Mountain Designs go totally wild in the GeoQuest! Celebrating 25 Years

Teams had been speculating about what this course might entail course for around 15 months after the cancellation (twice) of the 2025 event and the postponement of the June event, so finally we made it to Forster and the weather was looking ‘almost’ perfect to tackle the final GeoQuest and in its current location / format / time of year. GeoQuest has been the longest running event in Australia (since 2002) and has traditionally been held on the NSW Coast from South of Sydney to as far north as near Evans Head NSW. 

Here’s what the Race Director had to say before the event 

https://www.wldnco.com/news-articles/mountain-designs-geoquest-ready-to-race-on-the-barrington-coast

We could not resist a dip in the ocean at Forster before registration

 

GEOQUEST TEAM

Team Captain Kim Beckinsale, Nicola Jelenik, Ashild Krige and for the first time with the Mountain Designs Wild Women – Deanna Blegg. Kim and Deanna used to race head-to-head against each other back when the Anaconda Adventure Race Series was a national series with events in Qld, NSW, Victoria and WA, so both were looking forward to this opportunity to learn from each other. Yes, one of the benefits of adventure racing being a team sport, is that with racing comes experience and when you race with others you get to pick up many tips whether it be about nutrition, navigation, team strategy, maps and course planning ….and the list goes on! So thanks Deanna for stepping in at short notice.

Kim, Ashild, Deanna lifting up Nicola

Kim was backing up from X Marathon – ARWS Oceania event just a few weeks back where she teamed up with another Mountain Designs Wild Women recruit – Shelly Bambrook. Extreme heat and dry conditions at that event caused a total fire ban / closing part of the course for the day, so the event was turned into a stage race, with the paddle on Day 1 and the Trek / Bike Trek starting the next day at midnight…. The Mountain Designs Wild Women finished 5^th overall and 1^st all-female team. The shorter format and opportunity for better nutrition and rest time between stages, meant recovery would be better! Kim was excited about finally getting to paddle the Barrington River again. Kim first paddled this river in her first ‘off road’ multisport race ‘Gloucester Mountain Man’ back in 2000.

Kim & Shelly

Ashild was just back from an extended overseas trip and also looking forward to paddling on the Barrington River. This event was originally scheduled for before expedition Canada ARWS World Championships 2025, so was set to be the ‘first white water’ paddle in an event for Ashild, but due to the cancellation her first white water experience was in the middle of Expedition Canada – she loved it so much, she went back to Canada for Raid the Rockies earlier this year, and she definitely go her fix of white water.

Ashild in the mountains at Raid the Rockies

Nicola actually spent the week before the event on a 5-day hike in Northern NSW, (with some of the Wild Women not racing )…. Probably not the ideal pre-race freshening activity….. but this was planned prior to the change of date, so not to be missed either. Nicola was up for the challenge, so prior to the event, she had to get gear for two big adventures and rendezvous with Ashild on the highway.

 

Nicola (top right) with MDWW (Gina, Amie, Ali) on hike in NSW

SUPPORT CREW

We can’t thank Mitchell Krome and Greg Krome enough for taking on the role of Support crew for the event. Mitchell stepped in for his mum Michelle, when the earlier 2026 date was changed to September, so he backed up from a concert in Brisbane Thursday night, and Greg came down all the way from Hervey Bay. Greg and Mitchell have both supported teams before but not the MD Wild Women 😊 😊 I think they knew what they were in for???

Link to Live Tracking from Mountain Designs GeoQuest – here you can replay each team and their route travelled. https://wildnco.tracktherace.com/en/6281/players/353030/bib

The Mountain

 Designs Wild Women were Team 57

Mountain Designs Wild Women at the Start

RACE HIGHLIGHTS

Kim

So glad we were able to paddle the Barrington River in daylight and in relatively warm conditions, it made the paddle super fun! Ashild was a machine every time we had to get out of the kayak and go over rocks – I was literally just hobbling to keep up!

This was the most challenging navigation that we have had in a Wild & Co GeoQuest event to date. All of the paddle checkpoints were off the main part of the river, so you had to use the map and compass the entire way, which is not that easy when you are also looking at the water flow ahead trying to readd the rapids!

The first trek was short, but a warmup for the big trek with tracks barely there and totally overgrown, it was too hot to wear my O-pants, so legs got a bit trashed.

Wild Women had a big adventure on the 2^nd bike leg. Ashild and I were on the maps and working together really well. There were some very serious hills, I felt a bit ordinary after the trek once we started on the climbs – a combination of coke and macadamia nuts did not sit well in my tummy. Some time after midnight ….. always the way ….. things got a bit funky! After CP14, two trails which were our route options were totally overgrown, so we had to keep going on the ‘long way around’. Then we noticed that there was another option ‘and the trail was there’ so we took it! It was great until it wasn’t….. we had to then decide go back or be wild adventurous and just bush bash down an overgrown track – we were over 3k from the CP! In hindsight the long way around would have been faster even if we backtracked, but we were excited to get through to CP 15 with a bit of teamwork with Team Wicking through the Marshes.

Off the bike 'finally' ready for the trek!

My favourite part of the course however was the big trek – our poor support crew had been waiting for us for hours to arrive at the TA, but because we were having too much fun with our bikes in the bush it took us ages to arrive! Sorry ☹ We were in great spirits and made sure we were well prepared and well fueled for some wild navigation. Yes, plenty of bush bashing as many of the trails were barely there or non-existent – making the ability to ‘travel along spurs’ very important – just as RD Chris Dixon had said in the briefing! We shared the navigation, Kim handing the maps to Nicola so she and Deanna could lead. It was great to relax and just focus on other jobs for a bit. We managed to go from 5^th to 2^nd on the trek after we chose to travel along an unmarked track, which just happened to travel on a spur almost the way to the final trek CP. Now it was game on…. The MD Wild Women were on track for a podium finish!

Yellow is our planned route - Blue is the unmarked track on the spur we followed to CP J 

I felt the most challenging part of the course for us was the final paddle, we started off hot ‘so not that many layers on’ and after about an hour it got dark and wet and windy – not a great combination when your paddle speed drops because you are trying to find a CP in the dark and you left your glasses back at the TA. We had to make a stop and add extra layers otherwise we would have been hypothermic – in fact Deanna and Ashild were on the verge! Best plan ever though as then we just continued on with careful navigation and excellent communication between Deanna and I who were both on the maps. Interestingly the Meerkats were paddling along in ‘stealth’ no glow sticks, no lights but they were moving fast and it seemed like every time we arrived at a CP for the remainder of the paddle; they would appear from nowhere! 

Adrenalin fueled sprint finish! At the final CP22 we had just passed Wild Flow Tiger – so now in 4^th, then we saw the Meerkats who were 3^rd. Thanks Ashild for taking my pack, so I could take of my jacket and keep up, thanks Deanna for taking the lead here and getting us back in front and thanks Nicola for that little smile and giggle along the way, when we decided to ramp up our speed and take on the Meerkats! It was a 2k sprint and somehow, we just ran ‘like our former selves’ outsprinted the boys and finished on the podium! Girls this was just awesome – so proud of our team how we used our strengths to our advantage and had a great fun race too!

Here’s what the girls had to say about the race!

Ashild

My favourite leg was the first paddle through the beautiful Barrington River. I also loved the hike to the top of the hill in that gorgeous pre-sunset light. But I think the biggest smile on my face came as we headed back down the mountain with the boys, pushing our bikes through the grass, with all our wet brake discs singing like a choir after that epic bike and hike-a-bike section!

I also loved doing a race where we were submerged out in the bush again, with hardly any travel through built-up areas. The teamwork was another highlight. We worked together so naturally, respectfully and thoughtfully. It just worked. And the variety of weather made it even more memorable: sunshine and heat, a full moon, mist, fog, drizzle, rain and sideways wind. Always positive

Something I’ve thought about for a while, and this race confirmed, is that helping someone else can bring out strength you didn’t know you had left. When you’re hurting and think you have little to give, you notice a teammate who’s having a tougher time and could use a hand. You take some of their gear or give them a tow, and somehow that extra effort doesn’t slow you down, but gives you a purpose, energy and determination to just keep going. I love how empowering and purposeful that feels.

 

MD Wild Women on the Barrington River

Deanna

I had the opportunity to race with Mountain Designs Wild Women - Adventure Racing Team Kim Beckinsale, Åshild Krige Nicola Jelinek and Super Support Greg Krome and Mitchell Krome

Thanks Chris Dixon and the Wild & Co team for putting on a challenging event with many surprises on course. Not everything was as it seemed.

There is something about an event that throws you completely out of your comfort zone and deep into a space that both challenges and elates you.

A time and place you simply wouldn’t choose to go on your own — or even with your friends. GeoQuest did that, time and time again.

For example- When would you ever mountain bike down a track that wasn’t really a track at all, covered in lantana and unfamiliar subtropical flora (coming from Victoria) — and in the middle of the night?

I can’t say that was my highlight!

X (track not there) Yellow (the long route) Blue (our bush bash as trail stopped)

For me, the highlight was having complete faith in our Mountain Designs Wild Women team — Kim, Ashild and Nicola — and heading off at dusk with a storm brewing, knowing we had tricky navigation ahead and large sections of open water to tackle.

This is something I simply wouldn’t do in my day-to-day life. It’s so easy to say no before you even begin. But that’s what this event does. It forces you into these situations. You have to do it. And the rewards are there.

Darkness. Horizontal rain. Wind. Limited vision. Cold, cold, stop and change, warm again.

Then we turn our head torches off.

Our eyes adjust to the glowing darkness, and somehow, a calm evolves from the chaos. We can see the water and the land masses. We settle into the navigation and hone in on our course.

Four strong women, paddling purposefully through the storm.

Picking up checkpoints. Moving with purpose. Working together.

On a dark, stormy night, this was exactly where I wanted to be.

Mountain Designs Wild Women set off on the final paddle!

Greg and Mitchell. What can I say. What a support crew! Everything we needed and nothing we didn’t. It was so nice to finish a leg and see your smiles and excited faces. Gear all set up. Yummy hot food, and to then pack away the chaos when we left and still keep all our gear in order, so amazing.

Thanks Jan DeVries-Leverton for your quiet peace and guidance throughout the event.  

The Mountain Designs socks were fab to wear throughout the course, and I am excited have one of the Mountain Designs Stratus Hooded Rain Jackets for future adventures as well.

 Nicola

Well, I felt like it was such a privilege to race with Deanna Blegg - such a strong inner strength, yet gentle and a great communicator. It was so much fun out there! I'm always in awe of Kim's navigation and Ashilds' sheer strength. 

This years Geo had many highlights starting with a beautiful white-water paddle down the Barrington River.  We jagged a cracker of a day with temps over 30 degrees (this might not have been so beautiful in minus temps…or even snow which can occur up there).  Our wonderful support crew had checked and selected good kayaks that didn’t leak…too much, and I felt like I was being expertly guided down the rapids with Deanna Blegg.

The second paddle was also a highlight - it started off blissfully calm down the river, then after dark the wind and rain picked up, making it difficult to see and very cold. We made the decision to stop and put our mandatory thermals and whatever else we had on to stay warm while we paddled into the night…with gorgeous lights, vast stretches of water, the shapes of trees, islands and boats in the moon light and good company and great navigation to nail the checkpoints…once Deanna and Kim took over the Nav.

Blue arrow - where we turned back; Pink circle where we stopped to put on warm clothes!

And the biggest highlight is realising yet again what our bodies are capable of and being able to race with an awesome team of amazingly strong women!!

Thanks, girls for a super fun race, it's truly amazing what we're capable of...with a bit of adrenaline wanting to beat those boys! 

The finish line!

WILD & CO POST EVENT 

Here is what Race Director Chris Dixon had to say afterwards - a fitting way to celebrate 25 years of Mountain Designs GeoQuests!

Wild & Co GeoQuest Wrap

SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Mountain Designs – always helping us out with the gear we need to keep dry, warm and comfortable when we are out in the wild. Check out the range of gear online or visit your nearest Anaconda store.

Ay UP Lighting Systems – the most robust lights on the market – serviceable and waterproof

Venture Cycles Noosaville – supporters of Tri Adventure Noosa suppliers of Trek bikes and Bontrager

Champion Systems Australia – suppliers for our specialist Mountain Designs Wild Women Kit.

BZ Optics Australia – Kim wears the Photochromatic Polarised Bi-Focal Sunglasses in races

MDWW with Crew at Finish - Mitchell (Left) & Greg (right)

Hells Bells 2026 - Epic scenery - Epic adventure - Epic team - Mountain Designs Wild Women!

Our pre-event preparation started with a special get together to celebrate the recent news that the Mountain Designs Wild Women were at the top of the rankings for ARWS Oceania Series! We popped the bubbles that Laura and Kim won at the Legend AR in April. Unfortunately, Hells Bells 2026 was not part of the ARWS Oceania series, so it was not a points race for us, but being relatively in our own backyard and a Mountain Designs sponsored event, we were never going to miss it. 

Kim, Nicola, Cass Laura  - Celebrate the latest ARWS Oceania rankings!

The first ever Hells Bells was held back in 2004 and our very own Mountain Designs Wild Woman and legend of the sport, Jan Leverton (who was volunteering at this event) was part of it finishing 3^rd overall in a premier mixed team. Kim and Jan have ever since been at almost every event, whether racing, refereeing and or volunteering. At some point early 2026, Wild & Co produced a Hall of Fame for some of their events, including Hells Bells. The Mountain Designs Wild Women are recognised on the Wild&Co Hells Bells Hall of Fame as the most successful Hells Bells team since 2013.

Ashild, Kim, Cass & Nicola - Hells Bells 2024

So, that brings us to the 22^nd edition of Hells Bells, (the 11^th edition for Wild & Co) and it was great to see something a little different!  Yes, this year saw the introduction of a BYO skis for an ocean paddle, providing an opportunity for teams with ‘superior’ ocean kayaking skills and or ‘faster craft to BYO, so the Mountain Designs Wild Women took the opportunity to use EPIC V8 Double skis.

Laura said ‘Hells Bells 2026 was epically beautiful! Showcasing some of the best of the Sunshine Coast, this race had everything: surf, rocks, trails, hills, cold water, fun navigation and plenty of laughs along the way.”

MDWW Ready to start Hells Bells 2026

Leg 1 - Kayak

This was a paddle around ‘Old Woman Island’ from Mudjimba, with a beach landing near Pincushion Beach. On the map it looked pretty simple, but with the start being delayed by 1hr from the advertised 10.30am start, it was a little choppy by the time we started but as Cass said ‘’Conditions were perfect - sun out, warm water, minimal wind.”     Laura mentioned ‘the run out was brilliant, popping over the metre swell with ease. 

Old Woman Island

The beach landing was not quite as graceful!” There were huge waves on the beach as we headed in and both teams managed to get in without getting smashed! Cass said ‘A beach landing is always exciting, even though Nicola & I misjudged the water depth and exited the boat a little too early. The Epic V8 double boats are such great boats to paddle - a perfect combo of comfort, speed and stability.” Kim’s goal was not to lose her BZ Optics Photochromatic Bifocal sunglasses sunnies, and they were still there at the end! TA 1 was back at HQ, so we left the skis and our paddle gear at TA3 (where we would return later in the race) and ran to TA1/HQ.

Our time -02:23:15 (Rank 3) because we received a 3hr credit for the Ocean Kayak.

Kim & Laura brace!

Cass and Nicola find a deep hole!

Leg 2 - Trek

This was a coasteer from Mudjimba to Coolum. Laura said “the coasteering was epic—rock hopping, dodging waves and navigating the coastal cliffs. It was fast, fun and exactly what Hells Bells is all about.” Cass found this her most challenging leg stating ‘I was so slow over the rocks and spent most of this leg desperately scrambling to keep up with the other girls who moved like gazelles over the rocks. Luckily, the scenery was awesome which made things a bit nicer.” As we got closer to Coolum, the cliffs became steeper and with an incoming tide, the waves were smashing directly into the cliffs….so we had to time our run / scramble to not get smashed / sucked out! Some teams went high, but this was OOB on the map, so we got a bit wet, but made it to TA2 at Coolum before 2pm, so plenty of time to dry out!

Our time 01:45:05 (Rank 7 – think all the teams who opted out of the ocean paddle were faster as they did not have a transition and were fresh)

Wild Women on the rocks!

Leg 3 MTB

This was a mountain bike leg from Coolum to Parklands Conservation Park, via Peregian Springs, West Weyba, Doonan, Eumundi Conservation Park, North Arm, Mapleton State Forrest, and Yandina. We had a bit of local knowledge and a home ground advantage as not only have we been in some of these areas in Hells Bells before, but also Wild Women AR events and many of our Tri Adventure weekend adventure sessions. We still had to find the checkpoints though and this can always be challenging. Our first obstacle however was a flat tyre before we reached the very first CP on the bike. Kim’s back wheel started spewing sealant and it soon was dead flat. The MD Wild Women are usually prepared, so Nicola quickly got out the plugs, Kim used the tool to plug the tyre (it took 3 small pieces) and after reinflating the tyre we were soon back riding again. Unbeknown to us at the time, our tracker was not correct – on paper were team 29, our team numbers on us were team 29, but on the live tracking we were listed and shown as Team 30. So, it looked like we were tyring to swim across Stumers Creek at that point….. but we were not! We were by then making our way through the course! We were caught by a few teams at CP 9 in West Weyba – it was 20m SE of Track junction, but after a grid search it was more like 20m S – frustrating! So, we showed a few teams the way through under the motorway enroute to Eumundi SF. Navigation was simple on this section as familiar, but the circle for CP13 was not correct either ☹. Anyway, we made it through to Mapleton, and Yandina and hit Parklands just on dark. Local knowledge here was a definite advantage, so we headed down Anger Management to CP18, we got a little bamboozled getting out of there with teams and lights everywhere but eventually got to Lush - an absolutely beautiful, flowy track to find CP19. Laura said, I can now completely understand why Chris insists we follow the track directions—because some of those trails are just too good to miss! We arrived at TA 2 the party TA – but said no to sausages before the trek!

Our time 04:51:02 (Rank 8 – Probably not as fast as we thought ☹)

Nicola at CP 15 - we took a photo as the electronic control did not beep!

Leg 4 Trek

Kim knows Parklands well and could almost get us to the CP locations without the map. On this leg there were 9 checkpoints, we needed to collect 6 in any order, but there was a credit of 1 hr per extra CP, so our plan was to find 6, then as long as we had found them, to then look for the last 3. Ho Chi Ho -F, Radar Hill Fire Trail - H, Medows - I, Double Dab, Roo Valley, Red Dog - G, Fire trail -C, Rock n roll, Rocky Creek Rd -D, skills park, up past Blue Tongue. Then ‘according to Laura …… “apparently, the actual course wasn't quite enough for us. We decided to add a couple of detours, picking up some bonus elevation along the way. Why follow the easiest line when you can make things harder for yourself?” Yes, we went in at the wrong y intersection to look for ‘B’ everything lined up ‘sort of’ and after 3 attacks, Cass said ‘are we actually in the right place’? Kim had another look at the map and said ‘NO’ we are ‘here’ and we should be ‘there’ – I am so stupid! So, we continued to the correct intersection and found B straight away. Along the way, Kim stopped to help a team ‘who were totally lost’ as we know how confusing it can get in Parklands with so many unmarked trails on the map. CP A was an easy high point, so we were back at TA 2 before midnight and this time we had ‘sausages’ thanks to Sam Brauns & his TA crew!

Our time 00:44:55 (Rank 7 – obviously our little extra creekline travel had a bit of an impact on this)

Kim's redraw of our Parklands MTB (Green) & Trek ( Yellow)

Leg 5 MTB

We had no trouble making our way from one side of Parklands to the other, as once again, Kim knew the way – CP 20 Top of Rock & Roll; and then up the fire trail beside Phoenix to the Atkinson Rd exit. Nicola was on fire on the bike again spinning away gracefully but then ….. oops! We took a few early turns on the roads. On a positive note, Laura said “this gave us the perfect opportunity for some bonus hill repeats. The hills were simply too good not to fly down… and then ride straight back up them. Not exactly part of the plan, but definitely fun on the downs!” Kim felt a bit ‘mad and sorry’ but it was after midnight and ‘that’s why we call it the bewitching hour’ you can just make stupid mistakes. CP21 an old historical cane train track on the bank of the Maroochy River, was somewhere Kim had not been before, and our final CP was near TA3. We arrived before 12.30 am with just a paddle and a short MTB to go!

Our time 02:24:16 (Rank 12 – This was just because Laura loved hill repeats so much 😊😊)

No excuses for nav errors, but in the "bewitching hour' I did not remember N had changed!

Leg 6 - Kayak

Paddling at night is never easy – sands bars, grid searches – lucky we were warm…. as we took the time to put on waterproof top and pants before we got on the water! Cass loved that we had the EPIC’s again for this leg and for that reason, it certainly helped us with being one of the faster teams.

Our time 01:59:05 (Ranked 7 – we think that the teams who complete this leg in daylight would have had a definite advantage as they could see exactly where to go and where the sand bars were.)

Leg 7 - MTB to finish.

The final ride was fast, cold and all about getting home. We finished by 3am - that was unexpected!

Our time 00:14:27 (Ranked 9 - probably because it included the ‘transition’ and we probably can always do better at that)

The live tracking had us as Team 30, but we were 29, so when Kim arrived home around 4am Jan thought she was an intruder or that we had pulled out, as just a few hours earlier we ‘apparently had started the trek in Parklands’. What a relief as what ever team ‘she had been following’ was not navigating and moving as well as anyone would have expected for the Mountain Designs Wild Women.

The Results

1^st Female Team in Hells Bells; 5^th overall; 3^rd team of 4 not too bad for a bunch of women two 50 plus and two 40+

Link to Results

PDF Results

Link to Live Tracking (now correct with MDWW as Team 30)

VIDEO  Mountain Designs Wild Women Hells Bells Video

Laura said afterwards, “we worked brilliantly as a team, we looked after each other, solved problems when things went sideways, embraced the unexpected detours, and kept moving forward - Hells Bells 2026 delivered everything we could have asked for—and a few extra hills we definitely didn’t. Epic scenery. Epic adventure. Epic team.”

 

Epic scenery - Epic adventure - Epic team - Mountain Designs Wild Women!

Thanks to Chris and the Wild & Co volunteers for putting on the race and to Mountain Designs for supporting Hells Bells since the beginning.  

Thanks to all of our sponsors and supporters

Mountain Designs – supporting the Mountain Designs Wild Women since 2017

Tri Adventure – AR skills development training and all female events

Ay Up Lighting Systems – the toughest lights out there, made in Australia.

Venture Cycles – Trek Bikes Australia – Kim rides a “Supercaliber XC Trek”.

BZ Optics – Worlds first Bi Focal Photochromatic Lenses – protection and vision!

Moxie Gear – Gaiters for those who love to go off track!

Champion Systems - Champion Systems have been making the Mountain Designs Wild Women Team Cycle Kit for almost 10 years now and it has been great to see the clothing evolve, but we must admit, that sometimes it’s way too nice to take out in the bush to get trashed, so we often race in our ‘older kit’, but wear the new stuff for photos 😊

Epic Kayaks – We are not sponsored by EPIC but, Kim and Jan have had an EPIC V8 Double since 2016 (we purchased this especially for the Wild Women to race at GeoQuest) and paddled EPIC V10 Sport & EPIC V10L back in the old Anaconda Adventure Race days. Epic have continued to make affordable high-quality ocean ski’s in makes and models that suit your skills and ability. The V8 enables us to go out in almost any conditions! Thanks to Greg & Michele Krome for lending us their same vintage V8 Epic Double for the race!

 

Mountain Designs Wild Women & the Epics!

Mountain Designs Wild Women racing around the World

It has been a big few months for Mountain Designs Wild Women (former and current) racing in amazing places around the world. 

As we say once a Mountain Designs Wild Women always a Wild Women, so even though some women move on and or away, we still all have a connection and a bond that will last forever. 

Kelly-Anne Speight is now living in Ireland and on June 18, this is what she posted to her Facebook Page. 

Time for an adventure along the west coast of Ireland ☘️🚴‍♀️ We set off at 5am tomorrow from Cork. The route follows the wild Atlantic way taking in all the major peninsulas, (2430km/ 25,000m climbing). In true Irish style it will be a wet and wild start to the morning 💦☔️ followed by lots of sunshine and tailwinds the whole way to Derry 😉🤞 Tracker link below if you want the follow the dots 

Well Kelly-Anne didn't only finish this epic 2400km event, she finished 3rd outright. Below is a short video of her finish! We are all so proud of Kelly-Anne for this remarkable achievement. 

Meanwhile up in Mission Beach in North Queensland we had battles between Wild Women from Australia and NZ happening at The Amazons Australia Adventure Race 2026. This was the second edition of the event which was the first ever ARWS all female adventure race back in 2025. Mountain Designs have been there all the way and supported the event as a major partner with Jan Leverton and Kim Beckinsale as event directors, which is sometimes more stressful than racing. This year mother nature whipped up the winds, plenty of rain fell, but this did not deter the women especially all of the Wild Women out there battling for their spot on the podium in the various categories. 

Jan & Kim

In the Warriors category 

Team Two Banana Day were victorious featuring Elizabeth Dornam

Team Spirited Women Chicks were 2nd overall featuring Emma McCosh (NZ)

Team Mountain Designs Wild Women were 3rd overall featuring Cass Kimlin and Nicola Jelenik 

In the Tribes category 

Team Foxie Moxies dominated and finished 4th overall featuring Laura Newton 

In the Legend category 

Team Spirited Women Chicks were victorious finishing 6th overall featuring Debbie Chambers (NZ) 

Liz

Emma

Cass

Nicola

Laura

Debbie

Meanwhile Ashild Kridge who was part of the Mountain Designs Wild Women Team who raced at the ARWS World Championships in Canada in 2025, loved it so much she went back to Canada for more adventure. So, while The Amazons Australia was taking place, Ashild was taking part in Raid the Rockies Stage Race which was an ARWS Qualifier. Ashild raced with one of our team hosts from the World Championships Carl and two others. Their Team 'Adventure Immersion Lab' finished 3rd in the Mixed Team Category and 4th overall. During the event, Ashild arrived at a TA box, to find that her shoes for that leg had not been packed. So, what do you do in this situation? Well, Ashild simply did the leg in her socks! 

 Ashild's reflections

"We crossed the finish line third in the Premier Mixed division behind the top Canadian and American teams and couldn't have been happier with the result. But what stands out most from these four days isn't the podium finish—it's the people.

I genuinely couldn't have asked for a better group of teammates. We pushed hard, laughed a lot, made plenty of good decisions and a few questionable ones, solved problems, adapted when things went sideways and looked after each other when it mattered. Most importantly, we had an absolute blast every single day. Every one of us brought different strengths to the team, and every one of us put the team first. Somehow it all just clicked.

For me, that's what adventure racing is really about. The mountains, rivers, incredible views, trails and checkpoints are fantastic, but it's sharing those experiences with good people that makes a race memorable. The friendships, teamwork and shared adventures are what stay with you long after the finish line.

Raid the Rockies was an incredible race, and without doubt one of my favourite adventure racing experiences yet."

We will finish this blog with the latest news from the ARWS. 

Every 6 months the ARWS updates its ranking points. In 2025 following the inclusion of the first ever ARWS All-Female Adventure Race - The Amazons Australia - globally, each region now includes Mixed, Male and Female pairs in the regional rankings. 

The Mountain Designs Wild Women have just been announced as ARWS Oceania Series leaders ahead of all other teams. This will no doubt arise a few eyebrows as we are not 'MIXED' team, but hey, we are out there racing, nearly every race and having so much fun and adventure along the way! 2026 saw the introduction of the first ever ARWS Junior Worls Championship and according the ARWS CEO Heidi Muller, we are not too far away from seeing the first ever ARWS ALL-FEMALE World Championship. Dream - Believe - Create - Succeed  

World Rankings | Adventure Racing World Series - ARWS - To view regional rankings, select the region. The Mountain Designs Wild Women are Oceania Region. 

This weekend we have Mountain Designs Hells Bells and the Mountain Designs Wild Women are represented by Kim & Laura from Legend AR and Nicola & Cass from The Amazons Australia. Can't wait for an opportunity to race again in our own backyard! 

Laura & Kim

Cass & Nicola 

 

Mountain Designs Wild Women's Great Southern Adventure - Legend AR 2026

It seems like such a long time since we have updated the Mountain Designs Wild Women Blog, so it’s nice to be able to sit down and reflect on another stage of the Legend Expedition AR Journey!

The Mountain Designs Wild Women Adventure Racing Team have managed to finish their 4^th out of 4 Legend Expedition Races. Kim (Team Captain) had a dream - to complete the full Legend AR lap of Australia and so the journey will continue in 2027, when the event moves to Western Australia. It was not so easy to get to the start line in 2026 as two of our key team members from previous Legend Events were not able to join the team.

Alina McMaster had been there right from the start, Snowy Mountains - NSW, Great Ocean Road – VIC and The Huon Valley – TAS; but was not able to commit due to her role in supporting Paralympian Lauren Parker’s preparation for the Winter Olympics. In fact, following on from the ARWS AR World Champs Expedition Canada, Alina was home for less than 2 weeks before returning to Canada and then travelling Italy, where she represented Australia at the World Masters Winter Games earning herself both gold and bronze medals in the Cross-Country Skiing.

Alina - Gold Medal World Masters XC Ski Champs

Del Lloyd had a very different reason for not making the start! Del suffered a stroke at the beginning of 2026 whilst on a family holiday. Whilst Del has recovered extremely well and is getting back to some form of normal, she is left wondering why and how this happened and focused on getting back to her best, as she not only is a great athlete, but a loving mum with young kids and a husband who all need her!

Del, leads the MDWW in Canada ARWC

Lucky that Laura Newton was ready to fill some very big shoes and as the Legend AR allows teams of 2 and 4, so we changed our entry to race as a team of 2. Laura first joined the Mountain Designs Wild Women in 2025 at Hells Bells; where despite having a cold and not being at her best, Laura demonstrated that she was an amazing teammate, so Kim was just thankful that Laura was willing and able to join her! So the journey and the dream was kept alive!

Expedition racing has traditionally only been available for teams of 4 so we were not sure how it was going to be racing as just a team of two! Would be able to carry all the mandatory gear ourselves, keep each other awake, remember everything and most importantly find all the CPs especially those challenging ones when you all need to spread out????  

So this is the story of the Mountain Designs Wild Women’s South Australia Legend Adventure 2026!

Kim & Laura 

Registration, Competencies & Course Reveal

HQ for the event was Murray Bridge, so we knew that we were at least going to finish right there, we also knew that the Murray River was going to be a huge part of the race and that there would be some big kayak and mountain bike legs.

The Corellas 

Registration and mandatory gear checks included – First Aid Quiz; Navigation Quiz and Kayak / Swim Test in the Murray River! We also took the opportunity to test out our ‘new’ kayak portage wheels, as they were a different style suitable for the Mission Surge Kayaks with holes – we were impressed at how quick and easy they were to fit and how high off the ground the kayak was lifted!

Wild Women 

Pre-Race Lunch – Yummy Chicken & Cheese sandwiches – prepared by Laura 😊

After the course was revealed, it became clear that we would be transported to the Border Cliffs on Victorian / South Australia border and that course would take teams along and near the Murray River passing through Berri, Loxton, Waikerie, Morgan, Blanchetown, Swan Reach, Mannum to the finish at Murray Bridge. As per the course schematic there would be 9 stages, including 3 kayak legs (33k, 43k & 76k); 3 mountain bike legs (57k, 150k, 60k) and 3 treks (42k,7k,27k) with a course total elevation of 890m -highest point on course 70m above sea level!

Course Briefing

We had 2 hours to try to mark up our maps with our proposed route and check that we had packed all of the right gear / food for all of the legs. As usual we were quite rushed and did not get a chance to go through the entire course in detail, but what we did do:

1.       Write all the CP descriptions on 1 set of maps

2.       Rule on declination lines on the second set

3.       Add the map corrections to the map

4.       Add additional notes to the course notes ie expected times

5.       Contact the control card, reinforce the edge and put a hole for the lanyard

All that was required now before the start was to do the box weigh ins. We had organised all of our gear into boxes prior to heading to rego - Box A, B, C and our bike boxes were filled weight! Yes, Laura had mini scales so we could do some pre-checks! We did have to do a bit of shuffling when it came time for the official weigh in as Kim’s bike box was 3kg under and Laura’s 1kg over, so no stress! 

Pre-Race Dinner –– Spaghetti Bolognaise with fresh crusty bread, served with a choice of white / red wine. Thanks to Jan who was there to support us and help as a LEGEND Volunteer) 😊

 

THE RACE – Our Great Southern Adventure

Surprise Trek to start – 3 CP’s XYZ

Upon arrival at Custom House Border Cliffs, we were advised that the race would start with a short foot Rogaine so after having phones sealed and collecting our maps and trackers, Kim marked up the blank map, while Laura finished off securing all our gear in the kayak. This included kayak trolley for an optional portage.

Live  LINK to start!

Off and racing - Kim navigated, Laura was the ferret – our direction anticlockwise! Excited to be in the top 3 teams when we arrived back at the start…. but there was a very long way to go!

Leg 1 - Kayak 33k– Murray River from Border Cliffs to Lock 6 Boat Ramp Murtho Rd

Kayaking The Murray - Leg 1

We somehow managed to be the first team to arrive at TA 1. Originally, we had semi decided to portage from CP2 – 8k to the TA, to save 8k of extra paddling, but we thought it might be a bit too long. While paddling we saw the other option, to paddle the smaller creeks and finish with a 2k portage which meant 4k paddling vs 11k! 

Laura is excited as we are the first team into TA 1

Kim points out where we came from!

We worked out that decision making is NOT our forte, but we continued from CP2 and when leading the race, we took the turn off down the creek and it paid off! There was some serious dodging of trees and a bit of extra ins and outs, Wild Yaks took a shortcut back to the main river, but our portage route paid off!

Our reward – fish for dinner? Yes, we caught a fish in our kayak – but it was not quite meal size!

Kim & the fish!

Leg 2 – MTB – 57k – Boat Ramp 7, Murtho Rd to Berri (Elevation 150m)

This leg whilst being very flat had its ups and downs – challenges & rewards

Challenges – CP5 took us a bit too long, clue was single track and our route went right past the track, but we just did not see it beside a fence – it was dark – so just had to re attack from a different point – got it! CP6 – clue on the control card was incorrect and the CP had been stolen. We were not to know, so it turned into a grid search for many of the lead teams in the full and half course. After spending too much time looking, Kim made the call to leave it – other teams followed suit! Backtracking on the trail beside Disher Creek, because the marked trails did not exist! All teams together again!

Rewards – Great photo of us was taken at CP3; We were part of the lead pack that caught the Coolatai Ferry – leaving a big gap to the chasing teams. Arriving at TA 2 before midnight and seeing Jan at the TA 😊

Laura punches CP1

Sunset at CP1

Leg 3 – TREK – 42k - Murray River National Park – Berri to Loxton (Elevation 150m)

This was the leg where we were required to carry our PFDs as there would be some swimming required. During course planning we had not marked up our maps / our intended route, so it was difficult for us to tell the TA officials on request ‘our intended route’ so before leaving the TA – we had some decisions to make! So, after packing up our bikes and having something to eat we had a look. Loosely we decided trails to CP 9 & 10; check out route 10-11 when we got there; swim to 12, Swim to 13 and then decide route from 13 to TA2 once on course. Our options were to go straight on a bearing (were told we would have to cross the river between TA & caravan park and not go east of CP13) or out and back to CP13 then take the trail to Milich Landing – but the only crossing point was just to the East of Forby’s Island and that all of the houses were OOB all the way to the Caravan Park near the TA.

Challenges – after CP 8, we accidently took an unmarked track but soon realised when we were going the wrong direction, overshot the shortcut track to CP 9 – well no we didn’t we just didn’t realise we were on it and went the long way around. Crossing the weir to CP 12 was not easy for Kim, she fell in when jumping across the rocky gap and got soaked from the neck down. Laura was on hand to assist, and we took it a bit more cautiously on the way back. Kim stripped off all of her wet gear on the top and put on a dry extra thermal and Mountain Designs Ascend Puffy Jacket.

Rewards – CP 10 – we saw other teams again, so we knew that our earlier little navigation bumble had not cost too much, CP 11 we arrived just as Team 18 Wild Yaks were on their way out, so not quite as hard as we had anticipated. Swim across towards CP 13 was not as cold as we had thought and we nailed the navigation to the CP. Our decision to travel south on a bearing to the TA worked as we swam across the mighty Murray in front of the TA - Laura had an amazing swim while Kim just tried to get to the other side. We were right behind E Dog & the JJ’s who found out they were in the lead. This meant that we were 2^nd overall at that point, but we had no idea!  The TA staff had hot coffee for us after the swim – so good!

Laura & Kim swim the Murray

Laura nears the edge

Kim gets across

Walking to the TA chatting to Chris Dixon - RD

The Mighty Murray

Leg 4 – MTB – 150k – Loxton to Morgan via Waikerie (Elevation 370m)

On this leg there were 15 controls – A to O. Teams were required to collect 10. We were able to plan our basic route when doing our map planning prior to the race, but just on the master overview map. So after we had pretty much completed the transition from Trek – Swim to fully assembled bikes, Kim sat down and marked up the course with a highlighter. Our plan was that Laura would follow the overview and Kim the 1:50000 maps. Our proposed route had one extra CP available as a back-up this turned out to be a smart decision as despite the lack of elevation, there were many highs and lows for us on this leg. Our plan was to try to stick to the more main roads and try to avoid out & backs. Proposed course – ABCDGFKLMN – with O as our backup. We nailed this leg all the way up until CP L afterwards everything went a bit pear shaped.

MDWW ride the long straight roads

Challenges – low points – Riding 150k with minimal elevation means lots of pedalling, and in SA where the roads are mostly either sandy of corrugated it was no easy ride, then factor in the heat and you have a physically demanding course. Just after punching CPL Kim notices that her wheels were spraying out white sealant…. we stopped at this beautiful green recreation park and had a look at our tyres! Both Kim & Laura’s tyres were filled with thorns – we brushed some little one off and then more sealant was spraying out. Kim went for a little ride on the grass, Laura spun here wheels around and we hoped that the sealant would do its job. Light was fading so we got M and were headed to N when things went pear-shaped. It was like it was the bewitching hour (midnight) but it was only around 6pm. For some weird reason we just could not work out the road to N. Kim calculated it was 1.4k from where we came onto the main road, but we arrived at a private road with plenty of NO entry Private Property signage, so we went on a bit and then back. We looked at the map and went back to basics – scale now the map said 1:100 000 (not 1:50000) as we had assumed. So we thought no worries we just need to ride further… so we did and we found a road named Oxford Landing Road. Great – so we took it. After about 5,5k Kim noticed the road direction had changed, just like on the map, but we had already convinced ourselves that the map scale was 1:100 000 and that the CP would not be here, there was a junction too, but did not quite look like it was on the map. We had a quick look for the CP anyway …. Just in case, but not a good look as after all, we now thought we had another 6k to the CP. To cut a long story short – we kept riding and there was no other bend like the map showed, 11k, 12k, 13, 14k – no…. why not?? We were now bamboozled and decided just to ride to the other end and ‘hopefully’ hit the T intersection. Well, it turns out that we had been in the right place all along and that the scale on the map was WRONG, but we had now missed CP N.

Laura & Kim approach CP 

Rewards – High Points – It was nice to see other teams at various points during this leg, no one could tell who was where, so this kept us motivated and excited to keep pushing hard. We were told afterwards that we were leading the race up to CPM. Our back up plan of having CP O up our sleeve worked as when we realised that we had been in the right spot for N, and not really looked, we just had to ride an extra 3k in and out to get O. Bonus – we had one of the most beautiful night sky photos taken at the CP – thanks Lane the photographer. It was super cool to have to catch another ferry to cross the river to get to TA4 at Morgan.

CP O under the big night sky!

Leg 5 – Trek – 7k – Rogaine - Morgan Conservation Area (elevation 20m)

We arrived at the TA happy, but still a bit frustrated, so after marking up our Rogaine Course maps instead of heading straight out, we decided to eat some hot food (we had a Jetboil) and have a sleep (we had sleeping bag and mats in our bike boxes).

The weather was perfect for an early morning stroll around the bush. Our proposed route was P, G (was meant to be Q, but we wrote it incorrectly on our maps) TS and Z.

Challenges – Kim set a bearing to T thinking it was from the first track to the south, but we were at the next junction, so after we did not find the CP in the depression we rethought and had another crack with the correct bearing and got it bang on! Oops we went straight past G (Q) so tried to run as much as we good to get S, Z before going out to G(Q) on the peninsula. When we returned to the TA, the sprinkler system had turned on, right where our boxes were left! Lucky for us Gary Sutherland (winner of the very first Legend Expd – Snowy Mountains) tried to turn them off and moved our boxes a bit for us – thanks Gary! We did have the lids on, but not everything was fully sealed!

Rewards – We cleared the rogaine and we back before sunrise, and ready for our next long paddle.

Leg 6 – Kayak – 43k - Morgan to Blanchetown

There were no portage options on this leg, but we had to carry the wheels anyway. Instead of breakfast coffee we took coke, as we knew that we might get a bit sleepy when the sun shines.

Challenges – The cold dark start. We rugged up in thermals, waterproof jacket and pants and set off down the Murray in search of CP 14,15,16. Laura nicknamed Kim fidget-bum as she kept stopping paddling to adjust her seat… it was a bit frustrating for both of us but what do you expect after just 2hrs sleep in over 2 nights.

Rewards - We flew through this paddle, singing and laughing to keep ourselves awake, E Dog & the JJs were right behind us most of the way and as we go towards CP 16, we could see other teams ahead. Kim spotted CP 16 in the bushes as we were hugging the bank – the CP looked like it was the edge of a lagoon, but the description was base of cliff! So that was why we could see teams ahead – they obviously had not looked at the centre of the circle on the map as closely as we had. (Not that I have x-ray vision eyes – but my compass does have a magnifier! Upon arrival at TA5 at Blanchetown we found ourselves right back at the pointy end of the field with Team 6 Happy Wanders Team 18 Wild Yaks (just leaving TA), 2 MMI, 4 E Dog & the JJs.

Leg 7 – Trek – 27km – Blanchetown to Swan Reach

We had one of our fastest transitions of the race here as not only were we keen to make the most of the daylight, and we were close to the lead.

Challenges – A Big Mistake – we ran out of TA, not reading the course notes and not looking at the map ‘properly’. Lucky for us the event truck saw us running on the road and pointed to get off the road, we had been waving at them. We stopped and then saw there was a big section of road that was marked as OOB – ‘Roads and shoulder out of bounds in this section’ – but we just did not see this ☹ So, kim said to Laura, we have to go back to that point before we can move forward so we will not be penalised. So we lost the 10-20minute lead that we had on MMI and E Dog & the JJs.  We found it really challenging here as we saw teams crossing the fences, yet we were not meant to go into Private Property – but had we have read the course notes earlier, we would have been aware it was okay for this section on the cliffs, as there was no other way to get to the marked CPs without crossing the fences.

The Murray Cliffs

Rewards – well not too many on this leg other than finding all the CPs. We hugged the cliffs on the way to CP 19 and so walked into the first gully we saw and found the CP. After the race we were told it had been miss placed. We nailed the track to CP 20 but just did not see the CP – in the tree near the cliff, but a second attack had us landing in the same spot and Laura spotted it on the other side of a fence! It was a long hike, especially for Laura who prefers the shorter distances, but how cool, we were in the right place for another great photo opportunity! Arriving at the TA before midnight was perfect as it meant we had some time for a sleep to burn up some of the darkness before embarking on the next epic leg.

Another BIG SKY moment for the MDWW

Leg 8 – Kayak – 76km – Blanchetown to Younghusband

Looking at the route, there was a clear option to portage at CP 27 and 28, but it would take us a very long time to get there as it was over 50k away.

Challenges – Just getting through the paddle was going to be a challenge, so we paddled as best we could till sunrise, then Kim came up with the concept of the ‘Hour of Power’. This meant that we would paddle and sing, long and strong for 1 hr then, stop, rest, refresh refuel for anywhere between 5 – 10 mins. Sometimes this coincided with a CP and other times not, we got hammered by some more sprinklers when we stopped on some beautiful green grass at CP25. Kim was not fidgeting as much on this paddle as she had ditched the kayak back-rest. Upon arrival at CP 27, we got prepared for the portage. This would be a make or break move, as if the wheels failed, it was going to be a very long carry! It was uphill and Laura took off like lightning, then when we hit the steep part of the hill, we both dragged a bit, but basically Laura did all the dragging as Kim was just not as fast! It’s so good in a race, when you just feel like you have all this energy to burn, so Laura kept running. Kim meanwhile was on the lookout for cars and held onto an emergency brake strap…. Just so the kayak did not run Laura over on the downhill.

Rewards – The portage saved us 16km of kayaking, enabled us to eat, drink, change muscle groups and then just pop back onto the river for one final short paddle less than 7k to TA7. We were so excited that it turned out we would arrive well be for dark.

Leg 9 – MTB – 60km – Younghusband to Murray bridge via Manum Cliffs

The last leg! When a race finishes with a bike leg, it can be extremely difficult to make too much change, unless the navigation is extremely challenging – this was not the case. except for interpreting the intention for CP 30 and 31 at Manum Waterfalls.

Under the stars again!

Challenges – Despite the simple navigation we did arrive at CP 30 in the darkness and looked at the location of CP31 – Creek bend. We scrambled down a track into the gorge and looked ahead and at the map…. It was really sketchy in our bike shoes, so we stopped and made an alternate plan. Kim noticed earlier that there was a car park at the lower end of the falls and a little track leading into the creek, maybe that was what we should do!

Rewards - We were rewarded with CP31 after a quick ride down the hill to the carpark and a walk along the track, straight to the CP. It would have been awesome to have rock hopped down, but not a safe move at night. The ride to the finish was flat, so we were able to maintain a great pace. We did have a bit of a discussion about the order of CPs at the finish as Kim had marked the CP correction incorrectly – Laura had it right – phew – discussion over! (We can explain that another day). After stopping at the traffic lights in town for way too long (eventually we took the footbath for a bit), we finally arrived at the finish before midnight for a hot pie and champagne (thanks Jan).  

 MDWW approach the finish

Kim & Laura smiles!

The Finish Punch

Laura .... so strong at the finish!

RESUTS Legend Expedition AR 2026 

Mountain Designs Wild Women finished 1st place female and 4th place overall.

Total time= 82hrs 25mins. (3 Days 10hrs and 25 mins)

Total sleep= 4hrs.

Thanks to our sponsors and supporters for your encouragement always;

Mountain Designs
Tri Adventure
AyUp Lighting Systems
Venture Cycles / Trek BikesAustralia  Moxie Gear Champion Systems

Thanks, to the top 5 teams MMI 1^st; Wild Yaks 2^nd; Happy Wanderers 3^rd and E Dog & the JJs 5^th for being great competitors out on course, yes, it is a race, but it’s great to chat and even offer some support when we are all there together! Congratulations to all of the teams who either completed the full or half course, it’s so much more about the adventure, the people you meet, the experiences and the things you see than a race, so rest, relax, recover and we hope to see you all at another event soon!

Legend EXPD AR 2026 - Women's Full Course Podium 

We also want to take the time to recognise the 4 other female teams who were part of this event, you are all amazing for not only starting but finishing this epic event.

Turbo Turtles   Vortex Divas    Force de Femme   Heard before Seen

For those of you who thought that 34 + 42 + 76 kilometres of paddling is a lot, that’s 152k – think of the girls from Heard Before Seen who are taking on the Yukon 1000 (miles) in July! We can’t wait to track your progress.

Finally, thanks to Chris Dixon & The Wild & Co Team (officials and volunteers) for all the time and effort you put into making this event Legendary. Without your thought, your passion and enthusiasm there would be no race, so bring on Legends 2027 – Western Australia.

Writer -  Kim Beckinsale
Editor - Jan Leverton 

Photo / Video Credits 

Lane Williams Film 

Wild & Co 

Keith Conley

Jan Leverton

If this story inspires you please get in touch with us via our Mountain Designs Wild Women Facebook page, or via Kim at Tri Adventure. If you are keen to race in an all female environment check out these two all women's AR events - 

The Wild Women AR - The first & original All Female Adventure Race in Australia 

The Amazons Australia - The first ever ARWS All Female Adventure Race 

Created by Kim & Jan from Tri Adventure 

Sponsored by Mountain Designs