Mountain Designs certainly provided us
with some amazing gear that helped us get through this year’s event especially
given the wild ocean and the wet conditions in the first 24hrs. I am also writing some Blogs for the Mountain Designs websites so now that Geoquest is done and
dusted here are the links:-
Mountain Designs Blog Geoquest
Mountain Designs Blog Geoquest Delivers
So for our team post Geoquest blog we decided on a question and answer approach now that we have all had time to reflect…..
CASS KIMLIN
So now you have completed 3 full Geoquest events with the Wild
Women…
Does it get an easier? Geoquest never gets any easier. The combination of physical and
mental challenge really takes things to the next level. We were out for over 40
hours this year, so fatigue and sleep deprivation were major challenges.
Luckily Geoquest also takes us to some stunning northern NSW coastal areas, so
the scenery is a welcome distraction.
How was the ocean paddle? After some initial concerns, I was happy to be doing the ocean
paddle. I was quite nervous heading out through the rock walls but once we got
out into the ocean, conditions were better than I expected. Amie and I did
experience some sea sickness towards the end of the paddle, which was a new
experience for me. I fed the fishes a few times.
Both you and Kim navigate - What did you find most challenging
about the navigation this year? I love the opportunity to be able to navigate. CP 7 was a real
challenge and a reminder that tracks and roads are not always accurate on maps.
Fortunately, we had done a good job following the contours and were able to
find the high point relatively quickly. The foot rogaine proved to be the
definitive leg in this Geoquest and contained the most challenging nav. I felt
this was one of our best legs. We hit all the CPs on this leg bang on.
Traversing the jungle between CPs F and D was tough going and required a lot of
trust in our compass bearing.
 |
| We were quite proud of our tracker on this leg. |
AMIE MUNSON
You did your first Geoquest in 2018.....So how did this Geo compare to last year?
Last
year being my first race, I didn't know what to expect so this year I felt a
little more organised and able to find strategies to cope with 48hrs with no
sleep.
What did you
enjoy most about the race this year?
I love seeing new
places and the NSW coastline is just gorgeous. It's great if you get a
chance to look around and check it out as you paddle/run/ride your way
around. I really enjoyed the paddle legs of this race despite getting
terribly seasick during the ocean paddle.
What was the most
challenging part?
For me, keeping
up with the other girls while riding the hills is always the most challenging
part of the race.
What was the best
Go-Pro moment? We came across 2 emus during one of the trek legs. It would
have been a more excellent Go-Pro moment if I could have run as fast as them to get
better footage!
LUCY COLDWELL
This
was your first race with MD Wild Women team, so tell us a little about your
background...
Way
back in 2009/2010 I took part in a couple of small adventure races in the
Hebrides in Scotland and loved them. At this stage I was only new to cycling,
but this quickly became a passion and my sole focus. I was lucky enough to be
given the opportunity to race at an elite level in road racing from 2012-2015 across
Europe and Oceania, which was an amazing experience. However then decided to
hang up my shoes and take life a little easier.... for a little while, before I
found the racing bug again and have begun enjoying adding the new disciplines
in involved with adventure racing.
How
did it compare to racing in previous teams?
This
is now my third adventure race and first with an all-girls team. It was great
to be part of a team of all girls, where everyone looked after each other, man
these girls are tough!!
What was the most
challenging part of the race for you?
The
paddling.... the end hehe! I literally could no longer lift my arms by the end
of the race...70km of paddling in an uncomfortable bathtub for someone who has
paddled a maximum of three hours was super hard!
What did you
enjoy the most about Geoquest?
Funnily
enough the beginning of the last paddle into the night, when we all became
delirious but were relaxed and making silly conversations whilst star gazing!
So – what’s next
for you?
After
some rest, I'm trying to brave the rain and get back out on the bike and into
the hills, and looking forward to racing Hells Bells on home ground in six
weeks.
KIM BECKINSALE
You did your first Geo back in 2005.....What makes you keep coming back to
this event every year?
Well in this sport the course changes
every year, so we are always exposed to some part of the amazing NSW coastline
that we may not have experienced in that way before. This sport takes you to
places that you may otherwise never go. More recently I have loved the
challenge of leading women’s teams to finish the full course fully ranked.
What do you look for when selecting
your team-mates for an event like Geoquest?
I like to try to pass on my knowledge,
skills and experience to girls whom I think are going to continue in the sport,
so usually much younger than me. I suppose I look for those girls who demonstrate
a desire and willingness to improve their skills across all disciplines as well
as having that true grit that sets them apart from others, they don’t have to
be the best, but have potential to improve. They need to just love a good
challenge and being in the outdoors enjoying nature at its best!
You are not getting any younger so how
do you manage to keep up the training and racing at such a high level?
To be honest I am not sure…. When I
was 30 and in triathlon I thought I was getting a bit too old. I started
adventure racing back 2004 and by then was approaching 40, however it opened my
eyes to a whole range of new exciting challenges. I focus on the skills side of
the sport and rely on my years of endurance training to get me through. This
year at Geoquest, getting the team through the rough ocean paddle and then the navigationally
challenging foot rogaine were the real highlights and also the biggest
challenges, so I suppose rewards like that are everything to me! Also, racing
with younger girls certainly keeps me on my toes, so while the body, mind and
spirit keeps loving what I do, I am going to keep at it for as long as I can!
If you are thinking of doing an event
such as Geoquest AR in the near future or a shorter event just to get the feel
for it, please contact Kim or Jan at triadventure@optusnet.com.au
as we just love what we do and are certainly keen to see more women out there
in the sport.
We have the Wild Women AR
coming up on Saturday 19th October, so why not check that out too!
