The Challenges of Adventure Racing

Recent SEQ Adventure Races have certainly provided many challenges as Team Mountain Designs prepares for GEO Quest. As we get set for the most prestigious Adventure Race on the calendar I have certainly been reminded of why we all keep coming back to these events – it has to have something to do with being challenged!

The Step Up – Ridgeline Adventures - Event Directors – Gary & Ray

Leo and I had a ball in the mud at Ewan Maddock , yet the biggest challenge for me was navigating under pressure, because I usually leave that up to Gary!  So a few times when I tried to get away from a team, by choosing a sneaky route, I stuffed up …..well it was either a dodgy track, or I just made a small nav error! So after 5hrs of boogie boarding, mountain biking, trekking and even tubing we had been challenged physically and navigationally and despite the atrocious weather could not imagine being anywhere else! I spent hours pouring over the maps….reflecting on my decisions….looking at options…..working out ways of being better next time……setting myself a challenge for the next time I have map and compass in hand!

The 8hr Rogue - Rogaine Association – Event Director – Liam (aka Gigantor)

Gary and I were back in business, choosing just the 8hrs option. Why not 24??? Well  I truly believe that we often underestimate the recovery time required (both physical and psychological) following big adventure races, so  with GEO less than 6 weeks away we chose the fast and furious 8 hr version. The course at Imbil was just awesome, absolutely spectacular and just a really nice comfortable event, as the campsite was beautiful and the weather perfect, and all those hills out at Imbil that I remember from Hells Bells, well, we did not have to summit! To be honest we did not think the course was clearable……but therein lies the challenge…..so we just had to have a crack! We had no choice but to paddle first which left us just 5 hrs to complete the other two legs and as the run course seemed impossible to clear we opted for the bike. We both had maps so we were able to set a fast pace and keep check on our route, and cover each other as we went along. Surprisingly we got back in 3 hrs so we had 2hrs left for the Trek……can you belie we could not find the first CP…..we searched and searched, found pink tape but no flag…..wasted 20minutes….and were basically about to drop it, when friends Mandy and Jules and found it….so back in we went… and found it……phew!!!! There were a few serious hills to climb and descend before we would return to HQ but would we clear???? The lantana cleared, the travel in the open paddocks was faster than we anticipated and we finished with a swim across Yabba Creek to clear the course with just under 5 mins to spare! We sit around the fire….compare maps and route choices with our friends….setting ourselves up for the next challenge!

ARA Noosa Hinterland – In2Adventure – Robyn and Simon

Mt Cooroora has always been a very special mountain for me, when it comes to setting yourself challenges! I first tackled the mountain in 1985 and entered my first ‘King of the Mountain’ back in 1987, this year is the 20^th Anniversary of my first ever win in the event back in 1993, and the 10^th Anniversary  since my comeback win (following many years in triathlon) in 2003. So I was so excited when we got to finish an Adventure Race with our photo being taken at the base of such a famous location……one I will be visiting again on July 28, 2013. http://kingofthemountain.com.au/

Anyway back to the ARA…..Following map handout we were scratching our heads….thinking…..there has got to be more to this…and there was! We got a map as we boarded the bus and soon we set off at an absolutely cracking pace in Ringtail State Forest…..with me somehow keeping up with some of the fastest guys around…..(yes I have been doing a bit of secret training ) The rogaine style start was meant to spread the field, but most chose the same route….so it was just frantic! We got to the paddle TA, I dropped the dibber, and found it again…..and soon was paddling with Garry in the back….I still had the dibber so was in and out like a Yo-Yo stamping through the reeds and lilies on the lovely Lake Mc Donald. As we had BIG Jase with us in t a team of 3, he got to sit out and just watch…..so he was ready for action on our return we were in second. Onto the bikes it was really muddy (on the Mac n back trail) and I had a huge stack in a creek, but luckily landed in a soft bed of thick grass and not the rocks in the creek! We were riding flat pedals, so quite challenging in muddy conditions, but fast for transitions – so we were in the lead again, but it did not take long for Guy and Dave to catch up. 

A risky nav option paid off for us, and we were once again lead, find out at CP 11 that we have a MTB rogaine before CP 12. This was just awesome riding and we absolutely flew through it….it was pretty tricky, however a bit of local knowledge does help. Little did we know that we had not drawn CP J on our map…..yes, a critical error that cost us the win! But at the time we had no idea, so we just were ‘in the moment’….and I was on fire on the Cooroora Trek….almost leaving the boys behind…..and must have been too excited to finish….as I forgot to punch out,  again - had no idea at the time. We searched for CP 19 but the flag was not there on the East  bank of the creek near trail marker number  5 so we were just beside ourselves…..and this was a real low point for us….as we could just no see anything at resembled a CP, we must have spent 15 minutes attacking the exact same point from every possible angle just to be sure we were in the right spot. So we arrived at HQ, did some shooting (it took 15 goes to get 5) and raced around the grounds finding Bronze, Silver Gold, and finished the race a bit upset…..because of 19…….and then to find out we had missed J……well what a blow…..what seemed to be a perfect race….was far from it for team MD’s and on this occasion we opened the door for Justin and Howie (Team Bikeon) the opportunity to have that sweet taste of success…..a feeling that we never ever take for granted!!

So we walk away with more to reflect on, more to learn, and more to think about…..and look forward to adventure racing at its best! 

What's the next challenge for Team Mountain Designs!

GEOQUEST!!!

Adventure Racing in Queensland really ‘Steps Up’

Leo downs a hammer Gel in TA

Adventure racing in Queensland has never been more exciting with plenty of races on offer with a variety of formats to keep us out on course for longer and test our endurance and navigation skills to the max! Team Mountain Designs have tested many of these events and certainly looking forward to ‘The Step Up’ – Ridgeline Adventure’s 5hr event on the 13^th April. This is the second of a new three race series which has been developed by Ray Deetlefs and Gary Sutherland. So this is meant that Kim has teamed up with Leo Theoharis which gives both of us a chance   to sharpen our nav skills as each pair receives two maps! Kim and Leo thrived in the mud fest at Donnybrook in race one of the series –‘The Kickoff’, and finished first mixed pair…..just behind our good friends Robby & Sloshy (Team Scar) and my Tri Adventure training mates Paddy & Justin (Team BikeOn) who were in the all-male category. The format was a 3hr unfinishable course where you tried to get as many CP’s as possible, but as the race went on the navigation became more difficult.

Kim chats to Gary - ( Race Director - Ridgeline Adventures)

Then we had the Kathmandu race at Wild Horse Mountain. This is a great little event for beginners as the navigation is pretty easy, but that makes for some fast and furious racing. The top 20 teams back to the HQ were sent out on a bonus leg, again adding that bit of an extra challenge for the more experienced teams. Gary and Kim teamed up for this one, and managed to stay in the lead despite having to repair a flat tyre on the bike course. We managed a win outright which was a great achievement especially for Gary. I looked back over the results, and saw that he has won this event outright 7 times (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013) racing for Team Mountain Designs …..this is an amazing achievement!

Gary and I fronted up for the 3hr Rogaine in Bunyaville, this time joined my teammate – Nick Moore. This little 3hr Rogaine is great at this time of year as it relies on quick decision making and fast movement across the course – so great practice for adventure racing. We all had our eyes on the map, as in a Rogaine everyone gets one, and were vying to clear the course. In the end we had to skip two CP’s and make a mad dash for the line, finishing with about 20 seconds to spare....so a fun event with plenty of bush bashing opportunities taken. It was another outright win for Team Mountain Designs scoring 1500 points, defeating the closest all male team by 290 points.

Team work - trying to fit 4 shoes in a Salomon backpack!

Race five on the Team Mountain Designs calendar for 2103 was the iAdventure Race at Nerang. The new format included an opportunity to gain bonus points on each leg and a finish deadline (similar to that in a Rogaine) for teams opting to try for the bonus, which means that the team who clears the basic course and gets the most points wins! Matt & Amanda Koerber excelled themselves when designing this course as it really had us rushing at the end of the planning time, due to the complexity of the extra bonuses. The MTB riding in Nerang is tough because there are lots of hills, but some sweet single tracks ensured we had a few smiles on our faces along the way! We had three different maps for the race, so that always adds to the challenge. Prior to our swim challenge in Nerang Pool, our Orienteering skills were put to the test going to the bonus CP’s on the run – which were in some of the most challenging areas of the forest. 

We opted to leave one MTB bonus (15 points) to leave time for the bonus paddle CP’s (5 & 25). So following a bit of urbaneeering we were on the Nerang River, in the ‘toy boys’ those great AR bathtubs that we love to paddle. We were making great time on this leg until we paddled straight past the creekline with CPJ hiding about 60m away. So after reaching a dead-end and no CP we had to hightail the rest of the paddle, in order still to get the 25 pointer and make the run back to HQ in time. With just seconds to spare we crossed the finish line after 4 ½ hours of fast and furious racing. This new exciting format ensured that despite a handy lead we were challenged right up to the end, so another victory for Team Mountain Designs!

So what’s next for Team Mountain Designs – The Step Up April 13, Rogue Adventuregaine April 28, ARA Noosa May 19, then the big one – Australia’s Premier Adventure Race – Geoquest June 8-10.

Upside Down with Ay Ups

Team Mountain Designs kicked off its 2013 season with an Upside Down Rogaine at a beautiful spot not far from Fernvale called England Creek. With Ay Up lights on board as a team sponsor this year it was a perfect event to start off with as we started at 11pm and finished at 7am, so yes…..most of the event was in darkness! 

Teams were given an opportunity to collect 37 checkpoints in the 8hr period, but in early planning we realised that this would mean over 50k on foot, so we opted to leave out a few. Teams were all together early on until the terrain became steeper and almost impenetrable lantana separated everyone. We found ourselves crawling through lantana tunnels and tramping through thick, prickly vegetation… making navigation rather challenging. We were however happy to find our way down to a nice little creek, which was clear …..so enjoyed a little rock hop for a while and we got really wet feet, but it cooled us off just nicely before the big trek up to CP 130  (the biggest point scorer of the event). It was a tough climb, but all on track so once we got to the top it a great run down the other side to find another CP in a creek.

We were well behind schedule, it was now over 4hrs and we would soon get to water, we filled up and soon lost the plot a bit…..taking a few incorrect creek lines before working out our error. We were well behind schedule, had dropped two planned CP’s and still had a long way to go…but somehow we just seemed to get faster and faster, well actually the terrain became much easier, and we had a ball running over highpoints and down long flowing spurs pretty much all the way back. We managed to fit in a hike to one more highpoint just minutes before 7am and enjoyed our little swim across the creek at the end.

We collected 30 out of 37 CP’s for a total of 1750 points. Somehow we ended up overall winners 170 points ahead of the nearest team of Robbie and Sloshy  (all male) who we raced with in this event last year, and 230 points ahead of the nearest mixed team (Liam, Leo, Ray, Bec).  So over 42k travelled – mostly off track and mostly in the dark…..we are certainly happy with Race 1 of the season!

Next Event – Kim races with Leo in Ridgeline Adventure’s – ‘The Kick Off’ – with Gary as Race Director…..it is sure to be a challenge!

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!

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 28^th 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

http://www.markwebbertasmaniachallenge.com

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 3^rd 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 3^rd 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 9^th 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

1^st Mixed Team Upside Down Rogaine Mt Coo-tha

1^st Premier Mixed Team Kathmandu AR Sunshine Coast

1^st Male Team Rogue Mt Joyce

1^st Premier Mixed Team ARA Noosa

1^st Mixed Team 6hr Rogaine Emu Gully

3^rd Premier Mixed Team Geoquest

1^st Premier Mixed Team iAdventure Mt Joyce

1^st Premier Mixed Team ARA Dark Side

1^st Premier Mixed Team Hells Bells

1^st Premier Mixed Team iAdventure Mt Crosby

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 3^rd 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 2^nd 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/