The 2026 Mountain Designs Hells Bells Adventure Race delivered one of the most spectacular editions of the race yet, with teams racing through more than 120 kilometres of ocean, coastline, mountain bike trails, bush navigation and the Maroochy River across the Sunshine Coast.
Starting from Mudjimba on Saturday morning, Hells Bells teams were immediately thrown into an optional ocean kayak leg around Old Woman Island, with a three-hour time credit on offer for teams willing to take it on.
And plenty did.
Conditions were challenging enough to make the paddle a genuine adventure. Getting off Mudjimba Beach was only half the battle, with some impressive skills — and perhaps a little luck — required to get the kayaks safely back onto the beach again.
It proved a spectacular way to start 24 hours of racing and was also the first Hells Bells where teams brought their own kayaks. It was a fun experiment and something Wild&Co is keen to hear more feedback about — would teams like to see more BYO kayak legs in future races?
From the ocean, teams headed north on foot along an incredible 10km coastal leg towards Coolum, using beaches, local paths and the coastline before reaching their bikes.
The beach trekking and coasteering was a highlight, with teams rock-hopping their way around the spectacular Coolum coastline and getting through at just about the right time before the incoming tide made things considerably more interesting.
From Coolum the race changed character completely.
Hells Bells teams faced a 60km mountain bike leg through Coolum, Eumundi, North Arm and Yandina before reaching Parklands, where the real navigational challenge began.
The 12km Parklands trekking and navigation leg gave teams nine checkpoints to choose from, with six required and each additional checkpoint worth a one-hour time credit.
It was here that good navigation really began to separate the field. Route choice, accuracy and knowing when to keep hunting — or when to cut your losses and move on — became every bit as important as outright speed.
That decision-making was echoed by Fairy Bells winners Wild Hearts & Dirty Boots, who described adventure racing as being “as much about making smart decisions as it is about going hard” after choosing which bonus checkpoints were worth chasing.
Fairy Bells took teams on its own substantial adventure of around 80–90km, sharing the Coolum coastline, Parklands navigation and Maroochy River sections with the full race. The Fairy Bells Parklands leg required at least four of nine checkpoints, with additional checkpoints again earning one-hour credits.
For many teams, one of the most memorable parts of the weekend came much later.
After returning from Parklands via Bli Bli, teams launched onto the Maroochy River for an 8km kayak around the river mouth.
For those arriving in the early hours, it was sublime.
Competitor Sonny Kemp described starting the paddle beneath “a magical starlit sky and crescent moon”, before spectacular pre-sunrise colours reflected across the glassy river and the sun appeared as teams approached the landing.
Fairy Bells racer Stacey Mulcahy Shaw described the river as “alive”, with stingrays and fish beneath the kayaks, prawns jumping from the water and wildlife appearing throughout the night.
It was exactly the sort of experience Hells Bells is designed to create.
Not Known Takes Hells Bells Victory
At the front of the full Hells Bells field, Not Known took the overall victory and Premier Mixed category win.
Primal finished second overall and first Male team, with Chatter with a Chick taking third overall and second Premier Mixed. Capital AR followed in fourth, while Mountain Designs Wild Women produced another strong performance to finish fifth overall and take the Female category victory.
The quality of the field was reflected by seventh-time Hells Bells racer Trent Raddatz, whose Chatter with a Chick team finished third overall. He described the race as another “world class event showcasing some of the best spots on the Sunshine Coast.”
Team Not Known
Scrambled Legs Wins Fairy Bells
In Fairy Bells, Scrambled Legs took the overall victory and Male category, ahead of Mind the Gap, who won the Mixed category.
The Sheep Whisperers & Their Chaperone finished third overall, while Wild Hearts Dirty Boots were the first Female team and ninth overall.
For many competitors, however, simply reaching the finish line was the biggest result of the weekend.
Balance MTB Skills Coaching shared the story of a stick going through four spokes and snapping a tubeless valve at around 11pm. After managing to repair the bike, father and son continued through the night and achieved their goal of finishing their first adventure race together.
“I genuinely (and surprisingly) had a great time doing Hells Bells,” they wrote afterwards.
That mixture of problem solving, persistence and shared adventure is exactly what makes the event what it is.
As Fairy Bells winner Stacey Mulcahy Shaw put it:
“Another adventure in the books. Sore, scratched up, sleep deprived... and pretty bloody pleased.”
Legs are scrambled
Thanks To Mountain Designs
A huge thank you to Mountain Designs for continuing to support Hells Bells and adventure racing in Australia.
Mountain Designs has been part of this event for many years, and their support helps us continue creating challenging, memorable races that take teams into some incredible parts of the Australian landscape.
We also want to thank every volunteer, official, photographer, safety crew member, land manager, community member and supporter who helped make the weekend happen.
And most importantly, thank you to every team that turned up and threw themselves into the adventure.
On Track Meals Joins The Adventure
We were also stoked to welcome On Track Meals to Hells Bells for the first time.
Teams had the opportunity to try their Australian-made adventure meals at registration. Unlike traditional freeze-dried meals, On Track Meals are fresh, ready-to-heat meals with a three-year shelf life — making them a particularly interesting option for adventure racing, bikepacking, camping and expeditions.
Hells Bells competitors can check out the range at:
Use discount code WILD&CO when ordering.
Thanks to On Track Meals for supporting the event and feeding some hungry adventure racers. We’re looking forward to having them involved with Wild&Co for the remainder of 2026.
For Wild&Co, Hells Bells once again demonstrated what makes adventure racing special: not simply covering kilometres, but discovering places, solving problems, making decisions when tired and sharing experiences that are difficult to replicate anywhere else.
Ocean paddling, rock hopping, mountain biking, difficult navigation, wildlife encounters and a sunrise paddle on the Maroochy River.
That was Hells Bells 2026.
What’s Your Next Adventure?
If Hells Bells has you wondering what’s next, there’s plenty more adventure racing ahead.
Step up to another Wild&Co 24-hour race and take on a completely different course, landscape and challenge — with GeoQuest, Top Dog 24, Buckley’s 24 and Terra Nova 24 all ahead on the calendar.
Or, if you’re new to adventure racing — or know someone who should give it a crack — our Explore Adventure Race Series is the perfect place to start. Six hours of trekking, mountain biking, kayaking and navigation, raced in pairs and designed to be achievable for first-timers while still giving experienced teams a proper race.
Explore the full Wild&Co event calendar and choose your next adventure:
