Dark Sky’s
“500 kilometres following the Murray River by kayak, bike and foot under some of the darkest skies in the Southern Hemisphere, navigating day and night using only map and compass. You choose if and when you sleep, rest and eat.
If you’ve ever wanted to test yourself or even just dip your toe in expedition racing — don’t hold back. It’s never too late and you won’t regret it.”
— Morgan Cull, BMC-MMI
BMC-MMI
After four days of expedition racing across more than 500 kilometres of South Australian river country, BMC-MMI claimed overall honours at the 2026 Wild&Co Legend Expedition Race, finishing ahead of Wild Yaks powered by Holy Guacamole in second place and Happy Wanderers in third after a demanding and strategic journey along the Murray River corridor.
Hosted along one of the world’s great rivers, this year’s Legend Expedition Race challenged teams to travel almost the entire South Australian length of the Murray River by foot, bike and kayak through remote landscapes, agricultural country and long overnight navigation stages that demanded patience, teamwork and resilience.
A Journey Begins at the Border
On Sunday 19 April teams boarded buses and travelled to the edge of the state where the Murray River crosses into South Australia. There, they stepped into the river and began a journey that would carry them across almost the entire length of the river within the state before finishing in Murray Bridge several days later.
For many teams the opening 30 kilometre paddle was already the longest they had ever completed. Later stages extended to 50 kilometres and then 75 kilometres on the water, turning early milestones into stepping stones as the expedition unfolded and confidence grew across the field.
Across more than six days of racing, teams navigated continuously through day and night stages where decisions about sleep, route choice and pacing shaped the outcome of the race as much as speed.
Overall Results
Following review of tracking data and officials’ reports across the course, final placings have now been confirmed.
Overall Podium
1st Overall — BMC-MMI
2nd Overall — Wild Yaks powered by Holy Guacamole
3rd Overall — Happy Wanderers
Full Course – Female
1st Mountain Designs Wild Women
2nd Turbo Turtles
3rd Vortex Divas
Full Course – Mixed
1st Wild Yaks powered by Holy Guacamole
2nd ED og and the JJs
3rd Shanks Pony
Full Course – Male
1st BMC-MMI
2nd Happy Wanderers
3rd Magnetic South Adventure Team
Half Course – Mixed
1st Capital AR
2nd FIGJAM
Half Course – Male
1st Shake and Bake
2nd Top Deck
Half Course – Female
1st Heard before Seen
Across both full and half course categories, the strength of performances reflected the continued growth of expedition racing across Australia and the increasing number of teams progressing along the Wild&Co racing pathway from Explore to 24hr to Expedition.
A Course Built Around the Murray River
Teams travelled more than 500 kilometres along and around the Murray River corridor through Berri, Loxton, Waikerie, Morgan, Blanchetown, Swan Reach and Mannum before finishing in Murray Bridge.
The course combined long river paddles, remote trekking stages, strategic route-choice riding legs and extended night navigation across big South Australian landscapes that showcased a side of the river country unfamiliar to many competitors before the race began.
“Five days and nights of riding, hiking and paddling over 600km along the River Murray under big skies and bigger landscapes — I loved every bit of it.”
— Laura Newton, Mountain Designs Wild Women
“Right as we were getting on the water ALL the sprinklers in the park turned on. It was quite entertaining. We set off into an extremely dark night with barely any moon, but the stars were something else. We saw hundreds of shooting stars — it was spectacular and definitely one of the highlights of the race.”
— Heard before Seen
Wild Yaks powered by Holy Guacamole
Expedition Racing Rewards Smart Teams
Success in expedition racing is never determined by speed alone. It rewards teams who manage fatigue carefully, make good decisions under pressure and continue moving forward together through uncertainty over multiple days on course.
“Expedition racing done right for us means finishing fully ranked, collecting all the checkpoints, making sensible choices, looking after each other, challenging ourselves and having fun. At 62, I have no idea how many more of these I will get to do, but right now, sign me up for the next one.”
— Liz Woodgate, Vortex Divas
First-Time Expedition Racers Stepping Forward
One of the strongest stories from this year’s event was the number of teams and individuals stepping into expedition racing for the first time and successfully completing the challenge.
Teams including Fighting Mongooses, Lost Hogs, Magnetic South, OutThere Wandering, Savages in the Hills and athletes such as Darlene racing as part of The Turbo Turtles all took on the unknown and continued moving forward across one of Australia’s most demanding expedition courses.
“Darlene’s first expedition adventure race — and what an experience. Expedition racing teaches you something new every time.”
— Kathryn Moreland, Turbo Turtles
A Race Built on People
Legend does not happen without community support. The volunteers, logistics crew and friends and families played an essential role in making the event possible, and Lane Wiliam’s work behind the lens captured moments from across the journey that teams will remember long after the race finished.
Thank you also to every team who stood on the start line and committed themselves to the journey. Expedition racing demands teamwork at every stage, and Legend is never something that anyone completes alone.
Moments That Become Race Stories
Every Legend course leaves behind stories that stay with teams long after the finish line, and this year’s journey along the Murray River was no exception.
Those moments included the infamous caltrops that quickly became known as the “prickle highway”, team 13 recording 13 punctures, unexpected sprinklers appearing in the middle of the night, mechanical saves from Goldfish Bike Shop, and even a call from a local farmer checking that teams were not cheating by carrying kayaks. Out on course, small moments quickly become part of expedition racing folklore.
The Legend Continues Around Australia
Legend is not a single race but a journey around the country, with each edition moving to a new landscape and presenting teams with a different kind of expedition challenge.
This year’s South Australian course added another chapter to that journey.
Next, Legend heads west. There has never been an expedition-length adventure race in Western Australia, and this next edition promises to explore an entirely new landscape for teams travelling from across Australia and beyond.
Dates will be announced soon, and the location will be released before the close of Early Bird entries.
What Comes Next
For many teams, completing Legend becomes a turning point in their adventure racing journey and a stepping stone toward even longer and more complex expedition challenges in the future.
Legend is moving west.
We will see you in Western Australia.
