Wednesday 3 July 2019

Wild Women reflect on Geoquest 2019



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!