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/
