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.

• Information Pack

• Mandatory Equipment

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. 

Teamwork Tops Tough Conditions at The Mountain Designs Geoquest Adventure Race

A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN 48 HOURS, JUST ASK THE TEAMS WHO CROSSED THE FINISH LINE OF THIS YEAR’S MOUNTAIN DESIGNS GEOQUEST ADVENTURE RACE.

Racing in teams of 4, they had paddled, navigated, mountain biked and trekked through cold weather, high winds, choppy seas, flooded trails, and surf swept beaches, on a course up of to 223km. They raced without sleep through 2 days and nights, the outside world totally forgotten, living for the moment and racing only to achieve their own goals, and for their team mates.

This year was the 20th anniversary Geoquest race.  It’s Australia’s original and premier adventure race, and one of the toughest sporting challenges in the country.  The race has a new venue and course on the NSW coast each year, with a unique, and very addictive, mix of coastal and inland adventure racing.

Shoal Bay was a new venue for the 20th race and 39 teams of 4 set off from there to kayak across to Hawks Nest on the first stage.  They included both novice and elite teams, and they would race the same courses, either the full distance, or a half course route, both with 48 hours to get to the finish.

With a severe weather warning in place for high winds, it wasn’t an easy start.  The start point for the opening kayak was moved away from the mouth of Nelson Bay due to the wind and surf and Ange Tokley of the all-female ‘Team All Talk’ described it like this.

“White caps on the water everywhere. After a quick briefing from the Race Director we were told we now must start the kayak leg about 1.5km north towards Nelson Bay to allow for the hazardous conditions (so that we don’t get ‘sucked out to sea’ were his exact words!).

Adventure Racing often takes athletes out of their comfort zone, but not usually from the start line!  Liz Woodgate, one of Australia’s most experienced racers, was leading the ‘Vortex Diva’s’ team with two inexperienced racers, Kate and Fiona, and said, “I think they were terrified, wondering if they could go the distance, survive the cold and stay awake.  It was all quite overwhelming.” 

As trail runners and inexperienced paddlers, they worried about the kayaking the most, and the 32km stage up the Myall River and across Bombah Broadwater was challenging, even for experienced paddlers. “It was dark, cold and choppy and we had our heads down, just getting through it” said Woodgate. “I was aiming for a green channel marker and we had to keep going. There was no plan B.”

The courses made a circuit back to Shoal Bay, heading inland and gaining height through Nerong and Myall River State Forests, before turning south to Karuah, with the full course teams having another long paddle down the Karuah River.  There were foot navigation stages on the way through the Wallaroo State Forest and then long cycle stages south to rejoin the coast at Fisherman’s Bay, before a final coast and beach trek back to Shoal Bay to finish.

No stage was easy and Ange Tokley described the mountain bike on the Goring Ting Trail as “one of the hardest mountain bikes I have EVER done. We passed through swamplands (so much icy cold muddy water as the trails had been decimated by rain) to ascend to the high point at 517m. The best way to describe these hills is that they literally looked like walls upon walls. They were relentless.”

Laura Newton with the ‘Three Points of Contact’ team described the final coastal stage.  “We were hoping to rock and beach hop along the coast, but a very high tide and 4m waves put a stop to this pretty quick.  Instead we had to walk on sand dunes and push our way through some very dense coastal scrub. The size of the ocean and the pure force of the waves was insane! We were unable to safely walk along the beach due to the surging mad sea and some waves were breeching the top of the sand dunes!”

Her team finished in third place, have disputed the lead with the eventual winners, Thunderbolt AR, for much of the race.  A difficult Rogaine stage split the teams and Thunderbolt went on to win and retain their Mountain Designs Geoquest title in a time of 35:52:19, the second longest winning time in the history of the race. ‘Team AlpineQuest.com.au’ were second and ‘3 Points of Contact’ third.

These elite teams completed the full course and in the conditions only 7 teams were able to do this, including the winning All Female team, Mountain Designs Wild Women (who also finished 5th overall).  The quickest Half Course team were the all-male team, ‘Time Wounds all Heels’ in 22:58:57, and the majority of teams chose to miss some checkpoints to enable them to finish within 48 hours.

The ‘Vortex Diva’s’  team were among the last few teams to reach the finish line and Woodgate said, “I think the achievement took a while to sink in with the team.  Half way around Kate said adventure racing wasn’t for her and she was pulling out.  We pushed on, determined she was going to finish, and she did.  

“All the interaction we had with other teams around the course kept us involved and engaged, and there were a lot of female racers this year.  We never really felt we were struggling alone.  At the finish Kate was already making plans for the next race! ”

For the majority of teams finishing the course is their aim, and despite the conditions all but 6 teams managed to get across the finish line.  Some teams were racing for a cause and had an even bigger incentive to complete the course.

Kylie Royal was racing with the team ‘Every Mila-Meter Counts’ and explained the team name and objectives.  “Mila, my 6 year old niece, has been diagnosed with stage 3 mid-brain stem Glioma and I wanted to tackle something extreme to raise funds and awareness towards brain cancer. 

“GeoQuest was our team’s first ever Adventure Race.  None of us had done anything like it before.  The race was definitely tough and we all had our weak moments along the way, but knowing we had a purpose and sooo much support kept us pushing. At each transition area we went live to pull in as many donations as we could.  $10K was our target and we hit that right as the very moment we crossed the finish line.  It was an unbelievable moment and we want to thank everyone for their support for Mila and The Mark Hughes Foundation.”

There were also three teams racing from the Melbourne based Kaiarahi Cultural Collective, aiming to raise awareness of male suicide and mental health issues in the Maori community. (Kaiarahi means ‘guide’ in Maori.)

The teams were organised by Jeremy Nikora and he explained; “I was inspired by watching the “World’s Toughest Race” with the kiwi team led by Nathan Fa’avae.

“When my brother in law was struggling with depression, I came up with the idea of us attempting Geoquest. He is 67, and not very fit, so he wasn’t confident, but decided he wanted to try and use it as a platform to talk about depression and suicide. That was in December 2021.

“I put a call out to our community and all of a sudden we had people, putting their hands up to do the event or support us. We entered 3 full teams and had a support crew of 10 family and friends.  

“We went into it as completely naïve novices, but we met up once a week to train, trying to focus on paddling and biking and doing our best to understand how AR works (transitions, logistics etc).

“We also fundraised as hard as we could, approaching organizations and our community. No one had any idea what “Adventure Racing” was, so this was a first for all our community and obviously as we were all first timers, we needed to buy appropriate gear etc.

“In the end we had 2 fathers and sons competing, 3 women, and 4 under 25 year olds, with our youngest racers being 20 and 21.”

“We finished with a belief in ourselves, that we could overcome the challenges that many wouldn’t have thought possible previously. We also inspired many others from our community to try to push their boundaries and want to enter next year and helped to raise important awareness for suicide prevention and mental health.

“I think the other teams loved the sense of family and culture that we brought to GeoQuest. We were such a big group, but we moved as one, and we were open and positive to everyone who came across us.  We felt so much inspiration as well and hope left a great mark with all the other competitors, especially those who were there at the finish line to witness the Haka performed by our family.

“We learnt a lot about preparation and what it takes to be competitive, but it will not change the family approach that we have to adventure racing.  It just means we will start training sooner and be more organized for the next race!”

More information and the full results of the 2022 Mountain Designs Geoquest are available at https://www.geoquest.com.au/

Geoquest 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/).

The first Mountains Designs Geoquest in New Zealand will take place at Hawkes Bay from Jan 20-23rd 2023.

The Iconic Mountain Designs Geoquest Adventure Race 20th Edition Event is at Shoal Bay this Weekend

The 20th Mountain Designs GeoQuest adventure race will take place this weekend with its headquarters in the coastal hamlet of Shoal Bay, NSW.  Teams of 4 will race for up to 48 hours; trekking, mountain biking and paddling on rivers and the ocean, as they tackle Australia’s oldest, toughest and premier Adventure Race.

The event is Australia’s original adventure race and the keystone date in the country’s adventure racing calendar, with regular teams regarding it as an annual get together.  Teams new to adventure racing are welcome too, as the race has ‘full’ and ‘half’ distances, both allowing teams a full 48 hours to complete their course.  The leaders will finish in much quicker times, and the aim is to allow enough time for every team to have the best chance to cross the finish line.

The race always takes place somewhere on the NSW coast, and Shoal Bay is a new venue, though a few competitors from years gone by may recognise some of the locations on the course.   Shoal Bay Mayor Ryan Palmer, welcomes the race, and said, “Port Stephens is the perfect location for the GeoQuest Adventure Race – with spectacular waterways, stunning sand dunes, coastal walks and national parks - our environment will provide a race course that’s tough, but a real adventure.

“We love hosting events like GeoQuest – it’s not only great for our community, it’s great for our economy. By just being here, competitors and their families are supporting our local businesses.”

Teams know the outline of the race, but they won’t know where they are going until they get their maps at the race briefing.  There are plenty of options in the surrounding National Parks, with Myall Bay to the North, Hunter Wetlands to the South, and Wallaroo and Karuah inland.  There’s the magnificent 32 km long Stockton Beach as well, with some of the largest, moving, coastal dunes in the Southern Hemisphere. 

The Port Stephens region will provide an inspiring and testing adventure playground for a weekend of adventure racing, and Race Director Chris Dixon of Wild and Co. has hinted at choosing tyres for beach riding, and maybe having an underwater checkpoint.

He says, “The temperatures look like being cold for the time of year, so the 3 paddle legs are going to be the big challenge in temperatures of 5-15 degrees and with a cold 18 knot westerly wind.

“There will be beautiful coastal sections, a huge hill in the hinterland, and some muddy, wet off-trail sections following recent rains.”

All the teams will use map and compass navigation to find the checkpoints, and have been given a plan of the course.  For the Full course, that’s a total of 4 run/trek stages, 3 paddles, including ocean paddling, and 3 mountain bike stages.  The race finishes with a long run to the finish which will take teams 3.5 to 6 hours.  The half course has 3 paddles, 4 runs and two bike rides, but with no ocean paddling.

The teams can race with or without a support crew to back them up, and there is a good mix of male, female and mixed teams in the entry of 22 Full Course teams and 15 Half Course teams. 

Many of the racers have been attending for years, and the race history goes back to the first Australian adventure race in 2002.  The winners list is a who’s who of world class Australian adventure racers, and many have since established their own events around Australia as the sport has grown. 

For the elite teams, it is a race title which matters, and long time race sponsors Mountain Designs offer an extensive range of prizes from their outdoor equipment range.  This year there is even more at stake as the race is the opening event in the Adventure Racing World Series Oceania Series. 

The winners will get a place in the 2022 Oceania Regional Championships at Gold Coast in October, and the winners there will claim a free place at the Adventure Racing World Championship in South Africa next year.  A strong performance in NSW this weekend could take teams a very long way!

Last year’s winners, Thunderbolt AR, are returning.  Last year they combined with the Alpine Avengers team after Covid travel restrictions affected who could travel to the race, but this year they are returning with most of their original squad.  They also won in 2017 and are ranked 16 in the Adventure Racing World Series global rankings, so will carry the favourites tag.

Speaking before the race Bern Dornom said, “We can't wait to race Geoquest again. It's an annual pilgrimage and a chance to catch up with fellow adventure racers and swap stories both pre and post race. I’m looking forward to racing with team Thunderbolt as it's been a couple of years and a baby since I've raced with the team. And there is nothing better than getting lost in the bush with your mates!

Hugh (Stodart), Josh (street) and I are original Thunderbolt members and Myall Quint (my partner) stepped into the team when he got me pregnant.  Some would say that was a strategic move!   We are definitely expecting to have a lot of laughs out on course and hopefully bring back some of the Thunderbolt magic efficiency.”

One of the teams most likely to challenge Thunderbolt is ‘3 Points of Contact’ lead by one of the country’s most experienced racers, Gary Sutherland.  “Geo is the race that started AR in Australia and it’s always a great ocean/beach/hinterland adventure.”  He said.  “Our team is relatively new.  I did Clint’s (Falla) first race with him 3 years ago, Laura (Newton) is an obstacle course racer who has been doing adventure racing for a couple of years and Etienne (Gautier) is a young guy who is constantly improving and wanted to join us for the experience of racing slower and smarter.  We are looking to enjoy what Chris has planned for us this time.”

The Alpine Quest team is also racing again, this time with founder Serge Kurov bringing all his experience to the team.   He said, “I’ve not been racing for 3 years and we have a team coming together from all around the country, so we are super excited.”  He has raced for almost 20 years, including many AR World Championships, and offered teams an instructional video on Facebook before the race with a breakdown of how to pack and prepare ahead of the race.  He too was highlighting the cold overnight kayak and long final run as the stages teams will need to prepare for.  

Another team to watch, who have youth on their side, and the experience of racing Geoquest before, are Capital AR. They entered Geoquest as a youth team in 2021 and finished as the top male team, with only two mixed premier teams ahead of them.    

This time they are racing in the Mixed Premier category (for AR World Series qualification) and Charlie Henshall said, “We’re a group of friends who got into AR at university in Canberra and have been training through the chilly winter to make sure we are underprepared for the big race.  This will be our second Geoquest and after having a ripper time last year, and doing pretty well, we thought we would come back.  It’s a home town race for Brad ‘Loaf’ Vallette, and a good excuse to avoid exam study!  Our expectations are to get through the full course and get weird out there.”

For all those taking part it promises to be a memorable weekend of incomparable experiences with their team mates. Friends and family will be able to follow their progress as the race has live satellite tracking, and there will news updates and photos on the Wild and Co. Facebook page.

You can find out all about the race and see the link for the live tracking at; https://www.geoquest.com.au/ and  https://www.facebook.com/wldnco

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/).

Adventure Racing World Series Oceania Champs Set for the Gold Coast and Alpine Quest Join the Series

The venue for the Oceania Championship final of the Adventure Racing World Series has been announced today as the Gold Coast, and the race will now be part of a 5 race series, following the news that Alpine Quest has joined the premier adventure racing series in the region.

The ARWS Oceania Championship final will take place in the Gold Coast from 21-23rdOctober, when adventure racing teams will mountain bike, paddle, trek and navigate their way around 180km (full) or 100km (half), non-stop courses.  

The 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 2023 Adventure Racing World Championships.  There is also a cash prize pool of AUD$10,000.

The race isn’t just for the elite teams, however. The course will be designed to be achievable and accessible to all abilities, remaining open for 36 hours, and allowing teams some choices to provide short-cuts should they need them.  (2 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 (half) course, which has less distance and a shorter time limit, 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 partnership with the Gold Coast and the opportunities it offers to racers. 

“With its majestic sub-tropical rainforest, spectacular waterfalls and cascades, pristine beaches and iconic skyline, the Gold Coast is the perfect backdrop for the inaugural ARWS Oceania Championship,” he said.  

He added. “The Gold Coast 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 the international airport.  It’s a great location for our Championship race.”

Gold Coast Mayor, Tom Tate, commented.  “Diversifying our city’s major events calendar is critical as we navigate our way out of the global health pandemic and this high-energy, international, event fits that bill perfectly. 

“The Gold Coast's varied natural landscape is the perfect location to host this tough competition and will provide the ultimate challenge for Oceania's top adventure racers. Securing this pinnacle international event reinforces our reputation as an appealing sports and events destination.”

Alpine Quest Strengthens the ARWS Oceania Series

The 2022 ARWS Oceania Series has now expanded, with the inclusion of the Alpine Quest race, which offers teams a very different location and challenge in the wilderness Alpine terrain of Victoria.  

The inclusion of the race also brings into the series the experience and expertise of Serge Kurov and Maria Plyashechko, who have organised over 30 adventure and outdoor events over the last decade.  The pair have a passion for adventure racing, and they have competed internationally all over the world; including in Patagonia, Abu Dhabi and China.

Maria commented. “We feel that the ARWS is the right community of experienced Race Directors in which we can run high quality races for our participants to enjoy. We will be a part of an established and transparent structure, with a clear vision and goals on all levels. The advantages the ARWS provides to Race Directors are well-defined and for the participants of the Alpine Quest the ARWS referee will offer an additional point of communication. 

“Participants will also have a chance to gain Oceania points to participate in the ARWS regional series ranking, and to compete for the chance to be ARWS Oceania Champions in 2023.”

She added, “It’s been tough couple of years due to Covid restrictions, but we are looking forward to a new chapter with the ARWS community of Race Directors and racers.”

Alpine Quest will take place on Nov. 11-12th and you can find full details at https://alpinequest.com.au

The ARWS Oceania Calendar

The first race in the 2022 Oceania ARWS Series will be the Terra Nova Adventure Race on April 2/3rd in Shoalhaven, NSW, with 120 and 70km courses, and a maximum 24 hour time limit for the full course.

This will be followed by the Mountain Designs Geoquest, which is the oldest 48 hour race in Australia (going back to 2002), and where the list of winning teams is a who’s who of world class of Australian adventure racers.  The venue will be Shoal Bay, NSW, and the course distances 220 and 120km.

The action then moves to S.E. Queensland, where the 24 hour Hells Bells Adventure Racewill take place over the weekend of August 6/7th. 

Entries are now open for all 2022 events in the ARWS Oceania Series, and you can find out more information about the races and the Adventure Racing World Series at; https://arworldseries.com/oceania. 

Interviews with the Race Directors and participating teams, plus details of media opportunities and participation, are available on request from Chris Dixon @arws address?.  

Photos with captions – available from arworldseriesoceania.com

About The Adventure Racing World Series

The Adventure Racing World Series is an association of 48 races across 5 continents and 23 countries. The series supports world-class, international, expedition races, which are the pinnacle of the world’s toughest sport, and the development of professionally organised racing at a national level through the ARWS Regional series. 

Each Regional Series has its own ranking and championship final, and the ranking points feed through into the global ARWS ranking.  The winners of the annual Regional Championship receive a paid-for place at the next Adventure Racing World Championships.

Adventure Racing World Series Oceania Champs Set for the Gold Coast and Alpine Quest Join the Series

The venue for the Oceania Championship final of the Adventure Racing World Series has been announced today as the Gold Coast, and the race will now be part of a 5 race series, following the news that Alpine Quest has joined the premier adventure racing series in the region.

The ARWS Oceania Championship final will take place in the Gold Coast from 21-23rdOctober, when adventure racing teams will mountain bike, paddle, trek and navigate their way around 180km (full) or 100km (half), non-stop courses.  

The 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 2023 Adventure Racing World Championships.  There is also a cash prize pool of AUD$10,000.

The race isn’t just for the elite teams, however. The course will be designed to be achievable and accessible to all abilities, remaining open for 36 hours, and allowing teams some choices to provide short-cuts should they need them.  (2 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 (half) course, which has less distance and a shorter time limit, 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 partnership with the Gold Coast and the opportunities it offers to racers. 

“With its majestic sub-tropical rainforest, spectacular waterfalls and cascades, pristine beaches and iconic skyline, the Gold Coast is the perfect backdrop for the inaugural ARWS Oceania Championship,” he said.  

He added. “The Gold Coast 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 the international airport.  It’s a great location for our Championship race.”

Gold Coast Mayor, Tom Tate, commented.  “Diversifying our city’s major events calendar is critical as we navigate our way out of the global health pandemic and this high-energy, international, event fits that bill perfectly. 

“The Gold Coast's varied natural landscape is the perfect location to host this tough competition and will provide the ultimate challenge for Oceania's top adventure racers. Securing this pinnacle international event reinforces our reputation as an appealing sports and events destination.”

ALPINE QUEST STRENGTHENS THE ARWS OCEANIA SERIES

The 2022 ARWS Oceania Series has now expanded, with the inclusion of the Alpine Quest race, which offers teams a very different location and challenge in the wilderness Alpine terrain of Victoria.  

The inclusion of the race also brings into the series the experience and expertise of Serge Kurov and Maria Plyashechko, who have organised over 30 adventure and outdoor events over the last decade.  The pair have a passion for adventure racing, and they have competed internationally all over the world; including in Patagonia, Abu Dhabi and China.

Maria commented. “We feel that the ARWS is the right community of experienced Race Directors in which we can run high quality races for our participants to enjoy. We will be a part of an established and transparent structure, with a clear vision and goals on all levels. The advantages the ARWS provides to Race Directors are well-defined and for the participants of the Alpine Quest the ARWS referee will offer an additional point of communication. 

“Participants will also have a chance to gain Oceania points to participate in the ARWS regional series ranking, and to compete for the chance to be ARWS Oceania Champions in 2023.”

She added, “It’s been tough couple of years due to Covid restrictions, but we are looking forward to a new chapter with the ARWS community of Race Directors and racers.”

Alpine Quest will take place on Nov. 11-12th and you can find full details at https://alpinequest.com.au

THE ARWS OCEANIA CALENDAR

The first race in the 2022 Oceania ARWS Series will be the Terra Nova Adventure Race on April 2/3rd in Shoalhaven, NSW, with 120 and 70km courses, and a maximum 24 hour time limit for the full course.

This will be followed by the Mountain Designs Geoquest, which is the oldest 48 hour race in Australia (going back to 2002), and where the list of winning teams is a who’s who of world class of Australian adventure racers.  The venue will be Shoal Bay, NSW, and the course distances 220 and 120km.

The action then moves to S.E. Queensland, where the 24 hour Hells Bells Adventure Racewill take place over the weekend of August 6/7th. 

Entries are now open for all 2022 events in the ARWS Oceania Series, and you can find out more information about the races and the Adventure Racing World Series at; https://arworldseries.com/oceania. 

Interviews with the Race Directors and participating teams, plus details of media opportunities and participation, are available on request from Chris Dixon @arws address?.  

Photos with captions – available from arworldseriesoceania.com

ABOUT THE ADVENTURE RACING WORLD SERIES

The Adventure Racing World Series is an association of 48 races across 5 continents and 23 countries. The series supports world-class, international, expedition races, which are the pinnacle of the world’s toughest sport, and the development of professionally organised racing at a national level through the ARWS Regional series. 

Each Regional Series has its own ranking and championship final, and the ranking points feed through into the global ARWS ranking.  The winners of the annual Regional Championship receive a paid-for place at the next Adventure Racing World Championships.

Checkpoints & Challenges at the Mountain Designs Hells Bells Adventure Race in Mooloolaba

Adventure racing returned to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast last weekend when the Mountain Designs Hells Bells race, the oldest 24 hour event in the country, started and finished in Mooloolaba.

The race attracted a strong local entry after being rescheduled from earlier in the year, with many competitors new to adventure racing among the 53 teams who arrived to tackle either the full or half courses.   When they entered they didn’t know where the courses would go, but they came expecting an overnight adventure, combining paddling, trekking, mountain biking and map and compass navigation. 

The 24 hour ‘Hells Bells’ racers started on the beach, with teams paddling across the bay to the river mouth to start an 11km stage, which took them up river.  A brisk northerly wind sprang up before the start and the racers found themselves paddling out through the surf, with some of them taking an early swim.  

A few teams chose instead to run with their sit-on-top kayaks along the beach to the river mouth rather than set off into the surf – adventure racing is all about teams making choices.  They had to make choices anyway as the checkpoints could be collected either on the opening stage, or left to the end of the race. 

Kim Beckinsale of the experienced Mountain Designs Wild Women team explained, “We moved down the beach a bit for an easier launch, and were up for an ocean paddle to start the race on a fantastic spring weekend for racing. The tide wasn’t good to get the checkpoints at the start of the race, but we didn’t want to leave them to be done at the end and in the dark, so we pressed on to get them all.”

For the teams on the half course ‘Fairy Bells’ course, there was no choice but to get wet at the start as they swam across the river during their opening 7km ‘Urban Paths Trek’ around town, before picking up the kayaks left by the Hells Bells racers for their own river paddle stage.

Both courses then combined some fast mountain biking stages (if you were navigating well and going the right way) and short treks which looped out and back to the transition areas.  Hells Bells was 140km+, taking teams out to the Glass House Mountains and back, while Fairy Bells was 90km+, going out to and around the Ewan Maddock Reservoir.

Navigating to find the best route (and the checkpoints) is an essential part of adventure racing and as teams raced into the night this became much harder with some teams taking detours which lengthened their route and tested their resolve and teamwork.  (Those wanting a shorter route could choose to miss checkpoints and take time penalties as the aim is for teams to achieve as much as they can and get to the finish.)

Even those who had raced Hells Bells and other events in the area before, found themselves in new places and enjoying new views, especially as the fantastic sunset over the Glass House Mountains.

“I loved there were so many small stages, with the four short treks into the hills,” said Beckinsale. “It meant there were lots of transitions, which is all part of racing, and at some we had to mark up the maps for the trek ahead as they were not on our maps, which puts the pressure on and keeps you on your toes!  It is more manageable for the beginners too, as really long stages can be off putting.”

“Chris (Dixon) did a great job with the route and maps. We went a long way and everyone had a good time out there.  For us the sunset silhouette of the Glass House Mountains was superb and then the sunrise on the blue water as we paddled to the finish was spectacular. Like all the teams, we were glad to be out there on such a perfect weekend.”

The Mountain Designs Wild Women were one of the two all-female teams on the Hells Bells course and they were up for the challenge of racing the many all-male teams taking part, taking 4th place overall in a time of 18.58.43. (Only two of the 14 all male teams got ahead of them.)

The premier racing category is always for mixed teams of 4 and team ’3 Points of Contact’ were comfortable winners in this, and the overall winners.  With very experienced racers Gary Sutherland and Russell Stringer in the team, they were probably pre-race favourites, but Sutherland explained, “For me it was great having Laura (Newton) join us as she is a newbie to adventure racing, and to be with my mate Clint (Falla), who is coming back from injury and is quite new to the sport as he’s done 4 races.”

He added, “The race ran smoothly for us. It was a flatter than normal course and took us on a lot of cool trails Russell and I had never been on, and we have been racing in the area for 15 years. Our favourite sections were the running and riding around Mount Beerburrum.”

Their winning time was 16.06.19, well ahead of any other mixed teams, but they were pushed all the way by the all-male team ‘Out all Night’ who finished second overall in 16.30.17.

In the Fairy Bells race the overall winners were Tim Price and Scott Cuthbertson, racing as ‘Team Dodgy Backs and Shakti Mats’. They finished in 8.59.20 after a close contest with the ‘Back Up Team’ and team ‘Mr Wrong and Mr Wright’, also racing as pairs.  The top 4 person mixed team were ‘Buckleys and None’ in 12.12.51, and the best all female team were ‘Tri Adventure Girls’, who finished in 9.55.30, taking 4th overall.

Whichever course they did, and however many checkpoints they got, for all the teams the weekend was about doing the best they could and enjoying the course, the scenery and the Spring weather.  After all the teams had returned to Mooloolaba there was an informal, open air prize giving in the park, attended by many families, who had brought the kids along for a beach day to round off the weekend.

Chris Dixon of Wild & Co, gave out the prizes and said, “It’s great to see the race so well supported, and to have lots of new adventure racers come and give the course a go.  Mooloolaba has been a fantastic race venue for us, teams are buzzing about the course and I know they’ll be back to explore it a bit more at their leisure .. . and maybe to use it for training for their next race!”

For the full results and more information on the race visit www.hellsbells.com.au

The Mountain Designs Hells Bells race is organised by adventure racing event management company Wild & Co. and is part of the Adventure Racing World Series Oceania calendar.

The next race from Wild & Co is Terra Nova in NSW held in April 2022. Find out more at www.terranova24.com.au  

For more information visit www.wldnco.com.au