Sunshine Coast 6hr 2024 Information Kit

Not long now...make sure you're properly equipped and ready to go!

NOTE – This information is only available to those team members who have their name registered with Wild & Co and who appear on the team list. Team captains – you may need to forward this to your other team members.

With just under 24hrs to go the event is shaping up to be an exciting one. The course is set, we're setting up HQ, placing CPs and packing the race packs. This email contains a few important reminders so please read carefully.

 

Important Documents

It's essential that you carefully read the information pack (click the image above or the link below) which includes all the important information you need, including the mandatory gear list. If you have questions please ask.

 

Kayak TA Gear Drop

Teams that would like to use their own paddle gear are welcome to drop their gear to the kayak TA pre-race. We'll be there setting up from 6:30am (not before!)

Leach Park
21 Short St
Golden Beach QLD 4551

Gearing up for your first 6hr Adventure Race with Mountain Designs

Mountain Designs trail running gear and Salmon race vests are great options

We’re big fans of Aussie brands and Mountain Designs are one of the originals. Their founder Rick White was there at the first GeoQuest in 2002 to see what Adventure Racing was all about and he loved it!

Mountain Designs have been supporting adventure racing ever since so we’re very happy to recommend their gear. We’ve personally been using their gear since the 1990s and we love that they keep the costs down for really high quality gear made from great materials.

There are some absolute essentials when it comes to Adventure Racing, they’re on the gear list for safety reasons as much as comfort. And then there’s a few nice to have things that increase the fun and comfort on the day.

Thankfully with Mountain Designs expanding range you can fully kit yourself out for an awesome adventure no matter whether it’s 6 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours or longer!

It’s important to note that we are sponsored by Mountain Designs and that the links below are affiliate links so we get a small commission back on any sales. But if you’re wanting to buy gear or clothing, using these links helps us grow the business and keep delivering great adventure racing events!

Our PICK of MOUNTAIN DESIGNS GEAR FOR A 6hr Adventure RacE

Before we make recommendations, there’s a few essential concepts to understand when choosing what to wear on race day – the first is that your clothing must be made from fabric that is moisture wicking (moves the sweat away from your body) and dries quickly so you don’t have clingy cold wet clothes on all day. Synthetic fabrics like polyester or nylon do this well and natural fabrics like merino do too.

Cotton clothes are a big no-no for adventure based activities as they get wet and stay wet, becoming heavy and dangerously cold when the temperature drops. Mountain Designs trail running tops and pants are excellent choices and they look good too. It’s also worth checking out Mountain Designs Merino and synthetic socks – they’re all great quality in a range of thicknesses depending on how cold or wet the race will be. Try Merino for a bit of extra luxury!

It would be wrong of us not to mention sun safety – we’ve been eyeing off Mountain Designs Legionnaires hat for a while as a good fun option for racing – it’s a fun option that gives extra protection, especially on the kayak.

If the weather on race day is looking wet or cold, you may want to add a few layers. The best strategy is a long sleeve thermal top made of polypropylene or merino with a rain jacket over the top if it’s windy or wet. Mountain Designs make excellent thermals and their light weight Stratus rain jackets for both women and men are excellent choices. If the weather turns for the worst you’ll really appreciate having these with you.

We’ve finished off our clothing list with Salomon trail shoes – they’re very tough and can take a beating. Like everything this is a personal choice as everyone is different, but Salomon have been around for years and are a good choice.

Men’s clothing essentials:

If it gets cold or wet you could throw in these as extras:

What about bike pants and bike shoes?

As 6hr adventure races are quite short and you swap disciplines often, many racers skip the bike pants and bike shoes. They just wear their favourite running shorts and trail running shoes with flat pedals.

If you absolutely must wear bike pants (we understand) you should check out shorts made for triathletes. They have a thin pad that doesn’t chafe while running, adds a bit of extra comfort on the bike and doesn’t soak up water when youre kayaking.

Brands like 2XU make an excellent product in this space that has been a favourite of adventure racers for many years.

Mandatory Gear everyone needs

You don’t need to carry much gear on a 6hr adventure race, just your first aid kit, water and any food. The Mountain Designs 6L Hydration pack is a great entry level pack that is tough and has enough space for everything you need. It come with a 2.5 litre bladder which is essential on a 6hr race in the Aussie Bush.

There are more technical packs out there from brands Salomon that are lighter, but they’re also a lot more expensive so we’d recommend holding back on expensive gear until you know what you really want.

Ulladulla 6hr Adventure Race Information Kit

Not long now...make sure you're properly equipped and ready to go!

NOTE – This information is only available to those team members who have their name registered with Wild & Co and who appear on the team list. Team captains – you may need to forward this to your other team members.

With just under one week to go the event is shaping up to be an exciting one. The course is set, we're setting up HQ, placing CPs and packing the race packs. This email contains a few important reminders so please read carefully.

Important Documents

It's essential that you carefully read the information pack (click the image above or the link below) which includes all the important information you need, including the mandatory gear list. If you have questions please ask.

Mandatory Gear Lists for 24hr+ Events

There have been a few updates to the way that the ARWS - Adventure Racing World Series provides their mandatory gear lists.

All 24hr to 48hr race mandatory gear lists are now available for direct download on each event website and on the Wild&Co main website. This gear list should be familiar to teams and has not been updated and are available here:

www.terranova24.com.au

www.geoquest.com.au

www.hellsbells.com.au

www.topdog24.com.au

The expedition race mandatory gear list is available for download on the ARWS website. and includes a few minor updates. This is available here:

www.arworldseries.com

ADDITIONAL ITEMS

In addition to the ARWS mandatory gear lists, all Australian 24hr plus events now require teams to carry a 10cm x 10m snake bite bandage as a precaution. These are available here to purchase:

https://shop.stjohn.org.au

It is also recommended that teams familiarise themselves with what to do in the case of s snake bite. There is an excellent guide published by the St Johns Ambulance and available here for download: St Johns Snake Bite Fact Sheet

Historic Win for the Mountain Designs Wild Women Team at Legend Race in Australia

Their win was the first time in the history of the sport that an all women’s team has won a major international expedition adventure race.

When the Mountain Designs Wild Women team arrived at the finish line of the Legend Expedition Race at Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road in Australia it was a historic moment in the history of Adventure Racing. Their win was the first time in the history of the sport that an all women’s team has won a major international expedition adventure race.

The Legend race was the first Adventure Racing World Series Qualifier of the year and in the 23 years the global series has been running no women’s team has won an ARWS race, or any other major international race, such as Eco-Challenge or the Raid World Cup. Since the Raid Gauloises in 1989 in New Zealand, recognised as the first adventure race, the sport has prioritised mixed gender teams, there have been only a few competitive women’s teams and none has secured a win in the toughest of endurance sports, until now.

The Legend Race was a 450km non-stop race, with the course open for 6 days, including 13 endurance stages of mountain and coastal trekking, mountain biking, ocean, river and lake kayaking. Teams had to stay together at all times and collect all of the checkpoints on the route, navigating by map and compass, and only taking a few hours sleep during the whole race.

The Mountain Designs Wild Women team crossed the finish line after 73 hours and 9 minutes of racing led by team captain Kim Beckinsale. She was racing with Alina McMaster, Cass Kimlin and Del Lloyd and the team has a combined age of 197 years and between them, 78 years of adventure racing experience!

The Wild Women had a difficult start to the race when McMaster and Beckinsale were ill and the team had to rest for an hour, but after this they had an intense competition with ‘Team MMI-The Band’, swapping the lead almost stage by stage. The penultimate stage was to prove decisive when there was an unexpected change to the course.

This was a kayak stage in an estuarine river and lake system, with teams collecting 4 checkpoints in the order of their choosing. However, what was planned as a paddling stage turned into an epic mud-wade when an excavator dredged the mouth of the Aire River just before the teams arrived! Water levels fell and in the adjoining Lake Costin and Lake Craven there was almost no water, only a lake of mud teams would have to cross to reach two checkpoints!

Over 4 hours the Mountain Designs Wild Women team succeeded in reaching all checkpoints, but Team MMI-The Band failed to reach two, becoming stranded in the mud and losing shoes in the process. They turned back and the race was effectively decided as, although they crossed the line first, they were penalised 4 hours for missing the checkpoints.

Beckinsale said, “We were expecting a beautiful estuarine paddle before it got dark, then ran out of water and ran into stinking mud flats. We were above our knees in mud and reeds were over our heads, but we were determined to keep moving. Kim smashed through the reeds and Cas urged us to keep paddling.

“They were bold and tenacious and we had the experience to know you just have to keep on going, no matter how slowly. We paddled and pushed and levered ourselves out of the mud, and were so glad we took the kayak straps! We thought no one else would do it and I took photos to show we were at the checkpoints and had been there with the kayaks.”

Lloyd added, “We were fast, smart and used all our skills and experience, supported each other, carried each other’s gear and our navigation was accurate. We have masses of experience and heaps of bloody-mindedness, which meant we were damn well going to get through that mud, but we were strong for the whole race and worked hard for each other and for the win.”

McMaster raced at international events from the early days of adventure racing in the 1990’s and returned to the sport after a break for childcare. “I love expedition races,” she said, “they are hands-down the best kind of racing. They are always an amazing experience. You are on a journey, out in the bush with your mates and with no tech do distract you. It’s the sport and the community which makes you want to do it.

“For these races you need a team with no ego, and bucket loads of humility, who have a shared goal, that is put ahead of everyone else’s needs to look good. You have to give your whole self to the team, put everyone’s energy into one bucket and share it out. That team work is really special and keeps me coming back.”

Kimlin only joined the team for this race 6 weeks ago and said, “There’s a strong bond in the team and you see everyone at their best and worst. With adventure racing it’s important you don’t let the “I can’t” mentality in or be afraid to give it a try just because it’s hard.”
Beckinsale, who organises a women’s only race with her company Tri-Adventure, added, “We want other women to have the opportunity to do this sport and change lives, to know they are more amazing than they thought they could be! It’s a sport where you can sign-up and have a go.”

There was a strong women’s representation in the race, in which all of the starting teams reached the finish line. The final team over the line was another all-female team, the Vortex Divas, who reached the finish after 120 hours of racing, and the highest ranked mixed gender team were Team Blunder Bus, comprised of 2 men and 2 women.

This team were delighted to win the prize of a place at the Adventure Racing World Championship, which will be staged by the Huairasinchi race in Ecuador in November and the prizes were presented by ARWS CEO, Heidi Muller, who was a surprise visitor to Apollo Bay for the finish of the race.

The Blunder Bus team of Rowan Brookes, Lisa Dominguez, Steve Owens and Simon Vandestaedt finished the course in just over 98 hours and for Domingues and Brookes it was their first expedition race. Dominguez said, “The Great Ocean Road region really showcased what expedition racing can offer and there was a strong sense of community during and after the race, when we heard the stories of other racers. We went into the race with the goals of completing it as a team and experiencing the beauty of the course, so the opportunity to race in Ecuador is an unexpected bonus!"

Beckinsale voiced the same feelings about the second Legend course; “Thanks to Chris Dixon and his team from Wild&Co for once again piecing together a spectacular but extremely challenging course for us crazy Wild Women to test ourselves on. The course had everything; ocean paddling, awesome mountain bike trails, stunning views and so much more!”

Dixon said, “The Great Ocean Road has been a fantastic location and so were the Snowy Mountains last year. The vision for Legend XPD is to take the race to the most iconic locations in every state and we can’t wait to take the race to Tasmania next year for the next chapter of the Legend!”

Heidi Muller added, “It’s such an exciting prospect for The Legend to take the Adventure Racing World Series back to Tasmania in 2025. The Adventure Racing World Championship was held there in 2011 and was an incredibly successful race with 90 teams taking part. Tasmania is a perfect location for the next Legend.”

For more information about the Legend XPD race visit https://www.legendexpd.com.au/
You can see the full programme of Wldnco races at https://www.wldnco.com/

Canberra 6hr Information Kit

Not long now...make sure you're properly equipped and ready to go!

NOTE – This information is only available to those team members who have their name registered with Wild & Co and who appear on the team list. Team captains – you may need to forward this to your other team members.

With just under 24hrs to go the event is shaping up to be an exciting one. The course is set, we're setting up HQ, placing CPs and packing the race packs. This email contains a few important reminders so please read carefully.

Important Documents

It's essential that you carefully read the information pack (click the image above or the link below) which includes all the important information you need, including the mandatory gear list. If you have questions please ask.

3 awesome 6hr events to start the year!

Wild&Co 6hr Adventure Race 2024 series kicks off on 3 Feb with an awesome event on the south side of Brisbane before heading to Canberra and then Ulladulla!

We've spent the holidays out and about on the trails and are certain these are going to be some of the funnest events ever. Read on for a few updates and race HQ location announcements.

Brisbane South – 3rd February 

The awesomeness starts with our Brisbane South event which will be based out of the park along the esplanade at Lota just south of Manly. The walking and cycling trails and kayak opportunities through the conservation areas, wetlands, onto Morton Bay and Tingalpa are going to make a great course. Teams can expect some good navigation options, fun paddling and beautiful tracks and trails to explore.

Race HQ: 710 Esplanade, Lota QLD 4179

To Enter: wldnco.com/3-6hr-events

Canberra – 17 February 

We're very excited about the Canberra course – after working on Top Dog 24 2023 we knew we had some great opportunities for a 6hr event! The course will feature lots of fun and easy single track on the mountain bikes and great navigation and trekking challenges. And of course the paddling options are going to be great on the lake. Race HQ will be in the park at the National Rock Garden just off Lady Denman drive which will give us easy access to some of the funnest trails around.

Race HQ: National Rock Garden, Lady Denman Dr, Canberra ACT 2601

To Enter: wldnco.com/3-6hr-events

Ulladulla – 16 March

It's no secret that we love the coast in the Shoalhaven region – the white sand and turquoise water and the super fun tracks and trails in the national parks and state forests make for an adventure playground. Race HQ will be in the Lion's park just south of Ulladulla on Burrill Lake. This gives us access to some great paddling opportunities and some great tracks and trails for both trekking and on the mountain bikes. 

Race HQ: National Rock Garden, Lady Denman Dr, Canberra ACT 2601

To Enter: wldnco.com/3-6hr-events 

Not sure how all this works?

We've updated the website to include links to past courses so you can see what to expect on the day. Don't forget, every course is unique but past maps and course notes will give you a good idea of what you're up for:

Past Courses: wldnco.com/past-event-maps-and-course-notes

Introduction to Adventure Racing: wldnco.com/what-is-adventure-racing

 

Hells Bells! Australia’s Favourite 24 Hour Adventure Race Celebrates 2 Decades

The Hells Bells 24 hour adventure race celebrates 20 years of competition on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland this coming weekend (August 5-6th).

Few adventure races anywhere in the world achieve this longevity and consistency, and the race is one of the keystones of Australian adventure racing.  Over the years most of the greatest Australian adventure racers have taken part and the race has been an introduction to the sport for many.

The race was started in 2004, has had 3 different owners, and has taken place annually, even managing to avoid Covid cancellations. It has had the same headline sponsor for much of its history too and this year Mountain Designs will once again support the race.

Hells Bells always takes place on the Sunshine Coast, and has been as far North as Rainbow Beach, and as far South as Bribie Island.  This year Wild&Co will take the race back to Cotton Tree in the heart of the Sunshine Coast.  It’s a town known for its relaxed atmosphere, easy access to the Maroochy River, pristine rivers and stunning sunsets – all of which racers will likely experience.

Chris Dixon, Wild & Co event director said: “We’re very excited to be heading back to Cotton Tree. It’s the perfect location to start and finish an Adventure Race and gives us access to some of the best trails and waterways the Sunshine Coast has to offer.

“We've got an exciting new course for Hells Bells 2023 and can't wait to show off trails Hells Bells has never been to before and to re-visit some of our favourites.”

Races have been promised big views and big hills, waterfalls and even a viewpoint where teams can get a sunset view of the whole course.

Dixon added, “What I love about this year’s location is that you within a few minutes and a few kilometres you can feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. We’ve got an incredibly beautiful swim/float/paddle to start and some CPs hidden away on Islands and rocky outcrops. Then come a combination of beaches and hinterland trails, some world class mountain biking,  which will potentially feature in the 2032 Olympics, a CP on a small but brutal hill climb and for Hells Bells, an as yet unpaddled waterway that will be incredibly beautiful under a full moon with its narrow twists and turns.”

A Record Entry

This year the race has once again broken its record entry and with close to 300 racers is set to be the biggest 24 hour adventure race ever in Australia. The race starts will be split, with 4 waves of competitors leaving race HQ on Saturday morning between 11.00am and 12.30pm. 

Dixon said, “It’s been exciting to see it grow from 64 people in 2016, when we first took it on, to 240 last year and well over 300 this year, I actually didn’t believe it was possible but it goes to show that with a great race concept and better execution each year we’ve really created something great.

“Every year the stats are the same; 70% of the racers are locals from the region, 20% are from interstate and about 10% are from overseas. It’s really exciting to have people like Vincent Chang from Hong Kong racing again as he first entered in 2020, but when the world shut down he couldn’t make it.

The race is open to pairs and teams of 4, and there are two categories, the full Hells Bells course which is around 120km and Fairy Bells, which is a 70km+ course which teams have the full 24 hours to complete. The Fairy Bells course uses some of the same ground as the Hells Bells course and is designed as a stepping stone to Hells Bells and longer races and is perfect for teams doing their first adventure race. 

All members of the team complete the swim, paddle, trek and mountain bike stages, staying together from start to finish.  Fairy Bells this year has 7 stages, and Hells Bells 9 stages and teams know both races will start with the swim/bodyboard stage.

Dixon says the races are wide open this year, and it’s a chance for some new names to appear in the Hells Bells Hall of Fame.  After 20 years a new generation of racers are starting out in adventure racing at Hells Bells.

Follow the Race

The race will have live tracking so supporters and fans can follow their teams’ progress around the course. 

To follow the race go to https://live.trackmelive.com.au/HB2023/ (live after the race start).

There will also be race updates, photos and videos posted to the Wild&Co Facebook and Instagram pages (@wldnco)

Hells Bells History

Hells Bells was started by Geocentric Outdoors (Craig Bycroft and Louise Foulkes) in 2004 and is Australia’s longest running 24 hour adventure race.

Each year the organisers choose a beautiful location somewhere on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. In the first year over 150 athletes started at the Dayboro Show Grounds catching the train into the CBD to begin the race with an urban rogaine before heading north.

For the first few years there was only a full course option with Fairy Bells being introduced in 2009. The race format hasn’t changed much with race distances and disciplines relatively consistent since the start.

In 2016 Chris Dixon from Wild & Co took over Hells Bells from Sunshine Coast Adventure Racing Legend, David Schloss.

The race is now part of the Adventure Racing World Series Oceania region and race winners get a free place at the Oceania Championship in November.

For more information see;

https://www.hellsbells.com.au/

https://www.wldnco.com/

www.arworldseries.com

Adventurethon Australia are Top Dogs and ARWS Oceania Champions

Top Dog 24 was the fitting name for the new adventure race from Wild&Co, staged in Canberra and the Capital Territory and hosting the 2023 Adventure Racing World Series Oceania Championship.

Fifty-two teams arrived at the Pavilion at the Stromlo Forest Park, home to some of Australia’s best mountain bike trails, which the racers would enjoy as part of the weekend’s racing.  There were full and half-course (Little Dog) options to suit different levels of experience, and additional ‘championship checkpoints’ for those wanting to race for the ARWS Oceania title.

After a tough race it was Team Adventurethon Australia who were the first ever AR Top Dogs and claimed the Oceania title, along with a free entry to 2024 Adventure Racing World Championships in Ecuador! 

On a weekend of cool and overcast conditions teams raced a course including gravel road and mountain bike trails, river and lake paddling, trekking and navigation. There was a cave checkpoint and an archery challenge and teams had to stay together from start to finish.

The Tog Dog 24 teams covered 120km (150km with the Championship Checkpoints) and their course took them west towards the NSW border.  From the opening trek there were big views of the Murrumbidgee River valley and a 12km kayak along the river was stage two of the race.

Race Director Chris Dixon said, “I was worried there would be a lot of carrying due to low water, but recent rains made it an enjoyable paddle.  There were some exciting rapids and in places racers had to finda way through the rocky riverbed, at one point doing a ‘kayak limbo’ under a fallen tree trunk.”

The biggest stage of the race followed with a 40km ride over the Blue Range and the first championship checkpoint was just over the state border.  This required an uphill hike-a-bike to collect and 10 teams opted to go for the longer championship course, the rest taking a shorter and easier route to the next checkpoint.

The ride took teams back to the Murrumbidgee via a foot rogaine at Cotter’s River, then past the start area at Stromlo into Canberra, where the Top Dog teams join the shorter ‘Little Dog’ route.

This included another rogaine in the National Arboretum and for the Top Dog teams a spectacular night paddle past the illuminated capital buildings on Lake Burley Griffin.  (The Little Dog teams mostly completed this in daylight.)

Those on the championship course had further to go, paddling under Commonwealth Avenue Bridge to find a checkpoint on the shore of King’s Park.  Both courses then finished with a final ride on the Stromlo trails in the quiet hours of Sunday morning to reach the finish line.

The first finishers were the ‘Little Dog’ teams, and there was a close race with the lead changing on the final stages. 

First to finish (overall and male winners) were Last Minute Buzzer Beaters (Derrick Cant/Adrian Harper) in 06 hours 49 minutes 29 seconds. The pair were racing together for the first time and only met up at the race start!  On the finish line Adrian said, “We lost about 15 minutes looking for CP X and had to race hard to make up the difference on the way back for the win.”

 

Finishing just over 2 minutes later for second overall and as first premier mixed team were Lambeth Racing (Kieran Macdonell & Clare Lonergan). They aimed to finish before dark, and were very happy to do that!

Third, only 6 minutes later, were Tiger Adventure Racing Maniacs (Monika Lee & Andrew Slattery). Monika has been one of the most prolific racers this year, competing in Terra Nova, Rogue Raid, Explore Gippsland, Hells Bells, Wildside Adventure and now Top Dog 24!

The fastest team on the Top Dog course were ‘Faff Attack’ (Minh-Tam Nguyen and Mark Van Der Ploeg), finishing in 15 hours 55 minutes 05 seconds.  Team Resultz Racing (Robert Joford and Michael Reed) were quicker, but portaged their kayak on the Lake Burley Griffin stage, which was against the rules.  A one hour penalty pushed them into second place.

A total of 22 teams finished the Top Dog course in male, female and mixed categories, and in the whole race only 3 teams retired, with all the others crossing the finish line. 

The Oceania Championship race wasn’t such a close contest as Adventurethon Australia dominated and lead from start to finish.  They crossed the line in 16 hours 39 minutes 18 seconds to take the title and win the big prize of a place the Ecuador World Championships.

The team of Mitch Nissen, Brock Hawke, Narelle Crozier and David Jennings are a very experienced quartet, with many different endurance and multisport events behind them, including GODZone and One Water Race. On the finish line they said, “Great course, it was awesome.  We liked the rogaines as they were runnable but the hike a bike was long and hard.  But then it wouldn’t be an adventure race without a hike-a-bike!”

In the male category the pair of Stephen Machale and Tommy Doman racing as ‘That’s a Paddlin’ were quickest, despite also getting a one hour penalty for portaging, and in the women’s Championship category the Mountain Designs Wild Women finished in 20.03.01 to record another full course finish.

Speaking after the race Kim Beckinsale thanked the Wild&Co team for getting the new event off the ground.  “This enabled us all the opportunity to out on a fantastic adventure around Canberra,” she said.  “Wild Women had a wild and wonderful time on the course, especially the white water paddle down the Murrumbidgee River and riding the Stromlo trails.”

Wild&Co will bring the race back to Canberra next year. “I’m excited about the possibilities for racing in the ACT,” said Dixon.  “There are so many possibilities for future Top Dog races and we’ll be back bigger and better in 2024!” 

3hr Adventure Paddle 2023 Information Kit

Just under a week to go...make sure you're properly equipped and ready to go!

NOTE – This information has been emailed to those team members who have their name registered with Wild & Co and who appear on the team list. Team captains – you may need to forward this to your other team members.

With just under a week to go the event is shaping up to be an exciting one. The course is set, we're setting up HQ, placing CPs and packing the race packs. This email contains a few important reminders so please read carefully!

It's essential that you carefully read the information pack (click the image above or the link below) which includes all the important information you need, including the mandatory gear list. If you have questions please ask.

It’s important to note the Race HQ Update:
Schuster Park, Tallebudgera QLD 4228

CLICK HERE: Information Pack

Mountain Designs Geoquest Starts a New Chapter in New Zealand

Cape Kidnappers stage at the Mountain Designs Geoquest New Zealand / © Murilo Mattos / Wild and Co

The Mountain Designs Geoquest in Australia has been going over 20 years and has its own stories, traditions and atmosphere, built on the history of racers and races past. This year the race expanded to New Zealand for the first time and the race in Hawke’s Bays was the beginning of new chapter with new stories, traditions and experiences waiting to be written.

Teams that raced the inaugural 2023 Mountain Designs GeoQuest NZ 48hr Adventure Race in Hawke’s Bay started that new chapter in spectacular fashion.

With the Hawke’s Bay region still heavily affected by cyclone damage from the early part of the year, course design was a challenge, but all teams understood the situation.  The resulting course was fast and furious and a spectacular tour of some of the region’s many highlights.

The race was based out of the Napier Conference and Events Centre and for most teams it was their first GeoQuest experience, so they were curious about how the event would unfold. Most travelled to attend the event with 80% of the field from outside of the Hawke’s Bay Region. Kim Beckinsale, the team captain of the Mountain Designs Wild Women and long time GeoQuest participant, travelled from Noosa in Australia to attend the event. The youngest racer was 14 years old and racing the half course.

The race has a 48 hour time limit, two distances (full and half course), which are on some of the same trails and rivers much of the time, and is open to teams of four, with the option to race supported or unsupported. Most teams chose to race the traditional supported format which really made the transitions a fun atmosphere as support crews checked out and competed with each other for best transition.

The full course was a comfortable 198kms, shorter and flatter than a traditional GeoQuest, with the half course 122kms.

Starting out with a 6km coastal run and 15km ocean kayak in near perfect conditions, teams headed south towards Cape Kidnappers. Teams were grateful for the conditions as a swim in the 13 degree ocean wasn’t something anyone wanted to do. 

Landing their kayaks comfortably at the Hygge Cafe in Clifton, teams set off for a 20km beach and headland trek along the spectacular Cape Kidnappers coastline passing under the towering sandstone cliffs and spotting the occasional seal, then visited the gannet colony around the lighthouse. The trek can only be undertaken 2hrs either side of low tide and all teams made it through this section in comfortable time and then headed into the rolling hills across the top of the cliffs through the Cape Kidnapper estate.

Leg three was the first of the first of six bike legs that made use of the extensive Hawke’s Bay cycling trails network connecting both the region and the race together. The long climb to Te Mata peak was rewarded with what some have called one of the most spectacular mountain bike trails to feature in an Adventure Race. Perfectly timed for the late afternoon sun, teams took on both mountain biking and rogaining legs around the peak using the mountain bike and walking trails in the area, collecting permanently placed check points in the area using maps provided by the Hawke’s Bay Orienteering Club.

There was a race to get off the mountain and down to the moving water of the Tuki Tuki River before it got too dark. The faster teams completed the 15km grade 1 river paddle in just over 2 hrs, and it became more challenging for later teams as the light faded and teams had to pick their direction carefully with through the braided river bed in the dark. Reflective checkpoint flags certainly aided in the navigation in this section.

Completing the river paddle teams then faced a 69km ‘gravel grinder’ along the Hawke’s Bay trails network through the vineyards and apple plantations back to race HQ, broken up by two short foot rogaine legs and a paddle rogaine near the marina.

David Tait, a local adventure race director who helped design the course said, “Many people travel to the area with a plan to ride all the cycling trails in the region, it was very cool to see GeoQuest teams almost ride them all in one event.”

Kim Beckinsale of Mountain Designs Wild Women enjoyed the challenge of swapping 1:50,000 scale maps for the detail of the 1:5000 maps on the rogaine legs to complete these fun and challenges on the way back into Napier.

The Mountain Designs Wild Woman led for most of the race being chased by the Kauri Coasters. It was just at the last paddle that the Kauri Coasters caught them with only a minute or two separating the teams at by the time they crossed the line.  The winning time was 20 hours and 3 minutes.

The Antiques Roadshow were the final team to cross the line, and they were all smiles and very proud of their first adventure race as a team.

Race Director Chris Dixon commented, “It’s always exciting putting on a new race, and this time it’s with the pedigree and history of Geoquest, in the country where adventure racing began, and in the fabulous scenery around Hawke’s Bay.

“The 48 hour race format offered teams a chance to step up from the more familiar one day and 24 hour events and to push themselves to a new level. It was ideal training for an expedition race like The Legend, but at the same time the flexible race format made the race accessible to new teams who wanted a full weekend of adventure activities.

“It was a great start for Geoquest NZ and we are looking forward to returning to Hawke’s Bay next year with more teams and a bigger course.”

As the race is part of the ARWS Oceania regional series, the teams who took part earned points for both the Oceania and ARWS global rankings.

You can find out all about the race at; https://www.geoquest.com.au/

The race is organised by Wild and Co. who run adventure sports competitions throughout the year (https://www.wldnco.com/) and is part of the ARWS Oceania series (https://arworldseries.com/arws-oceania/).

2024 24hr+ Adventure Racing Events Announced!

With just two races to go for the 2023 season we're looking at 2024 and have a very cool line-up of events! 

We start out with the Legend Expedition Race in late February in Apollo Bay, Terra Nova 24 in April, GeoQuest in June, Hells Bells in August, GeoQuest NZ in September before finishing with Top Dog 24 in Canberra in November.

To celebrate the launch we're running a 15% discount across all 2024 Wild&Co events* until Midnight Wednesday 13 September – use code LAUNCH2024 – and lock in your place at Terra Nova 24, GeoQuest or Hells Bells in 2024. That's an extra 15% off on top of Super Early Bird and Early Bird rates and you don't need your final team so lock it in!

And if you can't wait for 2024 then entries are still open for GeoQuest NZ next weekend and Top Dog 24 in Canberra in November.

*does not apply to Legend Expedition Race

Another Legendary Location.

After the success of the inaugural Legend Expedition in 2023 we're back with a new location and a spectacular new course. This event will be a big highlight of our 2024 calendar and one not to be missed. There's already a great lineup of teams and we're loving spending time on the Great Ocean Road and it's surrounds.

KEY DETAILS

Date: 24 February – 2 March 2024
Location: Apollo Bay, VIC, Australia
Duration: 6 day event, full and half course
Entries: Open Now
Team size: 2 person, 4 person

For more information or to register visit: www.legendexpd.com.au

Terra Nova 24 back again and set to be bigger than ever in April 2024! 

After an epic (and wet) event in 2023 with a fantastic coastal location we're excited to head back to another coastal town for 2024. The location announcement is coming soon, but we've left a clue or two on the website. And with entries selling the way they are, it's set to be bigger than ever.

Super Early Bird entries are still open so lock it your place at a super special price.

KEY DETAILS

Date: 6-7 April 2024
Location: Shoalhaven, NSW, Australia
Duration: 24 hour event, full and half course
Entries: Open Now
Super Early Bird: Ends 30 Sept 2023
Team size: 2 person, 4 person

For more information or to register visit: www.terranova24.com.au

 

Mountain Designs GeoQuest heading to another spectacular mid-north coast location. 

Teams said 2023 was one of the best GeoQuest courses yet – we're confident for 2024 Mountain Designs GeoQuest will live up to its reputation as Australia's premier adventure race. We're looking forward to seeing the familiar faces and new recruits step up and take on this epic 48hr challenge. The location announcement is coming soon, but somewhere south of the 2023 course, and as a bit of a clue, GeoQuest has never been there before!

KEY DETAILS

Date: 7-10 June 2024
Location: Mid-north Coast NSW, Australia
Duration: 48 hour event, full and half course
Entries: Open Now!
Super Early Bird: Ends 31 Oct 2023
Early Bird: Ends 29 Feb 2024
Team size: 4 person, Supported + Un-Supported Options

For more information or to register visit: www.geoquest.com.au

Mountain Designs Hells Bells is back for 2024 and set to be badder that ever.

After an epic central Sunny Coast location we're turning our eyes to the fringes of the coast for the baddest 24hr adventure on the Australian calendar. We're currently exploring options in one of the four corners of the Sunshine Coast coastal locations – there's un-finished business with a few trails and secret spots and we can't wait to build them into a course. There will definitely be an island too.

KEY DETAILS

Date: 3-4 August 2024
Location: Sunshine Coast, Qld, Australia
Duration: 24 hour event, full and half course
Entries: Open Now!
Super Early Bird: Ends 30 Nov 2023
Early Bird: Ends 31 Mar 2024
Team size: 2 person, 4 person

For more information or to register visit: www.hellsbells.com.au

GeoQuest New Zealand set to continue in the Adventure Racing World Series Oceania

Geoquest was one of the first Australian adventure races back in 2002, and has been the country’s premier race in all that time, attracting the very best Australian and international competitors.  Race organisers Wild&Co. are loving time spend in the Hawks Bay region too much so plan to continue with GeoQuest NZ for 2024.

EVENT DETAILS

Date: 25-28 October 2024
Location: Hawks Bay, New Zealand
Duration: 48 hour event, full and half course
Entries: OPENING SOON
Early Bird: Ends 30 June 2024
Team size: 4 person, Supported + Un-Supported Options

For more information or to register visit: www.geoquest.com.au

After the success of Early Bird Entries for 2023 we're certain Top Dog 24 will be back for 2024.

We've been dreaming about this one for ages and it's exciting to see the 2023 event take shape. Given the feedback so far and the popularity of our 24hr event format we're very excited to see it on the calendar for 2024.

KEY DETAILS

Date: 2-3 Nov 2024
Location: Canberra, ACT, Australia
Duration: 24 hour event, full and half course
Entries: Open Now (2023)!
Early Bird: Ends 31 July 2024
Team size: 2 person, 4 person

For more information or to register visit: www.topdog24.com.au

Wild&Co Sprint Series Dates Announced for 2024

Take on the challenge of an epic 3 or 6hr adventure race in the heart of Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Shoalhaven or Sydney! Run, kayak, mountain bike and navigate your way over a 15km or 30km un-marked, off road course with 6hrs to collect all the check points and get back to the finish line.  

These team based events will be possibly the funnest day out on the trails you can have. They’re a 2 person team based challenge to work together and navigate using a map and compass around a 15 or 30km linear course, collecting check points along the way and get to the finish before the 6hrs cutoff. The winner is the first team over the line that completes the course.

“The 2023 events were so much fun to deliver and we had such great feedback that we’ve added a few more locations and dates. These events are a great opportunity for first timers to check out Adventure Racing or for seasoned racers to introduce friends and family to their favourite sport.”

We’ve still got two more events to deliver for 2023 – a 3hr Adventure Paddle on the Gold Coast and a 6hr Adventure Race on the north side of Brisbane. So if you can’t wait for 2024, check out these SE Qld events” Chris Dixon, Race Director.

Depending on the location there will be two course options – a full and a half course – full course teams can expect to run 5-7kms, mountain bike 10-15kms and kayak 5kms. Half course teams can expect to run 3-5kms, mountain bike 5-7kms and kayak 3-5kms. The full course is a great option for beginners with good fitness and experienced adventure races looking to sharpen their skills or introduce their mates to their favourite sport. The half course is perfect for young families or anyone that just wants to see what adventure racing is all about.

The goal of these events is to provide a fun day out in a more accessible format as an introduction to Adventure Racing for everyone. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER, VISIT:

Gold Coast 3hr Adventure Paddle – 21 October 2023
Enter Here: wldnco.com/3-6hr-events/3hr-adventure-paddle-gold-coast

Brisbane – 11 November 2023
Enter Here: wldnco.com/3-6hr-events/6hr-adventure-race-brisbane

Ulladulla – 16 March 2024
Enter Here: wldnco.com/3-6hr-events/6hr-adventure-race-ulladulla

Sunshine Coast – 11 May 2024
Enter Here: wldnco.com/3-6hr-events/6hr-adventure-race-sunshine-coast

Gold Coast – 13 July 2024
Enter Here: wldnco.com/3-6hr-events/6hr-adventure-race-gold-coast

Brisbane – 7 September 2024
Enter Here (2023 Event): wldnco.com/3-6hr-events/6hr-adventure-race-brisbane

Gold Coast 3hr Adventure Paddle – 26 October 2024
Enter Here (2023 event): wldnco.com/3-6hr-events/3hr-adventure-paddle-gold-coast

Sydney – 9 November 2024
Enter Here: wldnco.com/3-6hr-events/6hr-adventure-race-northern-beaches

Adventure Racing World Series Oceania Champs 2023 Heading to the Australian Capital and Hosted by new Adventure Race.

The venue for the ARWS Oceania Championship of the Adventure Racing World Series has been announced today as Canberra the Australian capital and will be hosted by the newly launched ‘Top Dog 24’ Adventure Race.

This championship event will be the final event of the 6 race series for 2023 that has seen over 200 teams compete across Legend Expedition Race, Terra Nova 24, X-Marathon, Mountain Designs GeoQuest and Mountain Designs Hells Bells.

The new ‘Top Dog 24 Adventure Race’ will host the ARWS Oceania Championship and will take place in Canberra from 4-5 November, when adventure racing teams will mountain bike, paddle, trek and navigate their way around a 150km (championship) 120km (full) or 70km (half), non-stop courses.

The premier ARWS Championship category is open to teams of 4 which must be mixed sex, and the elite teams will be chasing the Oceania title, ARWS ranking points, and the ultimate prize of a paid-for place in the 2024 Adventure Racing World Championships.

The race isn’t just about the championship and for the elite teams. The course will be designed to be achievable and accessible to all abilities, remaining open for 24 hours, and allowing teams some choices to provide short-cuts should they need them. Two person teams and all-male and all-female teams can also enter, but won’t be included in the ARWS championship category. The sport of Adventure Racing is unique in allowing the world’s best and novice teams to compete together on the same terms.

The weekend of racing also includes the shorter full and half courses, which have less distance with the same time to complete the course, but many of the same amazing challenges and locations.

The event will be staged by specialist race Management Company Wild&Co and Event Director Chris Dixon is excited about the opportunity to deliver a race in Canberra and the opportunities it offers to racers.

“There’s no better place for a championship event than the nations capital! We’ve been wanting to host an event in Canberra for a number of years now – it’s just 2-3hrs from Sydney and there’s already a strong local contingent of adventure racers in the area. It’s just made for adventure too with an extensive network of world class mountain bike trails, incredible bushwalking opportunities across the multiple national parks and nature reserves, stunning vistas with mountains and fun kayaking opportunities with both man made and natural waterways.

The ARWS Oceania Championships is a great opportunity to launch a new event in a new area and with a long history of adventure racing events, Canberra is right location to do it,” he said.

He added. “Canberra also offers visiting teams an abundance of accommodation and services for a great trip and is very accessible, by road from many population centres, or via both Sydney and Canberra international airports.  It’s a great location for our Championship race.”

Following the success of 24hr events like Mountain Design Hells Bells and Terra Nova 24, The ‘Top Dog 24’ Adventure Race will be based on the same familiar format, moving around the ACT with a new and exciting course each year.

Early Bird Entries are open unto 31 August 2023.

RACE DETAILS

Date: 4-5 November 2024
Location: Canberra, Australia
Duration: 24hr premier, full and half courses available
Entries: Open Now! Early bird discounted entry extended to August 31.
Team size: 2 or 4 person 

Wild&Co Launches Sprint Series for 2023!

Take on the challenge of an epic 6hr adventure race in the heart of the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast or Shoalhaven! Run, kayak, mountain bike and navigate your way over a 15km or 30km un-marked, off road course with 6hrs to collect all the check points and get back to the finish line.  

These team based events will be possibly the funnest day out on the trails you can have. They’re a 2 person team based challenge to work together and navigate using a map and compass around a 15 or 30km linear course, collecting check points along the way and get to the finish before the 6hrs cutoff. The winner is the first team over the line that completes the course.

There will be two course options – a full and a half course – full course teams can expect to run 5-7kms, mountain bike 10-15kms and kayak 5kms. Half course teams can expect to run 3-5kms, mountain bike 5-7kms and kayak 3-5kms. The full course is a great option for beginners with good fitness and experienced adventure races looking to sharpen their skills or introduce their mates to their favourite sport. The half course is perfect for young families or anyone that just wants to see what adventure racing is all about.

The goal of these events is to provide a fun day out in a more accessible format as an introduction to Adventure Racing for everyone. 

For More information or to register, visit:

Kangaroo Valley – 11 February 2023
Enter Here: www.wldnco.com/6hr-adventure-race-kangaroo-valley

Gold Coast – 15 April 2023
Enter Here: www.wldnco.com/6hr-adventure-race-gold-coast

Sunshine Coast – 13 May 2023
Enter Here: www.wldnco.com/6hr-adventure-race-sunshine-coast

Taking on the Terra Nova 24 at Kangaroo Valley

Nature threw some extra challenges into the mix for this year’s Terra Nova 24 hour adventure race, held in Kangaroo Valley, NSW.

The race took place over the weekend of September 3/4th and teams of 2 and 4 arrived in the valley to take on courses of 120km and 80km in 24 hours of non-stop trekking, paddling and biking in the surrounding rivers, State Forests and National Parks.  The terrain makes the race challenging enough, but the weather always plays a part, and this year non-stop rain, mud and cold conditions ensured the racers needed all of their endurance and determination to reach the finish line. 

Race HQ was at the showground in the town of Kangaroo Valley, and soon after the start the race route took teams to the historic Hampden Bridge, but not in the way most visitors see it!  After scrambling down a steep bank from the showground carrying an assortment of colourful inflatables, the racers launched themselves into the river, paddling over small rapids and floating under the bridge to reach the first checkpoint.

Adventure racing can include almost any kind of outdoor challenge or skill (it was axe throwing in the last Wild & Co race) and never takes itself too seriously!  

After a run along a narrow and slippery riverside trail carrying the inflatables the racers collected their bikes for the first big stage of the race, a 30km ride into the Morton National Park. They were wet from their time in the river and would not dry out again for the rest of the race as the rain kept falling. 

The ride took them along McPhail’s Trail, pushing for some of it, towards the spectacular Fitzroy Falls and then along the Redhills Fire Trail, which was easier going on top of the gorge, with stops at checkpoints which give stunning views of the falls, on a clear day anyway! 

A varied course continued with trekking and navigation stages in the Meryla State Forest, before a return to the valley and one of the toughest stages on Beehive-Griffins Flats.  It was described as a bike/trek, which meant there would be some unrideable terrain and plenty of ‘hike-a-bike’, which is a mountain biking challenge specific to adventure racing!

Race Director Chris Dixon said in the racer notes to expect “rough terrain and technical riding”, and that “some sections of the Beehive Walking Track were extremely overgrown”. He explained the route here was affected by landslide damage from the flooding in April, which is when the race was originally scheduled to take place.  (The Half Course teams had a much shorter route on this stage.)

Teams had free choice of route to find the checkpoints here and were navigating in the darkness by this stage.  It was difficult even for race leaders Thunderbolt AR, one of the world’s top adventure racing teams.  “We had a pretty good race but lost some time on that bike/trek stage, mainly due to poor selection of approaches to the checkpoints and trouble finding a couple of the them.” Said Hugh Stodart. 

He added, “It was wet and quite cold so that made it a bit slower and harder than we were expecting and forced Chris to shorten the last paddle and take out the final foot/navigation leg to allow more teams to finish.

“We managed to pull away again on the final legs kayaking and on the bike and it was great to come away with the win.  Wild and Co. should be congratulated on another excellent race with the logistics all working well, in spite of the inclement conditions.”

When they crossed the finish line at 12 minutes past midnight in the pouring rain, Thunderbolt AR’s winning time was 15 hours 39 mins 15 seconds. They will score maximum points in the Adventure Racing World Series Oceania rankings, and go into next month’s ARWS Oceania Championship race at Gold Coast on a high.  (A win there would secure their place at the AR World Championship in South Africa next year.)

Race Director Chris Dixon, took the decision to shorten the courses in the poor weather conditions.  All of the teams needed to reach the finish before the 24 hour cut-off and while a few had retired due to the cold and bike damage, most were still racing.  (Some teams wore out their brake pads completely!)

The course is also designed to allow teams to make their own choices, so newcomers and elite racers can take part together. Slower teams can drop checkpoints (or stages) if they need to move more quickly around the course, and all of the teams were back in Kangaroo Valley in good time.

The final stages were a paddle on the Kangaroo River and then a ride back into town, with a last checkpoint at the Hampden Bridge, this time on top of it!

The top pair on the full course were Resultz Racing (16.14.35) and the only all-female team, Vortex Divas, crossed the finish line with a time of 26.06.06 (with a penalty time added after opting out of some checkpoints).  Only one team retired from the full course, due to cold and fatigue.

In the shorter Half Course race the JTM Kings pair was quickest in 11.46.27, while the first premier mixed team of 4 were The Kooks of Hazard (15.50.28). 

With all of the teams meeting each other around the course and at transition areas, where race staff could encourage them, there was a high finish rate despite the weather, and the novice adventure racers in the field were not daunted.

Trent Maxwell, of Team Tickles and Tumbles,said after finishing.  “My first 24hr adventure race is done and dusted!  It was a great event with lots of challenges. It was cold, wet, muddy and long, but we continued through the night with a smile and determination to finish (with my mate Piers Craig.) We ended up finishing in 6th place and I’m now hooked and can’t wait for the next adventure and challenge!”

There were two unranked teams on the Half Course, including the ‘Landloping Lassies’.  This novice team had to retire due mechanical problems with their bikes, but still relished the experience.  Simi Chee said, “The race was a fantastic challenge, and being in environments that I would not usually visit, was extremely special.

“The experience was a roller-coaster of emotion, with an unequalled sense of achievement; gruelling, inspiring, and with a wonderful sense of camaraderie amongst the competitors.  It was an event that against all your better judgement you want to do again!”

At the prize presentation Dixon congratulated all the teams and thanked the businesses and residents of Kangaroo Valley and Shoalhaven City Council for their help and support, and he now moves on to planning the ARWS Oceania Championship race over the weekend of October 21-23 at Gold Coast. (Entry is still available for this.)

For more information about adventure races from Wild and Co. see www.wldnco.com

For more on the ARWS Oceania Championship race see - https://www.arworldseriesoceania.com

2023 Series dates and entries now live!

We hope you're itching for adventure as much as we are, because entries were up for our 2022 events and we're pumped about the line up and locations for 2023!

MOUNTAIN DESIGNS GEOQUEST NZ

ENTRIES OPEN: www.geoquest.com.au
DATES: 20-23 January 2023
LOCATION: Hawks Bay, New Zealand
DISTANCE: 48hrs / 220km & 120km (full and half course)

LEGEND EXPEDITION RACE

ENTRIES OPEN: www.legendexp.com.au
DATES: March 2023
LOCATION: High Country NSW, Australia
DISTANCE: 6days / 500km & 250km (full and half course)

TERRA NOVA AR

ENTRIES OPEN: www.terranova24.com.au
DATES: 1-2 April 2023
LOCATION: Shoalhaven NSW, Australia – 2 Hrs South of Sydney
DISTANCE: 24hrs / 120km & 80km (full and half course)

MOUNTAIN DESIGNS GEOQUEST

ENTRIES OPEN: www.geoquest.com.au
DATES: 9-12 June 2023
LOCATION: Mid-north Coast NSW, Australia
DISTANCE: 48hrs / 220km & 120km (full and half course)

HELLS BELLS AR

ENTRIES OPEN: www.hellsbells.com.au
DATES: 5-6 August 2023
LOCATION: South East Queensland QLD, Australia
DISTANCE: 24hrs / 120km & 80km (full and half course)

ARWS OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIP

WEBSITE: www.arworldseriesoceania.com
DATES: 27-29 Oct 2023
LOCATION: TBA, Australia
DISTANCE: 36hrs / 180km & 120km (full and 24hr course)

Kangaroo Valley gets ready to Host the Terra Nova 24 Hour Adventure Race

The Terra Nova 24 hour Adventure Race will return to the Shoalhaven region on the weekend of September 3/4th , and this time the race will move into the hinterland, with a base in Kangaroo Valley and courses spreading into the surrounding hills, rivers and lakes.

The combination of easy access from both Canberra and Sydney, and the variety of landscapes in Shoalhaven, make it an ideal location for adventure racing, and in the past the area has staged the Adventure Racing World Championships.

The two previous Terra Nova races have had courses on the bays and inlets of the Pacific coast, but for the third Terra Nova it’s time to move inland and Race Director Chris Dixon of Wild and Co. is excited to give teams the chance to explore the region around Kangaroo Valley.

“It’s a really beautiful area!”  He said. “The patchwork farmland of the valley has the Kanagroo River flowing through it and there’s rain forest on the surrounding escarpments.  The Buderoo National Park and Fitzroy Falls are to the North, the Cambewarra Range Nature Reserve is to the South and the Tallowa Dam is to the West.  We’ll be putting checkpoints in some fantastic locations for teams to reach by bike, on foot and in kayaks.”

Teams will have up to 24 hours to find all their checkpoints in order, on either the Full course (120km) or the Half course (70km) routes.   The winners are expected to take around 12 hours and the courses are designed to allow novice teams the time to complete their course, while sharing the same race experience as the world class racers in elite teams.  They will line up at the start together and can swap race stories at the finish line.

The race is open to mixed, male and female teams of two or four, making it easy to get a team together.  This year there are 56 teams in total, with 23 racing the full course, and 33 the Half course.

The race is part of the Adventure Racing World Series Oceania calendar and the four person teams taking part on the Full Course will all score ARWS Oceania ranking points.  There is $1500 worth of prizes for teams who make the podium, and for the winners there is the added prize of a free place at the 36 hour ARWS Oceania Regional Championship, which will be held at Gold Coast in October.  (And the team winning that race gets a free place at next year’s AR World Championship race.) 

For those who just want a challenging and fun weekend in the great outdoors the reward is the chance to explore new places and the satisfaction that comes from finding the checkpoints and getting to the finish line. 

That experience will be delivered by Geocentric Outdoors and Wild and Co., who have combined to put on the race.   Geocentric have been staging adventure races and other outdoor events in Australia and around the world for 20 years, and Wild and Co. for the past 4 years under the leadership of Chris Dixon. 

There is advice on preparing for the race on the Terra Nova website from Craig Bycroft of Geocentric, who knows 24 hours of racing is a tough challenge, but that good strategy and team work make it possible for competitors to push their limits and succeed.

“Not all teams will race for 24 hours straight without sleep. Some teams may decide to catch a power nap when they need it most, or spend more time in the transitions. Whatever the strategy you choose, the successful teams will know their strengths and weaknesses, and plan their race accordingly.”

He added, “What makes adventure racing so different from any other form of multisport is teamwork. Without it your team may fall apart at the first sign of stress. It is THE major element in successful teams.”

The race finish will be set up in the scenic and historic Kangaroo Valley village, which is a great place for family and friends to stop over for the weekend, and cheer the teams across the line.

The race is supported by Shoalhaven City Council and Mayor Amanda Findley said, “We are extremely proud to be hosting Terra Nova 2022 and warmly welcome all competitors, officials and supporters to our beautiful region. “  The racers will certainly get to explore more of the region in a day than most visitors!

The race begins on Saturday morning with teams dropping their bikes off and registering, then, following a race briefing, everyone will be transferred to the start line before the race begins at 11.30am.  For those watching from a distance there will be live web coverage and tracking which you can find at https://www.terranova24.com.au/live and on the Wild & Co. Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/wldnco

To find out more about the race visit: https://www.terranova24.com.au/

An Epic Mountain Designs Hells Bells 2022 at Kenilworth

This year the annual Mountain Designs Hells Bells 24 hour adventure race was the biggest in its 19 year history, and one of the toughest too.

Ninety teams arrived at the race HQ, set up on the Kenilworth Show Ground by race organisers Wild and Co. and they were preparing to race either the full ‘Hells Bells’ course, or the shorter ‘Fairy Bells’ course.

Both have a 24 hour time limit, and include runs/treks, paddling and mountain biking to checkpoints in back country and wilderness areas.  Finding these requires good map and compass navigation and there are always a few surprises and twists in the course.

All of the teams set off from the Show Ground at 11am, shortly after the course maps had been handed out.

Everyone got wet feet at the start as they had to run across the Mary River to get the first checkpoint; an opening gift from Race Director Chris Dixon!  Then both courses headed towards Kenilworth Bluff, where a summit checkpoint required a lung-busting climb and a rapid descent.

The Hells Bells racers paddled down the Mary River for 13km, and this carried more water than usual, so it was a faster paddle than might have been expected, and there were a few capsizes in the small rapids to add to the fun.

The defending champions in the premier category (for mixed teams of 4), Team 3 Points of Contact, lead after a short bike ride took them to the Bluff, where many of the Fairy Bells teams were already at the top.

They had ridden there directly, and one of the attractions of the race is that racers on both courses meet up throughout the race.  The Fairy Bells racers shared many stages with the Hells Bells racers, and any teams who were falling behind could opt out of some stages. The end result was that all but 7 teams finished the course in 24 hours, having completed as much as they could.

Almost all the rest of the course was set in the Imbil State Forest with teams riding out via dirt roads and trails to find checkpoints on the way to Transition 3 near the junction of Imbil Forest Road and Derrier Road. 

This was race central for a while, and as night fell teams set off on foot orienteering courses to pick up checkpoints in any order.  The Hells Bells teams also had a 20km mountain bike orienteering stage here, so the surrounding forest was full of bobbing headlights going in every direction.

Jan Leverton of Tri Adventure Women

Axe Throwers in the Night

To head back towards Kenilworth both courses had to follow a 25km mountain bike route ‘over Mount Borumba’, taking the infamous Pitsaw Road.  It wasn’t a straightforward ride!

On the way they stopped at checkpoint 10 for a ‘mystery discipline’ and in a first for adventure racing it was ... axe throwing!  The challenge was devised and run by Craig Bycroft and his son, Sam, both dressed in lumberjack shirts of course! 

“It was at the top of big hill, so everyone arrived exhausted and it was a welcome break,” Craig explained. “We could hear the racers’ excitement as they came up the hill and heard the big, Bang! Bang! Bang! as the axes hit the wooden target.  It was the middle of nowhere and there was a lot of speculation on what it might be, but few guessed what it was!”

“Team #23, WMP, were the only team that blitzed it, hitting the bullseyes on all  of their throws straight off, which was incredible.  Everyone else took a little while and some got frustrated, while others just took it as a bit of fun.  There was a fire there and some teams hung around.  We didn’t lose any axes and no one got hurt!”

He added, “The ride was tough and there were quite a few questions about how much further it was and were there any more big hills?”

Majestic Trees in the Imbil State Forest

Pitsaw Punishment

There were, and the ride along Pitsaw Road will be the most memorable stage for most.  The weather didn’t help as rain on Saturday morning turned the trails into a red, muddy quagmire, clogging up the bikes, and forcing teams to push.  There were many weary comments at the finish about it being unrideable.

Jan Leverton, of the Tri Adventure Ladies Team, who were the 3rd team to finish the Fairy Bells course, said, “It was relentless hike-a-bike for quite a few hours and the slippery mud meant many hikes downhill as well.  It was like a pitsaw;  up -down, up-down, up-down, until the final down, which was very steep and slippery. I was glad I didn’t wear my bike shoes!”

After the ride there was a short trek and a final paddle down the Mary River for the Fairy Bells teams to the finish back in Kenilworth. The first team to finish Fairy Bells were ‘Amazing Rejects’ (Stephen Maskiell and Dave Blunden) in 13.16.56.  Tri Adventure Ladies (Jan Leverton and Hayley Kellner) were the first female finishers.  Team Hoodwinked (all male) were the first team of 4 and Team Wwac were the only all female team of 4  to finish the course.

The Hells Bells teams had the same finish but with a tricky extra checkpoint on the paddle stage.  To get CP16 they had to go upstream and were not allowed to carry their kayaks along the bank!

Team Brandon and Gullo + Chatter at Dawn

Repeat Winners

Team ‘Three Points of Contact’ (Gary Sutherland, Clint Falla, Sara Barratt and Russell Stringer), defended their title in 16.45.09, and claimed a place in the ARWS Oceania Championship final at Gold Coast in October.

Sutherland commented on how difficult the navigation was. “We led from the start and kept expecting teams to catch us as the maps were largely inaccurate.  We took extra time and careful route planning once we realised this, but still had more than one go at many checkpoints.”

He added, “The terrain was reasonably physical with 3700m of vert and the quirky axe throwing was a good laugh.  The logistics crew and personnel were spot on and we couldn’t have asked for a better weekend getaway.”

Leverton agreed, “It was a brutal course but stunning at the same time. From riparian land to rainforest and back again!  The event management was faultless and my personal goal now is to upskill on axe-throwing, which was the funniest mystery discipline I have ever done.  It was great to see it happen in our cotton-wool wrapped world!”

Kelsey Harvey & Nathan Munson

Everyone a Winner

All the Tri Adventure teams had a good race.  Team ‘Tri Adventure x Trente AR’ (Oskar Booth and Nick Baker) were quickest on the Hells Bells course, finishing in 16.31.37 and just staying ahead of ‘3 Points of Contact’.   The youth team ‘Tri Adventure Youngies’ (Kelsey Harvey & Nathan Munson) were the 7th mixed team to finish Hells Bells in 21.22.25.

Nathan’s mum, Amie, was racing on the Mountain Designs Wild Women’s team and there was some family rivalry there.  It was close, but the Youngies finished ahead by just 11 minutes!  The Wild Women were the first female team of 4 to finish and the other female team racing, ‘The Dancing Queens’, got to the finish line 3 minutes before the 11am course close time!

Another team pushing the 24 hour deadline were ‘Death and Taxes’, Sandy and Robert Scott.  They were on the winning mixed Fairy Bells team last year, Sandy has been on the reality show SAS Australia, and now the couple wanted to step up to the Hells Bells course for an “extreme date night”.  It was definitely extreme.

“We expected a step up in distance,” said Rob, “but this was a major increase in difficulty compared to last year. This was serious adventure racing!”

The pair took swims on both the paddle stages, and one of their highlights was “the gorgeous forest on the climb to Kenilworth Bluff, and the spectacular view over the valley, and above the clouds”.

Rob summed up their race.  “We shuffled over the finish line at 23 hours and 29 minutes, totally exhausted and overwhelmed. What a mission!

“If adventure racing is the ‘special forces’ of endurance sports, this year’s Hells Bells took no prisoners!  Thank you so much to the volunteers at the TA’s who reassured us, fed us and gave advice in the middle of the night, to the other competitors who gave us a spare torch when one of ours died, and to Chris and the Wild & Co. team for an incredible event.  While the bikes might be in the shed a few days after that, we will definitely be back next year!”

You can find the full results and review the tracking at https://www.hellsbells.com.au/

The next adventure race from Wild & Co is the Terra Nova 24 hour race in Shoalhaven NSW over the weekend of Sept 3/4th. 

https://www.terranova24.com.au/

Hells Bells and Terra Nova are part of the Adventure Racing World Series Oceania calendar and Wild and Co. will organise the ARWS Oceania Championship at Gold Coast from Oct. 22-24th. The race has a $10,000 prize pool and the winners will receive a free place in the Adventure Racing World Championship in South Africa in 2023.

Hells Bells!  It’s the biggest 24 Hour Adventure Race yet!

The Mountain Designs Hells Bells adventure race returns this weekend (August 6/7th), and it will be the biggest 24 hour adventure race ever held in Australia.

A total of 90 teams (240 racers) will arrive at Kenilworth Show Grounds, ready to take on 24 hours of trekking, mountain biking, paddling and navigation on the trails and rivers of the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

The course details will remain secret until teams are given their instructions shortly before the start by Race Director Chris Dixon of outdoor events company Wild & Co, but racers know they are in for a hell of a challenge, whichever category they race.

Those on the ‘Hells Bells’ course can expect to race around 120km, and the teams racing the ‘Fairy Bells’ course 80km.  Both teams have 24 hours to finish the course, which is a linear route, finishing back at Race HQ at Kenilworth.

It’s not all about the distance, whether racing as a pair or in teams of 3 or 4, good teamwork is needed as everyone has to stay together and finish together.   All the teams will be navigating in the dark, the slower teams for much longer than the elite racers, and there are the climbs and the weather to cope with.

This year Dixon has promised a slightly shorter course to “make up for the extra elevation” and that will be no surprise to teams who know the area.  The racers have been given a plan of the stages and expected timings, so not everything will come as a surprise. The Hells Bells racers know they will start with a 13km paddle stage ...  they just don’t know where the start is!

Last year’s Hells Bells winners, Team 3 Points of Contact, are back to defend their title.  They race in the premier category, which is for mixed teams of 4, and these teams score points towards the Adventure Racing World Series Oceania rankings.

Last year they finished in 16.06.19 and only the all-male Team ‘Out all Night’ were close to them.  ‘Out all Night’ will be back to challenge them again, but the title holders will also expect a strong challenge from ‘Team Rogue’.  They are one of the country’s top teams, with many expedition races and race wins on their record.

Team Captain Liam St. Pierre said, “We are expecting a tough little race at Hells Bells this year.  There is no flat terrain around the venue, so I am sure there will be some big climbs and a few hike-a-bikes.  Judging by the route planner, there will be a lot of short, sharp stages, so efficient transitions will be the key to a good race.”

It is a race he knows well. “Hells Bells was my first long adventure race, back in 2007, and this will be the 13th edition I’ve raced.” 

Like all good sportsmen he is playing down his team’s chances of another win before the race.  “We are just keeping it pretty casual with our competitive aspirations and focussing on completing the course, minimising mistakes and having a fun time together.”

In the All-Female category last year’s winners, Mountain Designs Wild Women, are also back and will be racing one other all-female team - ‘The Dancing Queens’.

Dixon thinks the racing in the Fairy Bells race will be wide open, and of course, for most teams it will all be about achieving a finish.  A full course finish is the goal for most, but how many will achieve that this year?

Last year the top mixed team of 4 on the Fairy Bells course were ‘Buckleys and None’.  Two of the team, Gary Fahey and Sandy Scott have taken part in the reality TV show, SAS Australia, and strengthened by that experience Scott is back again this year with her husband Rob, this time to race the Hells Bells course.

“We are back for the full course as a team of two and as my husband Rob is a doctor and I’m an accountant, our team name had to be Death and Taxes!”  She said, adding, “We even a team logo this year.” 

“Last year I was lucky enough to be a recruit on the TV show SAS Australia. I was looking for challenges that pushed me mentality as well as physically.  Adventure Racing prepared me to endure the days of low calories, lack of sleep and maintain focus on achieving the goal of making it to the finish.  On SAS Australia within days you feel bonded to people you've only just met through that shared adversity. The same can be said for Adventure Racing.

“I highly recommend AR to anyone wanting to try something new or step out of their comfort zone.  You will find all of the teams willing to support and encourage you.  It's a great community and we are lucky to be a part of it.”

She added, “My husband and I see Hells Bells as an extreme date night!”

You can follow Death and Taxes, and all of the teams, and see where the courses take them, by following the live satellite tracking at https://www.hellsbells.com.au/live-tracking

The races start at 11.00am Saturday and there will be news and commentary on the Wild and Co. Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/wldnco

Hells Bells is the second race in this year’s Adventure Racing World Series Oceania calendar.