company “Dare you Adventure”) to the team and had them lining up for some events and joining us for some  awesome training sessions! The four of us managed a win in the Mt Cooth-tha Upside Down Rogaine and then Gary and I followed with a win in the Max Adventure Race at Wild Horse Mountain. This is a great race for beginners as the maps are fantastic and the terrain pretty flat.

Godzone was certainly an event I will not forget, as for me, it certainly produced some of the highest highs and lowest of lows, which are a big part of Adventure Racing and life in general! We had been nominated as one of the featured teams for the “Wild Racers” so we got to do some great pre-event filming which included Bungee Jumping and a ride on the Shotover Jet. We got to carry a tiny video camera to capture some of those special moments that cameras can’t get to, so this was awesome! We started at Milford Sound, paddled rapids in a canoe, climbed some amazing peaks in sleet, and crossed riverbeds in -2 degrees in the dark…….the boys were loving it…..but I was suffering….and decided it was not in my long term health interests to keep going! Probably one of the toughest decisions I have ever made in my life…..so it was a DNF for Team MD’s.

While I was in recovery, Gary teamed up with Ray Deetlefs for the ROGUE 12 hour out at Mt Joyce, where they managed to blitz the course in atrocious wet conditions, while I managed to stay high and dry doing my volunteer duties! The first event of the Mountain Designs ARA Series in Noosa, so home ground advantage for me! Gary and I teamed up with Sloshy, as we felt we owed him a good race and it was a battle for the finish line, which saw our opposing all male team “Guy & Liam” jump barriers and wrestle for the electronic punch providing some extra excitement for spectators!

We had to find a quick replacement for Lukey (aka Superman) following his unlucky crash in Rotorua for the one of the year’s big events – Geoquest. Leo Theoharis stepped up to the plate and joined Pikey, Gary and myself for the Forster based 48hr Adventure Race.  Team Mountain Designs finished on the podium in 3rd place....quite special for Leo as it was his first ever overnight race, and first time for Pikey on the podium at this prestigious event. Gary and I teamed up a few weeks later for the iAdventure race at Mt Joyce where the Wyralong Dam project included purpose built MTB trails. At the event we tested out the new Salomon S-lab Sense trail running shoes and were the only team to clear the course!

We introduced our newest team mate, Nick Moore, to adventure racing with a win at the 6hr Rogaine Championships at Emu Gully near Esk. So, a full team of four, including Nick, Superman, Gary and myself join together to defend our title at the Mountain Designs ARA Dark Side Championships at Uki. We had to work hard to regain our lead after a flat tyre, a small nav error, and Superman trying to overcome a tummy bug he brought back from a race in China. Having Lukey and Nick on-board we became a strong paddling team, and took advantage of this and Gary’s excellent nav skills to get a bit of a break on our closest rivals and mates (Ray, Leo & Liam). We were pretty excited to get the 'back to back' win and do our sponsors proud once again!

Another big one on the event calendar was Hells Bells, now in it’s 9th year. Team MD’s has not always had a great track record at this event, so despite winning in 2011 we knew we had to keep our heads together, work well as a team and have fun out there too! Gary, Nick and I had the perfect race, despite numerous rather challenging maps of not the best quality, we just managed to cruise through the Glasshouse Mountains on that rainy Saturday night thinking “where else would you rather be”. I saw a black snake, brown snake and two pythons that night, just as it was starting to cool down, we loved the terrain, and the spectacular scenery and the back end of the course was unrelenting. Robbie and the Team from Dare You Adventure set a tough course with us not crossing the finish line till about 3.30am, and it was great to see Robbie out there throughout night providing great encouragement and support especially for those teams new to Adventure Racing.

With the season coming to an end all too soon, Kim and Gary had their final Team MD’s hit out at the iAdventure at Mt Crosby. Matt and Amanda once again set out to challenge us all strategically by offering time bonuses for collecting extra CP’s, with some of those bonuses being achievable and some not. I think the idea is you have to try to work out if it is worth getting them, but we like to challenge ourselves to find every CP,  so Team MD’s were yet again the only team to clear the course.


Written by Kim Beckinsale

Team Mountain Designs – proudly sponsored by
Mountain Designs, Salomon, Hammer Nutrition, Tri Adventure

Summary of Achievements 2012
1st Mixed Team Upside Down Rogaine Mt Coo-tha
1st Premier Mixed Team Kathmandu AR Sunshine Coast
1st Male Team Rogue Mt Joyce
1st Premier Mixed Team ARA Noosa
1st Mixed Team 6hr Rogaine Emu Gully
3rd Premier Mixed Team Geoquest
1st Premier Mixed Team iAdventure Mt Joyce
1st Premier Mixed Team ARA Dark Side
1st Premier Mixed Team Hells Bells
1st Premier Mixed Team iAdventure Mt Crosby

Sunday 30 September 2012

Team Mountain Designs - back to back "ARA Darkside" Champions


Preparation for ARA Dark Side Championships had been progressing well, with the initiation of new team member “Nic Moore” who has taken over from Pikey (who is just going to concentrate on short races). Nic, a lifeguard, has been training on the Gold Coast with Gary and we did our first race together a few weeks back – this was a 6hr Foot Rogaine at Emu Gully, where we managed to snare the win, despite some hot competition from fast “all male teams”. Gary and I had been racing well together and had managed to clear the course in the iAdventure race at Mt Joyce in August ahead of any other teams. Meanwhile, Superman (back on deck after suffering head injuries in Rotorua and missing Geoquest) has become a father, and also just returned from racing in Mongolia where he picked up a nasty stomach virus similar to what plagued Pikey and I in XPD.

So the venue was once again the Interaction Learning Centre near Uki, so we thought “same old….same old…..too easy” but we should know better than that….as adventure racing is not usually the same..….even when you have an event in or near the same venue, it will always be different…..and this one certainly was! Logistics were challenging with a bike drop and boat drop both over an hour away from HQ with rego and dinner commencing before it was conceivably possible to get there…..so the planning for this event started early. I met Gary & Superman at boat drop early so they could head to bike drop, and be back for map handout on time. We ate dinner as we planned our course while superman enjoyed his 3rd bowl of chocolate pudding and ice-cream.

The 2012 ARA Dark side Championships commenced with a bus trip out to Brunswick Heads, where we found ourselves on the beach, sprinting for the first TA, where we had left our kayaks. We paddled  against the tide up the very shallow  Brunswick River to Mullumbimby, collecting 3 CP’s along the way with other teams “Rogue” and “Buggered if I Know” hot on our heels. We had a car move at this point to the Nightcap National Park, so we took advantage of the time in the vehicle, changed into dry clothes and ate lots of food.  We had a MTB Rogaine where we had 5 CP’s to find in any order, Superman was on Nav duties and we managed to find all the CP’s even the one 30m E of track creek junction – that was actually South! On return to TA Superman got a flat……so we lost a bit of time, as it was a bit messy removing tubeless tyre and rim tape. So we got to the TA trailing Rogue by 10 minutes.

Leg 4 was a linear 3hr Trek along, up and down beautiful single trails and fire trails finishing with an unbelievable descent off the range which took us about 45minutes. We ran through private property to a point where our bikes had been transported; we had still not caught up to Rogue. We had trouble with CP 9 (West Side of Creek) looking for it on a west bearing instead of just walking along the creek and looking on our right! So after a quick ride to Clarrie Hall Dam we soon set off in the “Toy-Boys” and paddled to the small inlet to find CP G and CPH the “Black Boy Patch”! Here we saw that Rogue had not left, they obviously were having trouble locating the “Blackboys”.   Gary was spot on  with the Nav and we hightailed it out of there……managing to gain a lead of a few minutes, before the “bike portage”. Here we had 4 bikes loaded on a kayak, which superman paddled while Nic, Gary and I swam……we also filled our water here…..added puri-tabs……and managed to get way out of sight of following teams.
Leg 8 was a MTB riding through some familiar areas, similar to the previous two ARA events, so Superman was absolutely nailing every CP. We did have to climb a few hills though and I was stoked that I rode everything and did not have to get off on any of those steep hills on my  GIANT XTC Carbon 29er…..and didn’t even need to get towed….so much fun was had by all! As we were descending back to HQ we saw Rogue and knew that we had a big buffer.  The final leg was a Mystery Foot Leg, which required us to run about another 10k on foot! We put Nics’ Lifeguarding skills to the test as he had to swim out to collect the CP’s in the Dams! We raced each other down some of the hills and crossed paths with Team Rogue who were still on the MTB leg.  We finished the race just on 3pm, some 15hrs after Midnight, taking out the 2012 Mountain Designs ARA Dark Side Championships. Congratulations to Team Rogue for taking out the all-male category and “Buggered if I Know” for finishing 2nd in the premier mixed category. 

When we finished the race, we just wanted to relax, chill and put our feet up……but we had to collect our kayaks from Mullumbimby…….so Nic, Superman and I headed out for the 3hr drive, while Gary spent some quality  time with the family - I believe in his tent…..sleeping! Mmmm why is it that sometime, there is that extra leg in Adventure Racing,  that sometimes is tougher than the actual race……!

In2Adventure announced that Mountain Designs had signed up for another 3yrs of sponsoring the ARA series……how exciting is that! We are proudly sponsored by Mountain Designs and want to acknowledge the outstanding support that our sponsor gives to the amazing sport of Adventure Racing! Thanks once again to Robyn and Simon from In2 adventure for putting on the ARA series and for the effort they put in to creating such terrific maps and finding such great locations for events……which we all know can be a challenge!

 I was also pretty excited that a new sponsor of the series “Goal Zero” had come on board,  as their product “portable solar power” is linked to that great environmental philosophy that is a big part of adventure racing! http://www.goalzero.com.au/

Saturday 25 August 2012

Team Mountain Designs try out Saloman S Lab Sense

Kim and Gary lined up today at Mt Joyce for iAdventure Race wearing our very light and flash looking Salomon S-Lab Sense.


The day starts with a bike drop and a 1.5k run back to the start before briefing...we don't often get a chance to warm up well before a race.....however this was a great opportunity to test out the feel of  the Salomon S-Lab Sense.....We commence with an optional paddle leg with strong teams, we hit the lead off this leg as we commence  a short run leg, collect CP1 & 2 then arrive at TA1. We are on the bikes first, opting to use the S-Lab Sense instead of bike shoes to avoid a shoe change....thus saving time. The trails at Mt Joyce were awesome.....a bit dry, but if you love single track, you would have loved this event! We are riding with  a few of Gary's training buddies - Leo Theo and Rob Pommie (who do race for MD's on occasions) so we are just ripping up the trails.....and before long we are at TA2 ready for our second foot leg! We set off in the lead and this is where we put the S-Lab Sense to the test in AR. The shoes were great for the conditions, good grip underfoot on road, path and through rugged scrub and super lightweight which means less effort when off track! We collect all CP's on the leg and the bonus and soon we are off on the final bike leg! This leg we opt to get the optional CP's D & E and the climb was so worth it, as the descent off Mt Joyce was such a buzz !!!! The final leg of the day was a paddle, which cooled us down....as it was a warm day for August! We again go for the optional CP and get back just over 3hrs......we clear the course, take out the premier mixed category and give the Salomon S-Lab Sense the thumbs up for AR!

Wednesday 20 June 2012

Podium at Geoquest for Team Mountain Designs



The week before Geoquest:-
Kim and Superman (Luke Haines) are in Rotorua for the Australasian Multisport Championships, an event we both could not miss given the wonderful trails over there. Unfortunately for Superman, his bike front wheel collapses on him and he ends up knocked out and he is unable to race, and this puts him out for Geoquest too. 
Kim was feeling fantastic and was in a great position to finish in the  top 5 women until she went the wrong way on the run…….but ends up finishing 3rd in her category.

Back home in Australia Gary (Monster) and Pikey (Princess) are in fine form and having better luck in Melbourne for the ARA Creswick Victoria, where they take line honours and win the all-male category. Wearing their Mountain Designs and Salomon race kit this was an outstanding performance against some of their Geoquest rivals from team Peak Adventure, Adventure Junkie and Macpac.
 
So the hunt is on for someone to fill Superman’s shoes????? With both our Godzone team mates Robbie & Sloshy being unavailable (Sloshy racing with ROGUE and Robbie still in Cairns recovering from Ironman Cairns) we delighted to find that Leo Theo……was prepared to step up to the plate and tackle his first ever overnight race! Our luck turned at this point as we then managed to get the support crew of the century Gary’s wife Kylie (and extended family) training buddy Ray (and family) and Brett (Gary’s original team MD’s racing partner)……We were now ready this year get Princess Pikey and Lucky Leo across the finish line at GEOQUEST………no matter what!

Forster and the Great lakes was home to Geoquest “Australia’s Premier Adventure Race” a fitting location for the 2012 event which proved to be the 3rd longest event on record.
   
Team Mountain Designs had their own little HQ at One Mile Beach an absolutely stunning location where you could sit on the balcony and watch the dolphins playing all day……but not for the team and support crew……who were testing out tubing options, paddle portage strategies, and completing competency checks……..Gary and Ray even found some time to team up with their young families in the Kids Adventure Race just prior to the course being revealed. 
 
Strategy – Adventure racing is all about course planning, team work and good communication as well as being pretty hard-core…… so, not long after receiving our maps were all back at the house working out our course, route selections, food and gear options for each leg of which there were eleven. Our whole team worked together like a well-oiled machine and I truly enjoyed the home cooked delights that were on offer, unlike the night before GODZONE where we had none. Looking at the course we worked out that we would be very lucky to be finished before daylight Sunday…………..so we retired to our bunk beds for a good night’s sleep before race day…..poor Leo barely slept a wink………he kept asking Brett…… “Hey Brett, sure you don’t want to race….come on Brett you know you want to……” 

Geoquest – The Full Course – Trek/Tubing, Paddle, Trek, MTB /Tubing, Paddle, Trek, MTB, Trek, Paddle, Trek - Total Distance 245k.
Can you believe that along with Team Mountain Designs there were 50 other team of four were about to embark on a similar journey…..or well at least two thirds of it for those competing the Geo Half Total Distance 165k (they missed the middle paddle/Trek/Mtb).

So it was a cold wet start in the Tubing/Trek Leg, as we had to leap into the freezing cold water on the siren……..lucky for us we had opted to take our paddles as well……so we had a rather cruisy ride on the tubes…….which saved us from getting totally wet and cold…….I was definitely glad I had long lightweight paddle pants on and my trusty Salomon Speed-Cross shoes as it protected me from the millions of oysters that lined the edges of the tiny Islands that we were crossing……Gary punched CP1 and we were on our way to the TA, but passed by the Peak adventure Raft on the longer water  crossings as their method (lying on tubes, paddling with pool swimming hand paddles) proved to be a few minutes faster than ours……and definitely faster than the poor teams that had to swim due to tube failure…… Mmmm oysters are like razorblades! 

 In and out of the TA at Wallis Lake in a flash……and soon we were paddling….again….but this time in more comfortable and much drier conditions ……thanks to & Julian from  Paddle to Fitness and  Tri Adventure for the Fenn XT’s. Only one CP to collect at Coomba Park and then across the beautiful lake heading towards Boomerang Beach…..we sight Peak Adventure very far distance. We feel like we are out there on this massive lake alone …….but before long Pikey and Leo were glad to get onto dry land….as paddling is not their forte! So we leave the TA in 2ndplace…… we see no other teams ……only the very excited support crews anxiously awaiting the arrival of the other 48 or so teams!
The trek to Seal Rocks was a bit of a disaster for MD’s! We nailed the first 2 CP’s and then headed out to the beach and up the headland into what seemed like pretty nice trekking country…….but soon we came across many unmarked tracks…….and lots of features that looked like nothing we could see on the map…….we visited every high point in that forest I think except the one with the CP…..so we went back and retraced our steps……we had been passed by many teams……but soon found an elephant track right to the CP……but rather than dwell on our disaster…we just hightailed it out of there…..and to our surprise we made the TA in 4th place…….but we knew there was a herd of elephants coming ……..so we were on the bikes in a flash…….and Princess Pikey was off…..and racing!!!! Can’t believe the two rope didn’t break, Pikey was absolutely motoring, and I was just hanging on, Leo was happily sitting my wheel and Monster did a few turns too……we caught team Rogue by surprise and got to the Raft section in no time….....soon Pikey and Monster were swimming across the creek, whilst Leo and I had a bit of a rest…….but we had to keep moving cause it was starting to get dark and cold. Boys forget lifejackets for  us….so they have an extra run back to the TA, meanwhile ROGUE passes us, but our raft is faster so we get to the other side at the same time, and Gary is so nice he helps their team gets their bikes off their raft!

In the TA at we have a great hot meal of “Lamb Shanks” which was a great thing to have when we were a bit cold and about to paddle as it would fuel us for the next two hours. So onto Leg 5 and about 11hrs into the race……..the Nav on this section was bit tricky as it was now dark …….we were looking for the second creek as we crossed the Bombah Broadwater……..we luckily managed to find the right one and before long we were paddling Nerong Creek up to the township of Nerong……..Team ROGUE were privileged to have us as an escort service on that paddle as those AYUP lights shine very brightly! In transition I  can’t believe the food I am getting……but this time it’s Cauliflower Soup……I drink the whole lot……and so does the rest of the team……actually we were lucky to have Ray and Brett at this TA as they accidently went to the next Bike TA instead…..but we would never have known…….they were so efficient ……everything was still there laid out in a little spot for each of us…..like it was at every TA.  The night trek through Myall lakes national Park, looked pretty straight forward, a few route options and a few very steep climbs ahead of us……after the first climb and descent back to the track for a bit of a run we found ourselves spending most of the trek along the ridge from CP13-14 with ROGUE…….yes we are now beginning to think we are the only two teams in the race. It is tough nav up there trying to stay on a ridge and find a saddle in the dark……but we get there and find our way to the bike Drop TA.

I notice that my bag is missing stuff  (the support crew took out anything that they thought I  would not need….sunglasses, arm warmers, windproof gloves, waterproof pants) so…….maybe I like to just be on the safe side…..as Gary says….I didn’t need it and we made it through the rather cool night on the MTB. We all had a bit of an attack of the sleepmonsters on this leg between 3 & 7am, the trails were heavy and it felt like we were climbing for 20k…… the sun starts to rise, we see Team ROGUE on the out and back section,  and then to our surprise we finished the leg with an awesome fast downhill single-track…..which even got a bit too steep for Leo……so after convincing himself that he could easily end up with a broken collarbone….he had to dismount and run the really, really steep sections! 

We arrive at the TA Brett and Ray had a raging fire going for us just in case we needed warming up before heading onto the TREK Rogaine. More totally amazing home cooked food – “Butter Chicken” this time…and coffee……Leo and Pikey are still is still talking about Ray’s coffee!  Now Leo is just starting to get the hang of all this overnight stuff……he made it through the night and he is absolutely on fire……he is so excited that he is still going……Pikey can’t wait to get back on the bike again……but we have a big trek ahead…..Gary has his head on the maps…….few of the marked trails exist…..so, bush bashing, here we go……into and out of creeks ….in search of those hidden CP’s…..we nailed our first 2 quite well…..moving nicely along! But then lost quite a bit of time due to a “schoolboy nav error”, that’s exactly what Gary called it! So we then took the safe route to the CP which possibly added almost an extra hour to our time…....and if not we would not have seen this rather large Black Snake sitting right in the middle of the grassy track …..We saw it on our return….it was obviously not scared of us at all. 

One more CP to go before the long run back to the TA where we were greeted by our whole entire support crew (yes about 10 of them) chanting Pinky Pinky come on Pinky!…..( well the kids were) next Gary yells out….. “Come one Princess they are calling your name”!  Gourmet TA this time includes some yummy toasted ham and cheese sandwiches and all our gear ready to go……



 
The final MTB leg we prepare ourselves for 50k like the last one…….but this time we have a split….me and Pikey get CPY and Gary and Leo go for CP Z…..Pikey and I get the cruisy route….so pikey gets a few minutes to rest his tired legs……We met up at CP 19 and set off again…….this MTB leg is awesome, fast flowing fire trails and some really great more technical 4WD trails….we are so happy as 30k is gone in no time……and the end bit looks not too bad…….we do get one small Hike a bike……but nothing too savage….so in less than 3 ½ hrs are ready to Kayak the Wallamba River. Now just in case you think I have had to starve myself throughout the past 35 hrs of racing we are greeted by our support crew who gather us into a nice cosy hall and pull a massive serve of Fish & Chips straight out of the oven…… my new nickname is little Miss Piggy! Mmmm....... I wonder why? 
 
Well just two legs to go…..a CP in a graveyard and a run along the beach…….5hrs to midnight……how hard can it be???? Well……we had a bit of trouble finding the graveyard……a local gives us poor advice and send us further up the river……it turns….not good says Gary and back we go about 1k……Pikey and Leo are not loving this bit……think they really would rather be asleep……me too! But we paddle back take a punt on where to exit and finally locate the graveyard……we race around madly…..but do you think we can find the grave we are looking for???? I thought I had memorised the picture….but……obviously not…….so freezing cold we wet…….we try to get our course notes out of the dry bag……then Gary yells….I found it….we can’t see him……he is up a little track that lead straight to the grave……freaky stuff! Gary says “I hear Liam……let’s get out of here”…….but as we got back to our boats….we could see the lights of ROGUE approaching…..so were tried to make a quick getaway…….no time to sleep now……and there was a thunderstorm approaching….so we wanted to just get off the water fast! We thought we near the finish, we could see flashing lights……it was our support crew……we hoped but as we got closer we thought no it’s just a channel marker…..we thought the sleep monsters were coming back…….but as we got closer and closer it was Brett and Ray on the bank. It is now raining rather heavily, the exit is steep and rocky…..but we are out of those ski’s in a flash. No food at this TA just a coke and a few takeaway snacks!

The Final TREK – nothing can stop us now…….can it! Well there was this very tricky creek crossing…….it may have been OK in the day….but trust me at night it was slippery and scary. Leo and Gary crossed the old bridge remnants like trapeze artists…..me well……I baulked at it many times……and ended up straddling the thing and using my arms and legs to get me to the other side…..it was dark and murky a long way below……I did not want to fall in……now Princess Pikey opted to use my technique too…..better to be safe than sorry I say….hey Pikey!  Now we were looking for a trail to the beach……. A little vague at times but it lead us to the CP……now just two to go…….following a trek up the beach and a short jog out to the rock walls that protect Forster & Tuncurry at the river mouth. Leo couldn’t believe we had to run “all that way around to the other side over the bridge”……I said you can swim if you like……..but no one took that option……(not meant to anyway) but it was a very long way around but did provide us some time to reflect on what we had just achieved.
We crossed the finish line at Forster Main Beach at 12.15am Monday 11th June 3rd Place behind winners Macpac (who we did not sight once on the course)  and Peak Adventure (who we only really saw on leg 1)  …….40hr and 15 minutes worth of Geocentric Adventure….and a fantastic result for Team Mountain Designs. 

Thanks to our Sponsors Mountain Designs, Salomon, Hammer Nutrition, Tri Adventure 
 

Thanks to our awesome Support Crew 
Ray & Sherryn, Brett, Kylie, Diggy, Dersley and all the kids….. We could not do what we do without you……thanks for being a part of the team!

Support – Events like Geoquest were you have a support crew are such fantastic events as not only do the racers and volunteers get to be a part of the event, family and friends can get out and about, go to spectacular locations and find out why we adventure racers get such a buzz out of doing what we do! I also reflected on the quality of the food that we could consume to keep our bodies going. I think it really makes a difference to have such good healthy fresh food as it helps us to perform well and recover so much better that in unsupported events.