Another broken compass but we saved the AyUp's and do we really need paddles?? Mountain Designs Wild Women Hells Bells 2024

Hells Bells would have to be one of the biggest AR events in Australia with over 100 teams lining up this year…..it has be been going for 21 years now and it’s definitely one of my favourite races on the calendar.  I was super excited to be back again this year after missing out on racing in 2022 (recovering from surgery) and 2023 (family wedding).  Mountain Designs are such great supporters of this event and have been sponsoring Hells Bells quite a few years now, so we the Mountain Designs Wild Women are always super proud to be out there racing and representing the brand.

Mountain Designs Wild Women Team

Kim Beckinsale, Cass Kimlin, Nicola Jelenik and Ashild Cridge

One of the things that I love about adventure racing is that you can race in similar places or locations, but you still always are provided with a course that is never the same and explore places you have never been before. So, pre-race once HQ is announced, it’s hard not to speculate where the race might travel…..I usually get a few places right, but most of the time the course goes somewhere completely different…..and this was the case for Hells Bells 2024.

Adventure Racing and all that gear!

Adventure racing is a sport where gear means everything! This includes anything from bikes, helmets, shoes and packs to lights, paddles, thermals, jackets and the all-important compass! The logistics planner helps the team know exactly what to pack, where to put it and what you have to carry….just working all of this our can be time consuming….but it is worth it!  In this race we tried out the new Fibril Mapboards as well - we met at the bike drop and fitted these to our bikes in seconds ….wow they are super light, quick and easy to fit. Kim used the clips version and Cass had the cover!

Pre-race is always so frantic….despite seemingly having all the time in the world to pack your gear into boxes….once the maps come out…packing stops and it’s all eyes on the course and planning our route. As we did not have to submit boxes till half an hour before race start, we had time to make a few changes and then madly finish packing just before we had to do the drop offs. My philosophy is …if it fits in the box….pack it as you never know if you, or another team-mate, may need it…. This is especially true for extra thermals, spare socks and food!  We also had to provide a paddle bag and had the option of bringing kayak trolley wheels, and straps as there were options to portage on the course.

Three tubs and a paddle bag to pack

Hells Bells 2024 - Teams have dropped off gear and almost ready for action

The Course 150k if you go the right way!

This year there was split start….we were on course 2 which meant we started with a Trek/Paddle/Trek. Course 1 started with a Paddle/Trek/Trek, then both courses were the same -  Bike/Trek/Bike/Trek/Paddle /Trek – a total distance of around 150k.  Course 1 Teams started at 11.00am and Course 2 teams started at 11.15 am. In between the Fairy Bells teams started off with a trek and we all had 24 hours from our starts to get back to HQ for the BBQ 😊

Broken Compass

Okay, so I started the race with 4 compasses, you would think that was enough hey?   We were off to a great start, we cleared the first trek (Kings Beach, Shelly Beach, Moffat Beach, Bulcock Beach and North Tip Bribie) in good time, transitioned to the paddle (no wheels required) and decided on an anticlockwise course on the water. I had my compass attached to my lifejacket with a piece of string and it’s not the one I carry for the rest of the course. I also had the map in a map case as it can be windy – it was, so I did not lose the map. We paddled and navigated well but were just a bit bamboozled when one of the CPs was not electronic as per the description on the course notes….we were 100% in the right place! Other teams coming the other way had been told by an official it was not electronic…so we moved on and arrived back at the TA/Start with around 4 other teams who had chosen the opposite direction. It was a quick run through the streets to Ben Bennet Park (Sugarbag Road MTB Trails). At this point I was using my Moscow thumb compass and we managed to get a break on a few teams on the maze of foot trails before arriving at TA1.

Trek Leg 1 - MDWW opted to get this CP last so we had less time with wet and sandy feet.

Leg 2 Kayak - Conditions were perfect - MDWW went anticlockwise!

We had a super quick transition onto the bikes, found the 2 CPs in the Sugarbag Road single tracks relatively quickly, before being stopped in our tracks by a fence near the Bells Creek Arterial Road – our short cut track was not a track…just a boundary line, so it was slow travel. We had fun crossing under the tunnel under the Bruce Highway at CP 6 despite teams around us at the time questioning whether this was the way we had to go! Yep – I said we have been through this one before! We raced off and were now amongst Hells Bells teams who had started 15 minutes before as well as some of the Fairy Bells Teams. Bonus A and Bonus B checkpoints were actually in part of the Glasshouse Mountains National Park, but it was flat, boggy and the track to CP A was under water, so most teams were hiking out and back. We had to remind a few teams bout the 100m rule and the 5m rule at CPs as it was obvious that some team members thought they could just wait with the bikes or just go in part of the way! This was our marked through route to B, so we had to alter our planned course, there were tracks everywhere and it was a bit tricky. I was riding along and then my compass fell off my map board and onto the ground, oh no! I stopped and turned around and just as I saw my compass, someone rode right over it and broke it…well actually smashed it….fluid was leaking out and there was no way this was going to work again ☹ The good news was that this was an old compass, the bad news is that my newer mapboard compass already had broken at GeoQuest and as I had been away in Canada until a week ago had not had a chance to replace it. So, did I have a spare map board compass??? NO ☹

So, I had to revert to using my thumb compass….now this was not easy when trying to ride a sketchy single track from Meridan Tower CP7 to CP8.  Ashild was on fire and so strong on the hike-a-bike and so I just said, you ride in front, so I had more time to be able to use the mapboard and hold onto the bars, brakes and my compass!  Cass was onto it as well, meaning navigating…. but I must admit, I like to know that everything is lining up correctly when I am out on the trails. It sometimes means we might be a bit slower, but we spend less time going the wrong way! The tunnel crossing CP10 saw us holding our bikes us over our heads…. Ashild led the way …...the water was waist deep, but that did not phase us! Back on the single tracks we were in familiar territory on the Ferny Forest trails, but the map and the trails did not always match up so I was struggling without that mapboard compass! We overshot CP11 because the marked fire trail did not exist, but a bit of local knowledge helped us backtrack and not lose more than a few minutes!

MDWW out on Leg 5 Trek

We arrived at TA 2 well before dark, so had plenty of time for Cass and I to mark up the maps for the Rogaine while Nicola and Ashild found our gear tub and started getting the stuff ready. We had 10 CPs to locate on foot, in the Ewen Maddock Dam section of Beerwah State Forest. This was a beautiful scenic twilight trek, the map scale was 1:10000, so distance between CPs seemed so much quicker than we thought. A bit of bush bashing and some good compass bearings, saw us finish the leg in good time and just before dark!

Leg 5 Trek Rogaine - MDWW check their next route

MDWW running the trails

MDWW at CP M

MDWW bush bash through the Ferny Forrest

Ay-Up Lights are worth saving!

By the time we transitioned out of TA 2, it was completely dark, we had our Ay-Up lights on our helmets, handlebars and our head torches in our packs! We have dry shoes and socks, and a few extra layers, which is nice and looking forward to riding through the old rail tunnel in the Dularcha National Park.

Kim checks the map before mounting on the Fibril Map Board - Ay-Ups are on!

Leg 6 MTB - MDWW Ready to head out of TA 2 onto the final bike leg of the race!

As we were riding across the dam wall beside Steve Irwin Way, poor Ash fell into the grass and ended up soaking wet…. not a great way to start a long night leg. After riding through the tunnel, we had a massive climb up Brandenberg Road, so I hoped Ash would warm up! She and Nicola rode that hill, like I was riding backwards…. but hey Ash was now warm!  It was cool riding the Landsborough Maleny Road ridgeline at night through to Mt Mellum. The descent back through the Dularcha National Park on the other side of Ewen Maddock Dam was pretty steep, so despite having great lights, we had to walk a few bits as it was steep and sketchy. We enjoyed riding some of the single tracks on the west side of Ewen Maddock Dam before crossing the Bruce Highway at Aussie World. There was no time to stop and party, so we continued on through the underpass to the Palmview Conservation Park. Now we know that in an adventure race you often have to throw our bike over gates and fences, but this fence was probably out of our league…..so it was a long way around to CP 20 for us! On our way to TA 3 we came across Lauren and her team, she was new to our Tri Adventure group and new to AR, she was concerned that the trail was into private property. This is when prior race knowledge helps, because I remembered the same spot from a previous race, so I could assure her it was okay to travel that way.

We arrived at the TA just as it was getting really cold and foggy, many of the Fairy Bells Teams were out there….we could see their lights….I was having flash backs from a Hells Bells a few years ago….and so was Cass…about swimming through the creek at night and spending way too much time out on a trek in the fog and being freezing! We were both willing that not to be the case this time! Cass and I marked up the maps and we had a pretty quick transition….except I could not find my compass….well it was not in my hand….I had dropped it when marking up the maps….Cass found  it for me 😊 I did have a spare (thumb compass) in my pack.

We opted to do an 'out and back' to W then Y, out and back to Z before tackling X, V and U. We had no trouble at all and in fact we all enjoyed running as it really warmed us up….as we knew we were in for a cold paddle. Back at the TA we had a more complex transition, as we had to now fit our portage wheels and all of our gear to the kayaks. We had packed also extra straps for our feet and for hauling the kayaks on the trolley. We checked out of the TA and headed for the banks of the Mooloolah River….it was more like a creek!

Cass was with Nicola and Ash was with me…. we hopped into the kayaks and started paddling….I could barely see the map…. too much plastic because I had it in the map case…. well, I did not want to lose the map! Next minute we hit a tree…. because I was not steering and looking at the maps and my Ay-Up Lights fall off my head and into the water! Now I couldn’t see the maps at all …. But I could see my lights…. they were under water at the bottom of the river…. shining brightly! There was a strong current taking us in the direction we wanted to travel, but we had to retrieve the lights!  We could touch the bottom with our paddles, so we tried to scoop up the lights…. we tried and tried but it didn't help. Nicola offered to jump in….I said no…they are my lights…. I will have to jump in! But the water temperature was potentially under 10 degrees, we had probably 3 hours of paddling to go and we were all dry and toasty warm with our waterproof pants and jackets on.  So, I decided to strip off down to my socks and get the lights! I walked into the water and used my feet to lift the light up until I could grab it.  Ash helped me at the edge of the water not fall in as I was putting all of my dry clothes back on. Cass then said…hey Kim…. Have you got your lights…. I said yeah…they are on my head! At that point we saw another set of lights in the water shining…. Cass and Nicola tried to get them with their paddles, but then the lights turned off…darkness…. they would be too hard to find now.! We headed off, after I was dressed….I still couldn't see the map…but I had my Ay-Ups!

Do we really need paddles?

Off we went down the river with the flow towards CP 21. I was hoping that we would just see it as I could not see the map, I had a compass…. but it was no use if I could not see. Cass…. who is much younger than me, was trying her best to see and thought we were almost there…. BINGO – CP21. Now we had planned to portage from here, but it did not look like anyone else had…. we paddled on…got to a strainer and thought…. mmm maybe we were meant to get out! We paddled back to CP 21 against the current …. looked at the bank and went nah! So, we negotiated the strainer trying carefully not to tip in and made our way to CP 22. It was not easy to see as it was hidden in a tree…so lucky the girls caught a glance. As we were getting out… Ash almost lost her paddle…. but we saved it! Phew!

This was now our portage with the kayak wheels…that we had strapped onto the kayaks. It looked like about 1.6k. To be honest…we struggled getting the kayak trolley wheels to work with us …. I had the same wheels that I have used in other races…. but not with these particular kayaks. Cass and Nicola were off, yet Ash and I had to stop a few more times. The Cass’s kay trolley had a meltdown and ours followed suit! Maybe it would have been quicker just carrying them???? Who knows??? We got to the North end of Lake Kawana near the entry point when Ash looked at our Kayak and said…. our paddles…we do not have our paddles…. I looked down and went…. Oh no…. I can’t even remember having our paddles. We had a 6k paddle to go and we had no paddles….so we had to turn back and find our paddles! Ash thought she had stashed them up near a tree ‘so they would not fall in the water’ they were still there when we went back…phew!!!

This added about 3k extra to our last paddle leg…. but probably still faster than trying to paddle two double kayaks with just two paddles and 4 people. We enjoyed the end of the paddle as we were really warm from the extra running and opted for the bonus CP C – we got 30 minutes time credit, for 30 minutes of paddling…. now that is not a win win situation, but it meant that we could clear the course. So, this is what the Mountain Designs Wild Women did, we ran the final trek and finished just before sunrise at about 5.30am on Sunday morning….it probably was not our smoothest race…. but we finished all smiling and super satisfied with our efforts and decisions out on the course.

Mountain Designs Wild Women at the finish!

Adventure Racing does not always go to plan and despite how much you plan and prepare for every single contingency a race rarely goes 100% the way you intended. Next time I just have to carry an extra map board compass in my saddle bag (which means I have to remember to buy 2 new ones now) and just work on those back to basics questions like ….have we got our paddles…when we are portaging!

Mountain Designs Wild Women finished Hells Bells - 1^st All-Female Team and 7th overall 

We are so thankful to have the ongoing support of MountainDesigns, Ay Up Lighting Systems, Tri Adventure and Venture Cycles….as you can see having the right gear at the right time is essential! Below is a link to a video created by Harrison Candin for Mountain Designs – it does not feature the Mountain Designs Wild Women but is a great recap of Hells Bells 2024 and an insight into what adventure racing is all about!

Video Clip Hells Bells 2024 - Mountain Designs

Thanks to Chris Dixon and the Wild&Co Team including all the volunteers for helping to make this event such a success! Also thanks to Jan Leverton ARWS Race Referee for giving her time to ensure the event is safe and fair for all. Adventure Racing in Australia is really on the rise so it fantastic to have the CEO of the Adventure Racing World Series (ARWS) Heidi Muller meeting participants and helping out where she was needed. Hells Bells is part of the ARWS Oceania Region. Heidi has signed up for the Tri Adventure Wild Women Adventure Race which is being held on 12 October on the Sunshine Coast. Thanks to Margarete Oti for being out on the course and capturing such stunning images for us to cherish and share.

Women in Sport 
 Jan Leverton - ARWS Referee; Heidi Muller - CEO ARWS; Kim Beckinsale - MD Wild Women

Mountain Designs V Wild Women Rise, despite broken and lost compass!

Mountain Designs V Wild Women - Del, Katy, Kim, Nicola

Well, I must say that I have been a little slow off the mark in completing the 2024 GeoQuest race report for the Mountain Designs V Wild Women. It’s not like I have anything else to do???? Like finish off all of my end of term reports (I am a teacher) and prepare for a trip to Canada to compete in Raid the Rockies, which is a 4-day stage race and a part of the ARWS North America Series.  So now I am writing this report from a beautiful Alpine Chalet in Revelstoke, Canada. So far, we have had snow, snakes and squirrels but no bears…yet!!!!

GeoQuest has to be one of my most favourite events on the AR calendar, because way back when… (yes, I am showing my age here) other than XPD, this event was the most challenging event that the ‘average person’ like me, could sign up to. Obviously 20 years on, there are now many more events on the calendar that are longer and way more extreme, but Mountain Designs GeoQuest still offers us the option to have a support crew.  This means increased exposure of the sport to others, better food at the TA’s and less time in TA’s spent organising gear and more time refueling for the next adventurous leg!  The Mountain Designs V Wild Women had Fiona and Richard Crossley as our support crew and OMG, they were just the best! Richard and Fiona are members of our Tri Adventure Group and race and help as volunteers at many events, so how lucky were we!

Let me introduce the Mountain Designs V Wild Women.

Kim Beckinsale – Kim has been at almost every GeoQuest since 2005

Del Lloyd – Del was racing back then, but this is her first Geo since mid-2000

Nicola Jelenik – Nicola was 2^nd in Premier Mixed 2023, and part of MDWW in 2022

Katy Booth – Katy was embarking on her first GeoQuest and her first ever ‘all through the night event’.

Sporting our Mountain Designs Kit and Hoka Footwear

The Mountain Designs Wild V Women are so grateful for the support from Mountain Designs, so at registration we took the time to get quite a few photos of the amazing Mountain Designs Gear that we would be using during the race.  As the weather forecast leading up to the race had not been great, we knew that we had to be prepared for anything.

The maps did not come out till 4pm and luckily the crew managed to cook dinner, as otherwise it may have been midnight till, I started to boil the spaghetti! Katy on the other hand had woken early that day and prepared a vegetarian delight, so it just had to be heated up…. well, the crew were onto it.

We start to look at the maps!

Map handout is always exciting as the course is revealed. Over the years I have learned not to speculate too much on what the course might be, but just use that energy when we get the maps to plan and prepare for whatever the adventure that awaits.  We had received a logistics planner (aka Schematic in Canada) in advance, so we knew approximate legs and anticipated times, but no actual maps / distances.  So, the team sat around a table planning and organising our route choices for a few hours before dinner was served by the amazing crew!  Spaghetti bolognaise & garlic bread is a GeoQuest pre-event winner for me!  After dinner it was time to do some final gear sorting, so that the crew knew what who was and what was what! (I could spend hours explaining this, but if you race, you would understand…. 4 people, 4 lots of gear for all the legs (trek, bike, paddle).  Luckily, we were starting with a paddle, so we could just have all that stuff ready to go!

Beautiful sunny day for the start of GeoQuest 2024

Race Day 1 0800 - 2400

Ocean Paddle North Haven to Bonny Hills; MTB Jolly Nose to Bago (Winery); Mystery Maze; MTB Comboyne Rock Climb (CP choice) to Swans Crossing; Trek - Swans Crossing; MTB - Lorne to Middle Brother.

We were so lucky that the conditions were perfect for ocean paddling.  There were 2 CPs to collect before heading out the river mouth into the ocean, so we had planned optional routes depending on the current once we started as we knew it was an incoming tide.   We (and most of the field) overshot CP 1, even though I had already seen exactly the spot (I took a bearing and sighted a post which I pointed out to Nicola) and then just paddled past, as that is what the teams in front did (next time I just trust my judgement)!  We chose to take the non-portage option to CP2, which was a paddle upstream against the tide, as we figured it was quicker that trying to carry the kayaks.  This was okay, but then we had trouble finding the CP on a sign, because it was (high and not at the base) as we all tend look low! Lesson learned.  Out on the ocean conditions were perfect until we encountered a bit of wind swell and chop around the Bonny Hills headland.  Katy was out of her comfort zone here, but confident that her team-mates would be able to manage the swell and the landing.  I paddled with Nicola, and we lead the way into shore, timing the sets perfectly. We nailed the landing without capsize, so ready for the MTB to the winery!

Paddling conditions are perfect.

We had a quick transition onto the bikes thanks to the crew and soon we were riding some very muddy trails. Just when we needed to turn, I realised that I had lost my compass!  In fact, it broke off.  The clip on the map board was still there, but the compass part was gone. This was not good, as were headed to a MTB park.  So unfortunately, I took the team on a bit of an off course black diamond run before being able to make any sense of the two maps in front of me.  Katy had not done this before, so a first!!!

We managed to get back on track and get to the winery without too much further delay, other than Del losing her compass on the way.  We did not have time to back track, so just had to rely on any spares that we had packed in our bags pre-event.  Lucky Nicola had brought my old Map Board Compass and between the team we had a few extras.  Here we had a maze trek….. only 2k but very challenging! It took us 33 minutes…no PB’s there as we had trouble finding the flower! It was a great concept and a bit random.  Random is always a part of AR.

The maze!

The next leg was long and had some climbing in addition to some navigational choice.  We needed to find 2 of 4 CPs between CP 13 and 14.  It was too hard to decide before we left the TA, so the entire ride to CP13 I was just trying to look at the map and calculate distance and contours between route options. By the time we reached CP 13 we still we undecided, so decided to look at the quality of a track as we passed it.  It was grassy and not ‘awesome’ so we went for the shorter route, with potentially more climbing, but hopefully better trails….and an option to go past a third CP if we could not find the 2^nd. Our strategy worked perfectly as we had a great ride downhill on our way out to CP 14, (and we had the fastest time of the entire field for this section of the race). The hike-a-bike up to the viewpoint at Mt Comboyne was hard, but we have done harder. So we punched up and enjoyed the long descent into the TA at Swans Crossing. 

Nicola leads her way!

Here we meet the crew, and they had some awesome hot soup for us before we set off on the trek.  It was navigationally challenging but as a group, we worked well and did not spend too much time on anything. We did have 2 attacks at CPJ, and we probably spent a bit too much time on the other side of the creek looking for a track enroute to CP K…. but it was just really on the creek as was the CP…. right above Nicola’s head. On this trek we spent a bit of time with Team 8 is GREAT! Back at the TA we were rewarded with more food, cheese toasties, hot coffee….and more, as we had a long ride to the next TA before a BIG trek!  On the way Del encountered a flat tyre, which we (Nicola) put a plug in and then Nicola’s derailleur had a spack attack which we both fixed with zip ties and made it to the TA.  By the way…. Katy and Nicola did do some towing of Del and I on this leg and the previous leg and this really helped us to always move as a team together.  Thanks so much you two!

Race Day 2 -0000 – 1600

Trek – Middle Brother; Paddle – Camden Haven to Queens Lake; Trek – North Brother to Finish

We arrived at the TA at some hour…I have no idea really whether it was before or after midnight, but thing it was well into day 2 and we had made it despite two mechanicals! The trek was 30k and could take a while, so we fuelled up and carried enough for a long night.  This leg ended up being awesome, we hiked into the big Fella Gum and then up and up on trails, got a bit bamboozled as did a few other teams around us when on the road, a marked road was not there…but a quick return to point last known, was perfect.  The leg involved for us some bush bashing / off track navigation which we used to get a bit of an advantage on some of the teams around us. After finding CP 22 on the trek, we knew it was just a short walk to the point where we would meet the crew, for a car transport to the start of the final paddle.

The sun had just started to rise as we finished the trek and were heading to the TA, it was chilly but not unbearable.  Richard had driven us to the TA where Fiona had cooked up a storm, we had eggs on bread and hot coffee to get us warm before a big 30k paddle.  Katy had never paddled that far before so was probably dreading this, but the sun was shining, and it was looking like a beautiful day.

This leg despite being long, was actually my favourite part of the race, because the conditions were just so perfect, and we were able to see so much of the beautiful North Haven area and the North Brother, that we had to hike up to finish the race, was always in our sights. I also loved the challenge of having to use compass bearings to locate the CPs across the lake sections…. I think we set a great pace and made good decisions.

One of our Transition buffets!

Time to go now, Kim looks at the map!

Upon arrival at the Final TA, we knew that Team 8 is GREAT, were chasing us down, but had no idea that we were catching Team 10 ‘3 People on Contract’. They were in 2^nd place, and we were in 3^rd…. we could not believe it! So, after some hot soup supplied by the crew (it was actually warm, but we had requested as we thought we would be freezing at this point) we were hurried out of the TA and onto the final trek.  Nicola and Katy were absolute powerhouses on this leg! Katy towed Del and her pack and I jumped onto Nicola’s tow as well.  They were on fire, and we just wanted to stay in front of team 8 to secure a spot on the podium. On our way up to the top of the North Brother, we did not see team 10 on their way back, so too far in front to catch, and on our way back down we did not see ‘team 8 is great’ so we enjoyed the run down the hill! Now just two CPs on the way to the finish.  We found these with ease and at CP35 did a bit of a high five before enjoying the run to the finish line in 3^rd place overall! Yes outright, ahead of all the male only  teams all bar the top two very credible mixed teams - Thunderbolt AR (1) and 3 People on Contract (10)

Run to the finish!

This was the first time that a women’s team has ever finished on the podium in this event, but unfortunately, we (women) do not really get the recognition for this, so how lucky are we to have the support of Mountain Designs who have been supporting us and our journey for such a long time!

To all the women out there, keep on having a go at the impossible.  I am 56 and this is something I would never have thought possible when I was 18 or 25 or 35…... but something happens after 40…. You just don’t want to stop if you don’t have to! So, rise up and make the most of your next adventure!

 

Finish line hugs!

.....and champagne!

A huge thank you to Chris Dixon from Wild & Co the team of officials and volunteers for the adventure and key event sponsors such as Mountain Designs, Trail Brew and Squirt. Margarie Oti and Emanuel from TerraFilms for being out on the course taking so many amazing photos and videos, so we have some memories to look back over in years to come.

We also are so grateful to our sponsors - Mountain Designs, Tri Adventure, AyUp Lighting Systems, Footmotion Noosa and Venture Cycles who continue to support the us and provide reliable gear and equipment.

Mountain Designs have a huge range of gear and equipment and have been supporting this event Geoquest for over 20 years, so please support them by checking out their online range of gear and adding it to your wish list of your next adventure. Here are some favourites from the Mountain Designs V Wild Women:-

 Women’s Stratus Hooded Rain Jacket – superlight, waterproof, comfortable

https://www.mountaindesigns.com/womens-clothing/womens-jackets-vests/womens-rain-jackets/womens-stratus-hooded-rain-jacket/BP90185050-black

Women’s vapour ½ Zip Pullover – superlight and great arm protection

https://www.mountaindesigns.com/womens-clothing/womens-tops/womens-tops-pullovers/womens-vapour-half-zip-pullover/BP90210514-black

Women’s Merino Thermal Tops & Pants

https://www.mountaindesigns.com/womens-clothing/womens-thermals/womens-merino-thermals

Unisex Light Hiking Coolmax Socks

https://www.mountaindesigns.com/footwear/mens-footwear/mens-socks/unisex-light-hike-coolmax-socks/BP90147017-black-charcoal

Expedition 120l Duffle Bag

https://www.mountaindesigns.com/equipment/packs-bags/duffle-bags/expedition-120l-duffle/BP90140987-black

Mountain Designs V Wild Women with our crew - Richard and Fiona

 

Rogue Raid 2024 – Mud, Mangroves and a touch of Sunshine for the Mountain Designs Wild Women

Mountain Designs Wild Women Kim and Nicola teamed up for the 2024 Rogue Raid based at Donnybrook.  Given the weather in the days and weeks preceding the event, we knew that there was going to be plenty of mud out on the trails and having raced in the area before we knew also that when the tide goes out the entire area turns to mudflats, so mud was going to be unavoidable.  The weather forecast was not awesome either with no sun and plenty of rain on the radar predicted….so we were in for a real adventure for sure!

With the Rogue Raid being a points-based event, all checkpoints were optional, including 8 stages, 86 check points; with an opportunity to complete 28-64km of kayaking, up to 45km of trekking and 36-128km of mountain biking.  The course was also cloverleaf style, meaning that we would come back through HQ multiple times. There was plenty of time before the start to try to plan a strategy, which we made the most of as we had also to consider tide times, current conditions, and course cutoffs as we poured over the 7 maps. We could have decided to spend more time on the bike as that is our strength, but it did not turn out that way.  Our basic plan was to spend enough time on Stage 1 Paddle (outgoing mid tide) and Stage 2 Trek, so that we would not have to paddle back at low tide. Then we noticed that there were good points available on Stage 7 Paddle and Stage 8 Trek that were worth being back, for so we set ourselves a time to be back at HQ for 5.30am. So, the time we would spend on the bike, was determined by how long it would take on the bike to get from HQ (after the first 3 stages) to TA2; we would then work out the maximum time we could spend on the trek and leave enough time to get back to HQ from TA2 on the bike again.  So, we highlighted some CPs on the map that we definitely wanted to get, planned a rough course and left ourselves plenty of options to add or drop checkpoints.  We had an option to bring a kayak trolley for the paddle, and I am so glad that I brought it to the event and then decided to take them with us on the first paddle.

Maps and course planning - need glasses to see the map!

Kim and Nicola - ready to race!

Off we go.... run to the paddle 

Three hours of planning time was over in a flash and soon we were on the start line ready for the 10.00am start.  Nicola and I were in the lead for about 200m…. we certainly did not think we should be leading…… it was not long before we were overtaken.  Stages 1,2, and 3 took us well over 8 hours and into the darkness. We were going so well on the kayak we decided to go for the big points – CP4 (90 points) – it ended up being a mud drag and potentially not worth the time and effort, but we persisted, and it was definitely an advantage to be lightweight. So, we were mixing it up with most of the usual AR teams at the pointy end dragging our kayaks up a muddy creek and surprisingly in front of some until Nicola realised my paddle was missing….. yep up s#!*t creek without a paddle! So we both ran back to find it. Nicola found it stuck in the mud where we had left the main channel where earlier we had been dragging the kayak through mud and mangroves.  After rejoining our kayak we had to try to cross a road without getting hit by a car…phew we survived only to find we had chosen the wrong side of the canal to re enter and had to somehow get the kayak down a 2 metre embankment onto oyster clad rocks.  We survived that too! Upon arrival at TA1 we had so far cleared the course 😊 Stage 2 was a beach trek at the southern end of Bribie Island. I remembered some of the area from the 2023 Wildfire Raid. We had not planned to clear the stage, but once we were out there and it was flat and fast travel we decided on doing a few extra bush-bashes, avoid a swim near CP17 and make the most of our fresh legs. We arrived back at the TA just in time for a sunset paddle back to HQ.  We were delighted to see dolphins and just as it got dark we had fish jumping  everywhere around us….and into the kayak!  It was getting cool, so we enjoyed a fast paddle back to HQ sticking to our planned course, dropping 4 CPs (110 points). We were so glad we had a trolley as the portage was quick and easy.

Trek on Bribie Island

Refilling bladder before paddle back

Securing trolley wheels onto the back of the kayak!

Off we go on Stage 3 - The sun set paddle on high tide!

We left HQ at around 8.00pm to embark on Stage 4,5 and 6 with a loose plan to be back by 5.30am. Oh, I forgot to mention the sun did not shine all day and it had been drizzly most of the time and as we started riding….the rain got heavier…just as we ventured off the tar and into the trails. Oh yeah, it was wet, muddy and super slippery out there, but we spun our way through the maze of trails and managed to clear all of the CPs on the stage.  It took us about 2hrs 30, so we then thought well we will need that amount of time to get back. TA 2 was at Beerburrum and it was time for a trek in the glasshouse mountains. Thanks to all of the volunteers who provided the all night café, we passed on the sausages before we headed out on the trek, but knew they would be just what we would want on return.  We planned an ambitious route up Mt Beerburrum then the  Yul-Yan-Man Trail to CP41 because it was 80 points and then across of the top, to come back to the south via CP37 and CP 42. We left at 11am and attacked Mt Beerburrum first it was steep and slippery on the concrete track, but so much easier on the way down, we thought of a bush bash shortcut, but opted out when we saw how steep it was. Nicola was  so quick and nimble on her feet, I asked her to go in front and look for the trail, so I could concentrate on the map and where we were…..the Yul-Yan-Man trail was rocky and slippery and extremely slow, it took us less that 30 minutes to go up Mt Beerburrum, but 1 hour to get from the start of the trail to CP40 so 1km/hr.  I had a bit of a dodgy knee and had already had a few close calls, but when I fell quite hard and really hurt it, I said to Nicola we may need to bail out after CP43 and run back around on the lower trail. We came across the Alpine Avengers as we travelled from CP 44 to CP 43 and then Cass and Nathan as they were making their way back up to the track. So we said our hi’s and bye’s then tried to get out of there. The creek line was so very slippery it was more like ice skating on rocks. We made it down to the lower trail and somehow I could run…..so I just spent the rest of the night chasing down Nicola…who was on fire! So we ended up running about another 10km collecting CP42 (which we had to attack a few times after missing the creek junction) CP 47 (big bush bash out as the trails to the south of the creek were overgrown) and CP48 (had to back track because trails were overgrown on our route out) before heading back to the TA for our well earned sausages. So far it had not rained heavily, so we were not too cold. We checked in with Fiona Crossley who was manning TA2, scoffed down 2 sausages and set off at around 3.15am (just 15 mins later than planned. We had planned a definite 7 CPs on the way home, but because the travel was so fast compared to the previous mountain bike stage, we opted after collecting CPs 58, 59 and 68 to get CP 67 as well. We came a bit unstuck after this as not only had it started pouring rain and we had had to put jackets on…. we were also a bit confused as to where we were. We came across Gary Palmer and his team ‘Yeah the Chatter’ and they said they were also confused but thought they were almost at CP 70. Oh, really we said…. well that means we must have gone through the OOB. So we went to 70 and thus were 100% aware where we were and also that we had gone OOB, so I said to Nicola, we have to go back to where we think we went wrong and come back again to 70 before proceeding on the course to avoid penalty, because it was not our intention to gain an advantage, but what we had done was a shortcut. So, we backtracked out and back to 70 before hammering back to HQ (Nicola was on the front setting the pace and I was just hanging on) collecting CPs 69, 72 and 73 along the way, arriving just 10 minutes after out 5.30am plan.  

Stage 5 Trek - Not too bad with the navigation I suppose!

 Realised we had gone OOB, so back to the corner where we thought we went wrong! Not far enough!

HQ was surprisingly quiet at dawn, there were most of the kayaks sitting there ready for stage 7 paddle, a few officials manning the check in desk and Chis & Sarah Dixon (Wild & Co) sitting on the stairs, procrastinating!  We transitioned quickly and portaged our kayak to the water having a chat to Chris and Sarah along the way.  We were not sure if we had enough time to clear the stage but knew that we would have to be back by 8.45 to give us a chance to clear the final stage trek. (This was ideal as there were some good points available). Anyway, off we set heading north first as there seemed to be more points up for grabs, but we did not really think about the current. The main bonus was it was now light (so no need for lights) and it was high tide. We travelled clockwise collecting CPs 77, 80, 81, 82 then had to paddle against the tide to CPs 78 and 76. I was timing our travel along the way and calculated that we had time to get CP 75 and 77 (clear the stage), so that’s what we did and guess what….. the sun came out and there was a bit of blue sky, making it that little bit more enjoyable.  I think Nicola could not wait to get out of the kayak by this stage, as we had done so much paddling, but it was worth it.  We set up the portage wheels quickly and manage to get back to HQ for the final stage around 8.40am.  There was no time for chatting and we set off on foot to the north to get CP85 and 84 first as they were the higher scoring CPs. We bush bashed from CP 85 to CP84 and think it was a bit quicker than the run around on the trails. We came across Thought Sports and Alpine Avengers as were on our way to collect the final 2 CPs on the course…... there was a battle going on there! It was only 3.5 k to go but it was hard after being out all night, but Nicola was just once again out in front setting a good pace. We finished with 15 minutes to spare and were totally satisfied with our efforts. Finishing right up there in points against some of the best adventure racers and rogainers in the country.

Mountain Designs Wild Women - Rogue Raid 2024 - Our GPX Course

Thanks to Liam St Pierre and his team of officials and volunteers for providing us with another great strategic adventure, it was fantastic to see so many teams out there despite the weather conditions, supporting the event; especially all our Tri Adventure group whether racing or volunteering, you just put a big smile on my face every time 😊

Finally, thanks to Nicola for teaming up with me and representing the Mountain Designs Wild Women once again, you were so strong and so amazing for the entire 24 hours. I look forward so much to teaming up with you, Del Lloyd and our newest Wild Women Katy Booth for Mountain Designs Geoquest, where we have entered two Mountain Designs Wild Women Teams for the first time.

Just a little shout out to our sponsors and supporters:

Mountain Designs, Tri Adventure, Ay Up lighting Systems, Venture Cycles and Foot Motion Noosa as not only do they support us, but also the sport of Adventure Racing.

Photo Credit - Rogue Adventures - Margarete Oti

Mountain Designs Wild Women - The first ever all-women's team to win an ARWS Expedition Adventure Race

This is an insight into the Mountain Designs Wild Women and how as a team they became the first ever all women’s team in the world to win an ARWS expedition length adventure race - ARWS Legend XPD 2024! Yes, this group of 4 strong and capable, yet ordinary women have achieved what many in the sport once thought was unachievable! In our previous blog, we provided 10 simple explanations as to how this was achieved.....this is the expanded version with a few race highlights!

Mountain Designs Wild Women - Kim, Cass, Alina Del.

 Each member of the team has been racing for many years and have many years of experience in the sport, in fact we worked out more than 78 years.

So, we put this experience to the test in the race when Alina and Kim both got sick in the early stages of the race. Alina was seasick on the paddle (she forgot that she gets seasick) and Kim suddenly became ill on the 2^nd bike leg (Leg 5) less than 12 hours into the race. Because of our experience, we did not panic, so on the paddle we slowed, worked as a team and Kim kept paddling while Alina was ‘feeding the fish’ then on the following Trek, Del looked after Alina while Kim and Cass concentrated on finding the CP’s. 2.

Start of Legend XPD - Apollo Bay 10.30am Sunday 25 February 2024

Picture perfect day on the water for the start - the big swell has eased!

Mountain Designs Wild Women get off to a great start in perfect conditions!

Our youngest member of the team is over 40 and has at least 10 years of AR experience and our oldest is 56 – age is no barrier!

This event ended up being much shorter than we had anticipated, thus the potential for the need to be super-fast and efficient, was probably not in our favour. So, when up against strong, young fit teams, we have to call upon all that experience and not even think about age or gender, we just go out and get the job done.

Leg 2 - Trek along the coastline from Kennet River to Jamiesons Creek

Kim loves running on the rocks....brings back memories from the Lorne Anaconda & Keen Races.

Mountain Designs Wild Women lead the race heading into TA 2

Each member of the team has completed in, and finished, expedition length adventure races before in both mixed teams and women teams.

While our transitions have been identified as an area where the team can improve, the transitions from paddle to trek and then trek to bike and then bike to trek and then trek to bike were pretty quick, so this is partially why the Mountain Designs Wild Women did manage to get that early lead in the race, with expert navigation on the 1^st trek (Leg 2) and super quick transitions – because we have competed in plenty of AR events before where you have to pack and unpack your bikes, we were able to make smart wise choices and get out of the transition areas before the other teams saw us.

Go Pro Footage - All smiles at CP 3 - Leg 5 MTB - Start of the Great Ocean Road 

All the team members can navigate, and we share the role throughout the race.

When Kim’s physical state spiralled into a state of uncontrollable shaking on the Mountain bike, the rest of the team did the right thing, stopped, and rested (had a 45-minute sleep) and made sure Kim was comfortable. Then after Kim had a big loud spew (according to Del it was pretty loud) she was up and ready to go. But once again due to the experience of the team, they were not phased, and Alina then took on the 2nd navigator role in the team and Del ensured that Kim did not have to do too much work by carrying her gear for the rest of that leg and the next leg. Upon arrival in Forrest where the team chose to MTB again instead of TREK (there was a choice of order) again it was the experience that helped the team make this choice. The teams that had passed by during the night while the Wild Women were sleeping had all decided to take on the on the MTB first, so for the Forrest MTB trail Rogaine – Alina went to the front and had a ball! We did not leave Forrest after the MTB / TREK in front, but there was no panic, we looked after ourselves by enjoying a pie and coffee at the local café…. much better than a dehydrated meal.

Three of the four team members are mums with children ranging from 14 down to 3 years of age so they have excellent juggling skills, and the other is not a mum but a teacher, so we all just understand each other!

Kim was feeling better so was back on the maps with the navigation for the next bike leg, but instead of fanging it out of there the team just moved along efficiently, single file trying to make sure that no one person was doing too much work. When we passed team 8 looking for CP 13 (in the wrong place) we all had a quiet smile and a chat amongst ourselves and thought, wow – wonder if we are back in front now??? The transition onto the paddle was probably not our quickest, so we did give away a bit of time to the boys who were chasing us for the entire paddle down the Gellibrand River. This was a stunning paddle, and we were pretty excited to see a Fairy Penguin –yes really….it swam beside the kayak and danced in front of our eyes.

There are no egos out there, we just dig deep and get the job done when faced with challenging situations.

The kayak legs were the most challenging, at the end of the Gellibrand paddle we had a compulsory portage over a bridge, this is where you must carry your kayaks and all the gear. This was hard but we just worked as a team, and got the job done. Then on the next paddle, yes that now famous mud drag paddle – at Aire River we executed this again.

Nearing the end of the Gellibrand River - no one believed us that we saw Fairy Penguins

Kim and Alina portage the kayak...Cass and Del are way in front.... oh to be 10 years younger!

Del is on fire, so she runs back to get the bags......yep she's 10 years younger!

Our team captain is a quiet achiever who leads the team with diplomacy and the utmost integrity, so we have this super safe and supportive bubble to lift and carry us from the start to the finish.

So, when it comes to rules, Kim is a stickler for making sure everyone does the right thing, not that anyone would deliberately do differently, sometimes if you don’t think or are not aware you can make a mistake and receive a penalty. As so as it became apparent on the kayak in Leg 11 that there was little or no water to paddle in, Kim reminded the team that we would have to always drag the kayaks with us and them within 25m of us and despite this seeming to be an impossible feat, we proved that anything is possible if you just put your mind to it.

Live tracking showed MDWW (1) got all of the CP's on the paddle and MMI (8) did not!

We have women in the team with different personalities, so without even thinking, we have managed to implement the 6 thinking hats process and we can jump from one to the other seamlessly!  White – facts; Yellow – positives; Black – risks & difficulties: red – feelings & intuition; green – possibilities & alternatives; blue – keeps the group under control.

The Mountain Designs Wild women know each other well and each team member brings to each event a different set of skills and abilities, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, and we are well aware of those, but it is what we can do out on the course to maximise our strengths and weaknesses is what helps the team to keep moving forward and minimising any mistakes. For instance, Kim suggested that Alina navigate Leg 10 the 12 Apostles MTB / Trek, because she is a good lateral thinker, Del was obviously the strongest on the bike, so every time we were on the bitumen, she would just jump in front, and we would all try to hang on. Cass the quiet achiever is always there thinking too, and she can put forward some great ideas and solutions whenever the need arises. 

The 12 Apostles on Sunset - we missed the sunset but this what it looked like, we just had to imagine!

So, when faced with a mud drag that was seemingly impossible, we just go on with it and worked out solutions to make the job faster easier and more efficient. This proved to be the crux of the race, as the chasing team did not think they could ‘drag their kayaks through the mud’ so missed 2 CP’s. The Wild Women were totally shocked to see Team 8 MMI pull up beside them when they pulled into the final TA of the event at the end of that paddle, but soon became clear that the Wild Women had so far cleared the course and Team 8 MMI had not.

The fun factor is a huge part of what we take out on the course with us – we know we are going to have to suffer at times, so being able to do sing a little song, or do a little dance and name a new day….’Wild Wednesday’ keeps those spirits running high.

We have heaps of fun out there always and enjoy playing little fun games when we are trying to keep the sleep monsters at bay. We also enjoy seeing other teams out on course and are spurred on by the thought of competition. As an all-women’s team we were never eligible for the major prize as in Adventure racing the ‘Premier Category is Mixed’ so the biggest battle in this race was between two teams who were both just racing for the honour of just doing the best they could do. So, there was definitely a bit of healthy banter out there between the Mountain Designs Wild Women and MMI. They would have been able to hear us from a mile away when we passed them while they were sleeping – we were singing and laughing just to try and stay awake and get our tired and exhausted legs all the way to the finish line. Wild Wednesday was the wildest day ever!

Go Pro Footage - 48k Trek - High up on the hills in the Otways - over 2000m of elevation on this leg.

Go Pro Footage - Alina forgot to pack a cap, so fashioned one out of a buff and a foil wrapper

Go Pro Footage - all smiles after punching the last CP on the final trek.....just go to get to the finish!

We love and respect nature and the environment - so we are out there searching for cool stuff that without being in this sport, we would never get to see.

The Legend XPD course produced by Chris Dixon and the Wild&Co team, was so amazing and there were so many spectacular parts of the race that we now have etched in our memories. The ocean paddle was just stunning and the views along the great ocean road at various times through the race, was just so captivating. The fact that you can just immerse yourself in nature and hang out with some of your best buddies is what makes the sport of AR so special but different to any other.  This is why the Mountain Designs Wild Women are still out there racing!

Go Pro Footage - we saw these amazing tree ferns on the final trek along the Great Ocean Walk

Go Pro Footage - It's Wild Wednesday and 'here comes the sun'

The long hard slog to the finish line, hoping the finish line adrenaline to kick in soon!

The finish is just a few steps away and the reality starts to sink in!

‘Anything is possible in this world’ – Icehouse – Code Blue Album 1990

Mountain Designs Wild Women - Historical win at Legend XPD 2024

Mountain Designs Wild Women - in recovery on the couch!

Post Event Presentations - with Chris Dixon - Race Director 

Mountain Designs Wild Women - Kim, Del and Alina with CEO of the ARWS Heidi Muller

Mountain Designs Wild Women 

Kim Beckinsale – Queensland - 56

Alina Mc Master – Canberra - 55

Del Lloyd – Victoria - 44

Cass Kimlin – Queensland - 42

 "Adventure Racing is certainly not for everyone, but if you love the outdoors, love nature, love maps and challenging yourself climbing mountains, then there is nothing stopping anyone from achieving something remarkable in their lives. Age is no barrier - anything is possible!”

Kim Beckinsale Mountain Designs Wild Women – Born of the Mountains

Photo Credit - Wild&Co Facebook - Margarete Oti - margareteoti.com

If you have enjoyed reading this blog, well here are a few extra links that may be of interest if you are thinking of taking on and expedition adventure race and or in fact just signing up to something really small to get you started...... after the race we were interviewed by Brian Gatens from the Darkzone Podcast and by Stephanie and Abbie from the Women of AR. If you want to listen, click on the links below!

DarkZone: An Adventure Racing Podcast - Mountain Designs Wild Women - Winners of Legend XPD

Women of AR Legend XPD Debrief with Mountain Designs Wild Women

Kim has also put together a short video of our race and shared via the triadventure1 You Tube Channel 1, so here is the link if you have a spare 20 minutes or so.....spoiler alert.....it does show some footage of the kayak mud drag.

Mountain Designs Wild Women - Legend XPD 2024 - You Tube

So what do the Mountain Designs Wild Women do after a race??? Why not just go and jump in that great big ocean and go back and spend some time exploring some of the course highlights!

Thanks to Morgan from MMI for taking all of these pics on my phone! 

We tried to run to the water!

It was more like a hobble!

Ready for the cold therapy!

 Mountain Designs Wild Women - trying to wash off the mud from our jerseys!

Photo Credit - Margarete Otti- Chris, Heidi, Di, Kim, Jan (RD;CEO;Logistics;MDWW;Referee) 

Photo credit Margarette Otti - Kim, Jan, Heidi, Chris, Di

Photo Credit Margarette Otti - The Legend XPD 2024 - Nothing but iconic!