Mountain Designs Wild Women tackle the Top Dog 24 – ARWS Oceania Championships

When a new event pops up on the calendar and it’s a part of the Mountain Designs sponsored ARWS Oceania series the Mountain Designs Wild Women jumped at the chance to be a part of the event in Canberra. 

Mountain Designs Wild Women - Ash, Kim, Cass, Del

Mountain Designs Wild Women

Kim Beckinsale

Cass Kimlin

Del Lloyd 

Ashild Kridge 

This was the first time that we have had this team combination, so we were all very excited to get to race together and were hoping we would ride some of the Stromlo MTB trails and paddle the Murrumbidgee River. When the logistics planner was released 5 days out from the event, this looked highly likely. We had a meet up via zoom prior to travelling to the event, as Cass had not met Del, and Dell had not met Cass or Ashild. Kim however was super confident that we would be a great combination, with Kim and Cass navigating, Ash and Del on logistics and ferreting duties. 

We arranged to stay close to HQ, so by midday Friday we had all arrived and spent the afternoon organising our 2 boxes and ensuring we had plenty of gear options, as rain was predicted! The Bike Drop (and Box A) was announced as the Uriarra Crossing Picnic Area on the Murrumbidgee River! So, this was TA 2 – the finish of the paddle – how exciting! We enjoyed a team dinner and then Del embarked on a quick trip to Officeworks – mainly to get bulldog clips for her map-board. She arrived home forgetting to purchase the clips but did manage to make a bento box out of Velcro, zip ties and a pencil case. Kim suggested then that Del use rubber bands on the map board…. great improvising….one of the very important skills of AR. Before going to sleep we completed a final check that we had all the gear in the right places and enough AYUP Batteries, Mountain Designs socks and thermals to get us through the night! 

Race day, course reveal and team photos

It was a rather cool overcast morning and after arriving at HQ, we all had to put puffy jackets on over our race kit, while we were preparing our maps. We did manage to take them off for the photo, but even with jackets on were shivering while marking up maps and listening to the pre-event briefing. The course looked achievable on paper, and we were happy to be starting with a run, so we might warm up as we were freezing! 

Looking at the maps and planning a course

The Start - click on the link to see the action

Mountain Designs Wild Women on the start line

Leg 1 & 2 Trek 12k & Paddle 12k Stromlo and the Murrumbidgee 

We started the race on the crit racing track at the Stromlo, but the MTB trails were not to be used (just crossed) for this leg. There were plenty of route choices and some nice off-track running on the route up over the hill and down to the river. We had 9 CPs on the leg, 5 in the MTB park and the others in rough open land towards the riverbank. We had a great start and found all the CPs in good time but were super impressed to see Team Adventurethon Australia paddling the river before we had even made it to CP 8, they must have been super-fast! Upon arrival at the TA, we decided to put on some extra layers to keep us warm and leave our shoes, so we would not need to carry on the bike. We opted to carry our jackets in our PFDs ready for quick access if we were freezing. 

A quick video of Mountain Designs Wild Women in transition 

The paddle was so much fun, we had to get in and out of the kayaks quite a bit as, we could not see the submerged rocks until we hit them and then the kayaks spun around in many directions. The water temperature was not too freezing, so we all had a great time, looking for the 2CPs on the south of the river back and chatting to some locals fishing near CP10. Upon arrival at the TA, we did a full change into dry gear for the next MTB leg. 

Teams paddle the Murrumbidgee River

Leg 3 & 4 MTB 40k & Trek 7k with Mystery CPs – Uriarra Forest to Cotter Campground 

The MTB leg included one extra CP for the teams who had entered the Oceania Championship. On paper CP 14 looked like a hike-a-bike. Some teams rode around the long way, but we opted for the shorter hike-a-bike route which took us 45 minutes. Kim started singing one of Del’s favourites ‘On top of the World’ by Imagine Dragons…. but Del was not quite in the singing mood! Ashild helped Del out a bit by hooking her up to the towline for the second part of the ascent. We ditched the bikes when we connected with a larger fire trail and hiked, without bikes to the CP at the summit. The route to TA 2 looked straight forward on paper, but typically many of the tracks were not there, so we had to just keep changing our planned route a few times. It was pretty fast as it was mostly downhill, a great reward for all of our hard work earlier. 

We arrived at TA 2 just before dark, marked up our mystery CP on the map and found out we would have an Archery challenge when we returned to the TA. There were thus 8 CPs all up and this proved to be the most adventurous part the event for us! We planned to attack the course in the order I, J, K, L, M, then finish with Mystery CP then G & H. I and J were very straight forward, but K stumped us for a bit. The CP was marked in a creek; however, the CP description was – Lookout Cotter Cave N Corner post no flag. We had been informed that the punch had been missing and to take a photo. We were up the creek line when Cass spotted the lookout, but Kim was not 100% convinced there was not something else as the centre of the CP circle was in the creek. Del suggested there must be a track to lookout, but Kim looked at the map and if was to the North. We were surrounded in the creek by thick blackberry bushes when Kim said, well let’s just go up there then….it was ugly and nasty…. but we just put on our tough wild women boots and bashed our way up quite a steep rocky cliff! Kim then found the cave, the location of the CP and …. a little trail right to the lookout! We took this trail back down to the main track, as there was no way we were going to bash our way out on our planned route. We then headed for L and after a bit of a grid search found the CP on the spur. M was bit more challenging as the track which we planned to use as our attack point did not exist, so we ended up having to hike in on a bearing to find it. Lucky the bush was not as thick as around K, and we found the CP with some great scouting and teamwork. Del was asking ‘what is the description’…Spur…Kim and Cass answered…’Spur’. We thought Dell was hard of hearing at this point as she asked these 3 more times, only to realise she was asking ‘what is the direction of the spur’…. which was a very good question which helped those without map in hand. 

Leg 4 - Trek Map

After a short run back towards the TA we had 2 CPs and a mystery question to go. We located these relatively quickly and happy with our downhill finish. Upon return to the TA, we were able to answer the mystery question (Answer – Accountant) and then headed to the Archery! Kim decided that the girls who had not done archery should have a go first, well why not, as AR is about having fun just as much as racing. Ash and Del both had a few goes each and then decided to hand over the PE teachers – Cass and Kim, who managed to get one on the board each. So, now it was time to get out onto the next leg. 

Leg 5 & 6 MTB 16k & Paddle 12k - Cotter Campground to Lake Burley Griffin via Stromlo 

We were at least 1 hour ahead of our planned timings, which always seems to lift the team spirit. We were heavily loaded up with gear as we had to now carry our shoes, we enjoyed some coke before we left the TA, so we did not have to carry it and soon we were riding along the fire trails to the south of Mt Stromlo and ready to jump onto the Bicentennial trail which would take us to the next TA on lake Burley Griffin. Ashild had ridden this trail into the city on her arrival on Thursday, so that was such a bonus, especially at night. It was a super-fast ride to the lake, and we were stoked that it was not raining! We still put on thermals and waterproof top and bottoms to protect from the wind and paddle splash. 

There were two extra CPs for the ARWS Champs on this leg which took us right past Parliament House / War Memorial avenues up to the National Carillion. Del was keeping Kim and the rest of the team awake by playing a few games…. ‘I spy with my little eye’ and then ‘how many words can we get out of the letter P’. This kept us alert and awake, Kim setting the bearings and Cass and Ash were setting a good pace in front allowing for great wash riding. Canberra by night was very pretty, especially the lights of the National Museum of Australia. The only CP on this leg that was a bit tricky was our final CP ’O’…. because it was hard to see the map at night and there was a little land mass that it was tucked behind. Cass spotted this and soon we were on our way back to the TA. All the officials at the TAs throughout the event were super helpful and hearing the ‘Wild Women Do’ song as we carried our kayaks up onto the bank was definitely uplifting! We made a full change back into dry clothes that we had on before the paddle before heading off on the next leg. 

Leg 6 - Paddle Map

Leg 7 & 8 to the Finish – Trek 10k & MTB 35k - National Arboretum and the Stromlo Trails 

Most of this trek was in the National Arboretum and it was still dark. We were very happy, though, that we were unlikely to encounter more blackberry bushes as most of this would be on trails in plantation areas. There were 6 CPs on this leg with CP T and Y extras for the Oceania Championships. Our course was Z, T, U, V, X and Y – Cass took the lead as she could see the best, Del was getting a bit of assistance from Ashild by grabbing onto her pack strap…while Kim was trotting along following the map as well. It’s never that easy running after paddling, but we were going well and we caught up with a few teams out there, which was especially helpful as they were locals! We were not 100% sure whether we were meant to go off track, but other teams were, so we decided to as well, but we did choose our own routes. We found all the CPs easily, despite CP X being a bit off – Cass and I seemed to look at a blue post and there was the punch…. Despite us thinking it was meant to be the next track down the spur…anyway bonus…we got it. It was a long run back to the TA after locating Y, but we just kept shuffling away excited to think, we were about to head for home. 

Leg 7 Trek Map

The final leg was a super-fast bike path ride almost the same way back that we had travelled before, finishing with 6 CPs in the Stromlo trails. Ashild and Kim had both done a bit of a ride upon arrival, so were somewhat familiar with some of the trails and thus, when deciding on the route during map planning were confident that we should not have too much trouble. Well, Ash was on fire and basically, we just had to follow, Kim had the maps and Ash would take a quick look and then go to the next CP. It seemed like there was a bit of a race to the finish as the male pair team that were had been crossing paths with all race; were now just behind us after we found CP B, but then they got ahead of us somehow between C and D! We think because we had too much fun riding the Pork Barrel Trail just one intersection too far! We enjoyed the green trails – White Gums, Ringtail, Breakout Muck Raker to E and F before finishing off on Old Duffy Descent. 

Mountain Designs Wild Women finish on bikes

The finish line

The Mountain Designs Wild Women crossed the finish line just after 7.30am with smiles from ear to ear…. because we had successfully completed the full Top Dog 24 Oceania Championship course (finding all the CPs) 3 hours ahead of our schedule, 4th across the line, 3rd 4-person team and 1st Women’s Team. As captain of the Mountain Designs Wild Women, Kim Beckinsale would like to thank the girls for taking the time out of their busy schedules to make their way down to the ACT to fly the Mountain Designs flag, especially Ashild who got the call up to the team less than 3 weeks before. You are all amazing women and fabulous to race with. 

It's always a great feeling to finish, knowing you have found every CP!

To check out the full results and live tracking click the link TopDog2023_Live Tracking

Mountain Designs Wild Women were Team 7

Thanks to our great sponsors and supporters – Mountain Designs, Ay Up Lighting Systems, Venture Cycles and Tri Adventure for continuing to support women in this sport and thanks to Chris Dixon and the Wild & Co officials and volunteers for helping to ensure that this new adventure race was such a great success. Well done to everyone who had the courage to enter the race and show up on the day, we hope you had a great time out there and look forward to crossing paths sometime soon! 

The next big event on the calendar for the Mountain Designs Wild Women is the Legend Expedition Race at the end of February 2024, so we will look forward to seeing some of you there!

Mountain Designs GeoQuest crosses the ditch - GeoQuest NZ Hawkes Bay 2023

 

Mountain Designs Wild Women - Geoquest NZ 2023

With the announcement that this iconic adventure race ‘Mountain Designs GeoQuest’ was going to cross the ditch, there was no way that the Mountain Designs Wild Women were going to miss out.  Part of the reason that adventure racing is such a cool sport, is because it always takes you to places that most tourists and the general population can’t access or simply do not even know about. So now this was an opportunity to not only explore the Hawkes Bay region in the North Island of NZ but also provide a little boost to the community which was devastated by floods earlier in the year.

 

Mountain Designs Wild Women team captain Kim Beckinsale had planned to race with Debbie Chambers and Emma McCosh in XPD – Rivers of Gold - Cairns in 2021, but COVID restrictions prevented the Kiwis from international travel, so this event became the perfect opportunity for us to finally race together.  Debbie is no stranger to GeoQuest, as she raced with the ‘Girls on Top’ (all women’s team) back in the early days of GeoQuest in Australia.  Debbie has had a lot to do with growing women’s participation in the sport the sport of adventure racing in Australia, so by racing together, in GeoQuest NZ, we form a bit of an international alliance for the continued growth of women in adventure racing. Debbie called on her experienced AR friend Rachael Cashin to join us for the adventure as well.

Tri Adventure host the Wild Women Adventure Race - Noosa North Shore - October 14 2023

Dare2Sweat Events host the Spirited Women’s Adventure Race – Cromwell NZ – February 9-11 2024

Mountain Designs GeoQuest was first held in Australia way back in 2002 and back in those days it was a fully supported race, meaning that teams of 4 raced and their support crew would transport their gear and provide food and support in the transition areas. This was the format adopted for this event and thus brings even more exposure for the sport to the local area, which was much needed. Experience and local knowledge are always going to be advantageous in adventure racing and in a fully supported race this means that the crew are an integral part of the team. So, the Mountain Designs Wild Women were supported by Jan Leverton (who has raced and finished more than 17 GeoQuest events in Australia) and Brendan Pheasant a former Napier local who had returned to the area mainly to help with flood recovery.

Race HQ GeoQuest NZ - Hawkes Bay

The Race

The GeoQuest NZ Hawkes Bay – Napier course was 196km and included 14 different legs or stages - 4 treks, 3 paddles and 6 mountain bike legs, meaning that slick transitions would be advantageous. There were 6 maps (2 x topographical, 3 x orienteering, 1 x google earth) with scales ranging from 1:50 000 to 1:4000 adding to the navigational challenge which is such a big part of the sport. The course was not the original planned course, in fact a totally different. It was a revamp due to the February floods which caused massive landslides and destruction to infrastructure. So, the fact that Wild &Co were even able to plan a course in the area was a huge feat in itself.

 

Start - GeoQuest NZ 2024

The race started with a 6km beach trek and then a 14km ocean paddle which due to the light tailwind winds was a lot faster than expected. Then we had a lightning-fast transition onto the 20km Cape Kidnappers Trek where we collected CP 2,3,4, 5 and 6. The tide was low, so we ran quickly along the beach before heading up to the top of the cliffs to enjoy the sea views and views back to Napier. We met our support crew on the road just after CP 6 and transitioned onto Leg 4, a 34km Gravel Grinder to Te Mata. Enroute to the Te-Mata range we located CP 8 beside the Tuki Tuki river before climbing up to the MTB park, where we had to find CPs ABCD before embarking on a trek.  

Mountain Designs Wild Women - ready to hit the water

Hawkes Bay is so calm!

Mountain Designs Wild Women tracking to CP 6

Emma and Debbie had been there before, so that made things a little easier, Emma set the pace on the bike, and we followed.  We checked in with our crew at TA 3 before heading out on the scenic 6km Te-Mata Peak rogaine. This leg was shorter and easier than we expected (much easier than on the bike) so we finished in daylight, and we were onto Leg 6, an 8km ride to the Tuki Tuki River, nearly 2 hours in front of our time estimate.  We stopped a bit early when looking for CP 9, but Debbie then sighted some ponds below which we had not yet passed, so we kept going and found it quickly!

Mountain Designs Wild Women almost at the Te Mata Peak

Our crew were ready for us at the TA with our kayaks all set up and ready for us to almost slide into the white-water on the Tuki Tuki River – Leg 7 was a 15k paddle and the fact that we were starting in daylight was a huge bonus.  (We still layered up with thermal pants and waterproof over pants).  Emma and Debbie, prior to the start, thought there would be no rapids on this river, so Emma got a bit of a shock when we hit a rock and almost tipped in one section. The rapids were all pretty tame, so it just made the paddle fun and faster with a little flow.  CP 10 and 11 on the riverbank were easy to spot. It was getting dark, but we could spot our crew on the bank at the TA. 

Heading to Cp 10

Craggy Peaks in the background

 

Just a few rapids - but they are quite small.

It was time for cheese toasties, so we scoffed these down with some hot coffee, just one advantage of having a support crew.  It was apparently freezing, so we changed out of our wet clothes into dry and warm gear and layered up with tights, thermals, vests, arm warmers and buffs (we also carried dry and waterproof jackets and pants­}. Leg 8 the Hawkes Bay Gravel Grinder Part 1 ride to the next TA was quite short – just 18k), so the crew had to do a super-fast pack up to try to get there ahead of us; they made it in heaps of time. The Mountain Designs Wild Women were leading the race at this point, if front since ½ way through the ocean paddle.

The team transitioned quickly into shoes and set off on foot for Leg 7 the 4k Pakowhai Park Rogaine. We located CP’s L, Q, P, R, O, N, and M quite easily, as the flags reflected when shining our lights and our off trail navigational skills of setting and holding bearings definitely helped us finish this leg in under 45 minutes.  Just as we arrived back at the TA to head out on Leg 10 Gravel Grinder Part 2, the Kauri Coasters arrived, it was the first time that we had seen them since passing them on the ocean kayak.  The Mountain Designs Wild Women were now being chased down and unfortunately; we made a few little errors that would prove costly.  After nailing CP 13 in the dark we took the wrong road on our way to CP 14, so the bridge we were looking for was non-existent.  Backtracking (out of the OOB area – oops) we found the bridge on the correct road but found it hard to find the CP – no flag.  We were now worried about being caught; you could just sense it.  CP 16 (Under Remnant Concrete Pylon seemed to be missing – Emma took a photo, but our team continued to search and search and try and find the flag.  My jaw dropped when the Kauri Coasters arrived.

We waited a bit and left having not found the CP (you never want to be in this position in a race, as the other team could just somehow find it if it is there), we then rode the stop bank track, found a crossing spot.  It was quite cold crossing the river and we were lucky to get to the other side without falling over in the strong current, but unfortunately Emma and Rachel fell into deep holes when trying to scramble up a steep bank at the other side.  CP 16, we hoped, was just up the track, so we were pretty excited to find it quickly exactly where we looked 100m S of path road crossing.  Just as we were walking out, the Kauri Coasters arrived.  We think they thought it was where we had crossed the river, as they did not even go and look for the CP, so we just kept riding. Think they eventually realized.

At the next TA our crew had some HOT bacon and egg pie that Rachael had made, so we scoffed that down as we ran out onto Leg 11, The Dolbel Park Rogaine (3km).  We knew the Kauri Coasters were hot on our heels.  I stuffed up a bit after CP X so our route to CP S was a little longer than planned.  The team ran hard with Emma leading the pack up the hill to find T, U, V before returning to the TA.  We managed to get out onto the bikes before the other team arrived back.  We were riding super-fast on these flat stop-bank trails on the second last bike leg of the race – Hawkes Bay Gravel Grinder Part 3.  I was looking at the map carefully and just trying to make sense of it all.  We found CP 17 after counting some trees but got a bit bamboozled looking for CP 18.  We found a bridge but not the CP.  We were riding so fast we second guessed ourselves and decided to backtrack, this is where we were passed by the Kauri Coasters.  We saw them stop at the same bridge and find the CP, right where we had been looking.  It was meant to be on the SE end of bridge, but we believe the CP punch was actually on the NE end.

We arrived at the TA for Leg 13 Marina Rogaine Paddle (6km) just one or two minutes behind, so the race was on.  We had to mark up our maps with CP locations and clues, so Kim did this with Debbie straight away before anything else.  The Mountain Designs Wild Women were in the water in a flash, thanks to the extra support from our crew who had cracked our glow sticks and hurried us through the transition.  Kim and Rachel were in one kayak and Debbie and Emma were in the other.  Rachel was absolutely motoring, and we soon arrived at CP AA; Emma and Debbie had the punch card so they punched, but the other team were right there and it was a race, so we put Rachel with Emma – giving ourselves the best chance of keeping up.  We paddled fast to BB then CC and DD.  As we headed for CP Z the water disappeared and the paddle became a mud drag to CP Y.  The Kauru Coasters arrived back at the TA just in front and were off on their bikes in a flash.  The final bike, Leg 14 (7km) was aptly named ‘The Sting in the Tail’, there were only two CP’s – 20 at the end of the Marina and the final CP at the top of the hill at the lighthouse. It was a good testing climb - not too punishing, we located the final punch – CP 21, then we enjoyed the descent to the finish on the beach front at Napier.

The Finish

The Mountain Designs Wild Women finished the race 2^nd outright, 1^st all women team.  Yes, we were pipped at the post by the Kauri Coasters (Mixed Team), after being caught on the second last bike leg, and not able to get back in front on the Marina Rogaine mud drag paddle.   The Coasters had that slight advantage off the water, and that with a little bit more local knowledge, were just a bit too fast to keep up with, but we certainly did not stop trying.

Mountain Designs Wild Women Finish GeoQuest NZ - Hawkes Bay

Highlights

Hawkes Bay Ocean Paddle – The conditions were perfect – chilly but a light tail wind and little swell just to make the finish interesting.  There was a little shore dump and a few surfers out catching waves!

Cape Kidnappers Trek – This was a stunning beach trek alongside remarkable sandstone cliffs with CPs located in dry creek lines. We saw seals, pacific gulls, gannets and plenty of other sea life as we ran underneath the million-year-old cliffs. Then we headed up to the top of the cliffs to the lighthouse at Cape Kidnappers before walking through spectacular lush farmlands and a private golf course. Then we got to ride down the hill out of there which was so fun!

Te Mata MTB & Trek – The mountain bike trails were challenging but fun and the CPs were not too difficult to find.  They were part of a permanent Orienteering Course, so we were looking for 7.5 x 7.5 cm Orange & white squares on posts / trees.  On the trek in the same area, we were able to take in the scenery and see some of the ancient fossils embedded in the cliffs and on the trails.

Tuki Tuki White Water Paddle on sunset – White water paddling is always a bit of fun especially when the water is a bit shallow, the rapids are not too big, and you are with experienced paddlers. We were treated to beautiful views of the Craggy Range Peaks as the sun was setting and finished just on dark.

Racing with a team of confident, competent, super tough women who were swift on every discipline of the including the transitions.

Challenges

Starting the race when the temperature was close to zero degrees, knowing that there was little time for it to warm up before the start of the paddle.

Deciding what gear to wear for the start and then the paddle as transitions would need to be super slick.

Landing the kayaks off the ocean paddle – the boat ramp was nonexistent and there was a big shore dump.

Riding past some of the famous Hawkes Bay wineries and not stopping in for some wine tasting.

Looking for CPs that had no orienteering flags as they were all certainly well hidden.

Re-routing after we took a wrong turn and could not find CP 14 because we were on the wrong road.

Being caught by the chasing team at CP 15 but deciding to keep going as we had taken a photo.

Crossing a river in the dark with our bikes not really knowing exactly how deep it was going to get.

Doing a U turn on the 2^nd last bike because we couldn’t find the CP on the bridge, despite being in the right place. Thus we were passed by the chasers!

Dragging our kayaks through the mud on the final marina paddle. The race for the win was on and the tide was so low there was no water to paddle on.

Outcomes

Wild &Co successfully launch Mountain Designs GeoQuest in NZ and bring more visitors to the Hawkes Bay Region at the same time – a welcome boost to a struggling community after devastating floods in February.

Growth of the sport in NZ with the addition of a 48hr race in the North Island and maybe a possibility that some Kiwi’s may consider travelling to Australia for GeoQuest Australia in June 2024.

Mountain Designs Wild Women have another very successful race in New Zealand, hopefully inspiring more women to get out and have a go at the sport.

Kim finally gets to race with Debbie Chambers, and in the process races alongside Emma Mc Cosh and Rachel Cashin – some of New Zealand’s most experienced and toughest adventure racers.

Great memories of the event as we look back over some of the amazing photos taken by Murilo Mattos posted on the Wild&Co Facebook Page These will also help to showcase the beautiful Hawkes Bay Region to the world as the event was a part of the ARWS Oceania Series

An opportunity to explore more of this Hawkes Bay Region by staying and playing. There is plenty to do in the area such as explore the Hawkes Bay Trails , Hawkes Bay Wineries or some of the Napier Art Deco.

The Mountain Designs Wild Women would like to acknowledge the support we have from Mountain Designs as having access to a wide range of race gear and equipment makes a huge difference in the sport of adventure racing, because gear needs to be reliable and robust!

Mountain Designs Wild Women Meander the Mighty Macleay - Geoquest 2023

The Mountain Designs Wild Women Adventure racing Team was created to help encourage and support women to become strong and capable adventure racers in their own right, and for them to be able to pass on some of their knowledge and skills to others along the way. There are now over 15 women who can proudly say they are Mountain Designs Wild Women, they have not only signed up to race, made it to the start line, but also finished a race with the Mountain Designs Wild Women Team.

This year for GeoQuest we welcomed Hayley Kelner to the team, so I asked Hayley to reflect on how it was to do her first ever GeoQuest! So, here is her report! 

Three months ago, I sat down for a coffee with Adventure Race legends Tri Adventure’s Jan and Kim. I had been back adventuring with the Tri Adventure crew since mid 2020 and competed in a couple of Fairy Bells with Jan. At some point during our conversation, I mentioned that I might like to challenge myself this year and do a longer race and one day even attempt something like GeoQuest. It wasn’t long, only a couple of days, before I received a message from Kim inviting me to join the Mountain Design Wild Women to race GeoQuest. I was comforted to learn that my good friends, and original MDWW, Gina Dunsdon and Cass Kimlin would also be in the team, and this contributed to me taking the risk and saying yes.

So began a furious attempt to be fit enough to race, with this legendary team, for 48hours. I covered many km’s on the bike and foot and a small amount in the kayak, which would come back to haunt me during the race. Fast forward a few months and I was as ready as possible and had even roped my brother in to attend his first adventure race as part of our all-important support crew. We enjoyed the drive down to South West Rocks on Thursday and marvelled at the beautiful scenery. Upon arrival I was fortunate to be given a very generous race pack of gear from Mountain Designs which would be invaluable throughout the race. Come Friday was all systems go with race check-in, map collection and athlete briefing dominating the afternoon. I had so much clothing, gear, and food it felt like I was packing for a six-month military deployment. Somehow, we got it all sorted, bagged, labelled and into boxes for our support crew to decipher at each transition area. 

Mountain Designs Wild Women - First look at the maps! Photo Murilo Mattos

Doing the maps with the team was my first experience of how much skill, experience and focus goes into being a successful adventure racing team. The MDWW are a well-oiled machine who work together with copious amounts of trust, respect and consideration for every team members thoughts and opinions. I was in awe of this process and these amazing women I was about to race with. We had an epic feed that night as a team and enjoyed swapping stories and sharing many laughs. Then it was a final check that everything was packed and into bed to try and get some much-needed sleep. Of course, this was not to be the case, I was like a kid on Christmas Eve and managed only the bare minimum of quality sleep. 

Race morning dawned in a sleep haze (for me) and after some frantic last-minute organising, we all bundled into Jan’s car and set off for the journey to the start line. The drive was beautiful and very windy. We spent our time chatting and singing along to some Wild Women playlists while stealing glimpses of the course (river) on the way up. We arrived with plenty of time to spare and the atmosphere at the start line was incredibly relaxed and joyful. Being unsure of the water temperature and concerned about getting cold we made a team decision to wear rain jackets. I wore the new MD Stratus Jacket made of Pertex which kept me dry and at a great temperature throughout the entire paddle. I was very grateful for the breathable material and armpit vents. These jackets were a favourite among the entire team and got a lot of use throughout the race. 

Mountain Designs Wild Women at start with our crew! Photo - Jan Leverton

On the bank of the Macleay River, selecting our kayaks and securing our gear. Photo - Trent Boyles

Everyone was smiling, getting their boats ready and having a dance to the upbeat tunes that were playing. I feel like our team was always up for a dance and we bounced our way through our team photos with complete joy. It wasn’t long before the first teams were heading off into the white water that greeted them as soon as their paddles touched the water. As team 12 we were able to watch the half course teams and a few of the full course teams start before it was our turn. Chris, race director from Wild and Co, blasted his version of a wild women anthem (I can’t even remember the song) and we were off, spurred on by the cheers of remaining teams and supporters. 

Start of GeoQuest 2023 - Race Director Chris, pumps up the tunes! Photo Trent Boyles

This is my first race start (not that there are many) that hasn’t been a frantic dash on foot with my HR soaring while I desperately try to stay with my teammates. In comparison, this was leisurely, we carried our boats down to the water, pointed in the direction we wanted to go and jumped in to start paddling. As the least experienced paddler in the team, I wouldn’t even call myself a recreational paddler, I was incredibly intimidated by the idea of paddling 70km in one day or even 28km in one go. And predictably, I struggled. Mentally and physically this first paddle was one of the hardest points in the race for me, and it came at the very beginning! I was in the boat with Cass, and we had a great time negotiating our way down the rapids and trying our best not to bounce off other boats, or people. There were people and boats going every which way and teams flipping into the water at nearly every rapid section. 

Trent has the TA set up in plenty pf tome ready for our arrival at TA 1.

Kim and Gina are off! Kayak Leg 1. Photo - Trent Boyles

Cass and Hayley, not far behind, negotiating 1st rapid! Photo Trent Boyles

At one point Cass and I were spinning around when she called out ‘I’ve lost my paddle!’. Mid-spin I lookd to my left and there was her paddle, hanging in a tree! Somehow, I reached out and pulled it out of the tree and passed it back to Cass. I then called out ‘What do we do now?’ Cass, forever unfazed and eternally relaxed as I have come to learn, told me to wait and then paddle as soon as our boat faced down river. This, I think, was our most dramatic moment in the paddle, closely followed by me stopping us from falling in by pushing against some unsuspecting racers bottom while he tried frantically to get out of our way after flipping over in the white water. Poor guy, he was just trying to race. Our hilarious paddle adventures continued with us being wedged on a rock, just swaying in the breeze, halfway down a rapid and coming across Kim and Gina floating, no longer in their boat, at the end of a rapid. They had been knocked out after being unable to avoid another team who had come unstuck in the rapid in front of them. 

Despite all this drama and adventure, we set a good pace as we made our way through many of the teams in front of us, collecting checkpoints 1-3. This is where I came a little undone and began to struggle. Using a borrowed paddle that was far too big for me and trying to maintain a furious pace I was quickly losing the ability to keep up. Cass and Kim swapped spots and Kim and I swapped paddles and we soldiered on. This was my first experience of the teamwork that makes adventure racing unlike any other sport. Teammates who are willing to step up when someone else is struggling, the unspoken truth that everyone will have a moment in the race, and we will all be there to get them through. Safe to say once I could see the bridge and our support crew up ahead there were some stealthy tears that threatened to slide out. I was a mixture of feelings, completely exhausted and drained, worried that I felt that way at this point in the race and proud that I had pushed through when all I wanted to do was stop. In the transition after this leg, we also decided on nicknames for each other, which Kim would only discover at the end of the race. Kim was Terminator, Gina was Batgirl, Cass was Big Dog, and I was Wheels. This gave Gina and I endless amusement at points throughout the race, anything to keep the spirits up really.

Despite the fatigue, Kim and Hayley, cruise into TA 1! Photo - Trent Boyles

Our transition was seamless, the support crew (Nick and Trent) were amazing, and in no time at all we were out on the bikes. Finally, I was in my comfort zone coming from a strong mountain bike background. We blasted through this bike and collected both checkpoints with no issues. Kim was out front, with the maps, considering a more direct track for us to take but it didn’t look like it would go through. We chose the ‘longer’ way, but as the roads had just been graded the riding was smooth and easy. It was on this bike leg that Gina established herself as the ‘gate keeper’ and performed this job effortlessly throughout the entire race, thanks Gina, that was a lot of gates! I was happily flowing along and so content to be on my bike it was a surprise when we quickly arrived at the next TA for the farm trek. We had opted to use flat pedals and ride in our running shoes so all we had to do was swap helmets for hats and we were ready to go. 

Stunning scenery on Leg 2 MTB - Photo Murilo Mattos

Kim and Cass marked up the map and we had to collect 5 out of 6 CPs in any order. This trek was on farmland so made for easy travel, though there were a few hills to navigate. We headed off to find checkpoint B first which was on its own up a spur. After a little search in the scrub Cass called out that she had found it. Then we were off, rolling down the hill to cross the creek and road. Hello, slightly wet feet due to not enough rocks in the creek. I’ve learnt that having wet shoes is just part of adventure racing! Luckily, we had the Mountain Design Coolmax socks which perform equally as well whether they are wet or dry. The entire team swears by these socks as an irreplaceable piece of kit for adventure racing and I’m planning to acquire many more pairs. This trek introduced me to many new ways to navigate a barbed wire fence. We rolled under them, squeezed through them, and climbed over the top. Every time we approached a fence, I was highly entertained by trying to guess how we would tackle it. On reflection, maybe I was already a little tired at this point! After collecting the next checkpoint, we decided to take a bearing straight across the farm through multiple spurs and gullies. This part of the trek was a bit more challenging, physically, as the ground was very uneven and the grass so long you couldn’t see where you were walking. We pushed on, with the photographer Murillo in tow, he was moving a lot quicker than we were! Eventually, we found the road and made rapid work of the last couple of checkpoints. With a quick, apparently obligatory bash through some lantana to a highpoint, the only real detour. As we got to the end of this leg, we started to see more teams coming out to start their trek, we were making great time and hours ahead of our predictions. 

The Terminator - Kim.....setting the pace up the hills, Bat Girl and Wheels not far behind!
Photo Murilo Mattos

Look, this is where we go! Photo Murilo Mattos

Off we go, down to the CP....it's not too far! Photo Murilo Mattos

I barely remember the ride back to the TA as it was so quick with only one CP. The sun was setting as we rode across the farmland and made a beautiful backdrop for the end of our first day. A few gates, a couple of turns and more smooth roads led us back over the river and into the presence of our capable support crew. We took our time with this transition as we were heading out for a 30km night paddle and knowing there would be some white-water we were all preparing to be quite cold. I wore my Mountain Design thermals, Gore-Tex MD jacket and a pair of Gore-Tex MD rain pants that I have had for nearly 20 years. We also donned the warmest gloves we had, beanies, wool socks, and helmets (which were mandatory again). After the best toasted sandwich and hot chocolate I’ve ever had we set off down the hill to where we had left our boats. I think we were all a little nervous about this leg as we didn’t know what we were in for. I would say we all had no idea it was going to be how it was and surprisingly it ended up being the favourite leg for most of the team. As Cass and I got into our boat she discovered that the boat was bubbling. This was quite concerning as it hadn’t happened in the first paddle. We decided there wasn’t much we could do and just hoped it would be fine. After sending Nick for an extra run up the hill to retrieve Kim’s glass, which weren’t helpful in the conditions, we were off. 

Oops, forgot the glasses! They didn't work anyway....sorry Nick! Photo - Trent Boyles

We had four checkpoints to collect on this paddle and were assuming that the river would be similar to the first paddle with a few white-water sections. I have discovered, in my short racing career, that I enjoy racing at night. I think it is because I lose all concept of time and distance and just focus on one step, pedal stroke, or paddle stroke at a time. The temperature had been steadily dropping as we were paddling and not long after we started the fog descended. I have never been in such thick fog, and definitely not while trying to navigate a river with rapids. We couldn’t see past the front of our boats and even had to turn our lights to face the sky to minimise the reflection back off the fog. The upside of the fog was that we spent time marvelling at the night sky and the remarkable stars. Kim and Gina were out the front and the only way they knew which way to go was to listen to the flow of the river, or the dull roar of the white-water, and numerous times Cass and I watched them disappear into a rapid, sideways in one instance, with no idea of where they were headed. The Wild Women really are just that and incredibly brave. We blindly followed and it was an adrenaline rush to be bouncing down the river never knowing what was next. I can now check off my list getting a complete shower from a white-water wave train and straddling the boat, facing backwards, with my heels dug into the rocks as Cass and I refused to end up in the strainer that was downstream. Despite this we managed to all stay in the boats for the entire paddle. One advantage of racing at night is the checkpoint flags are usually reflective. This makes it far easier to spot, especially on the riverbank. At one of the checkpoints, we decided to get out to have a stretch and something to eat. We had all been warm enough up to this point but quickly realised that the air temperature was much colder once you were off the water. Kim, Gina, and I started bouncing on the spot to keep warm and this quickly turned into an impromptu dance party. This is the joy of racing with the MD Wild Women and a memory that will forever make me smile. We made great progress on the second half of the paddle and were soon at the next TA after collecting all the checkpoints. 

Now, I don’t think I’ve ever been as cold as I was in this transition. Just getting out of the boat and up to where our support crew were set up was a challenge. Undoing shoelaces and zips and removing thermals seemed an insurmountable task. The rest of the team was furiously changing and organising their gear and I was just stuck shivering and struggling. This was another point of mental breakthrough for me, one of many apparently, and I just started doing one thing at a time. Eventually, I managed to get changed and sit down to some hot soup and bread. Once again, Nick and Trent absolutely nailed the support crew job and seemed to have exactly what we wanted and needed. With five, yes five, layers on and our preferred clip pedals installed on the bikes we rolled off over the bridge to begin the longest ride leg of the race. Kim and Cass made quick work of the first couple of checkpoints and soon we were up in the hills. I think originally this would have been a challenging ride with several hike a bike sections. Much to our joy, the roads had been recently graded, we could ride the entire time and only had to slow down for some sandy sections. Once I warmed up, and my fingers and toes stopped burning, I thoroughly enjoyed this leg. I am always happy to be on my bike, especially when I don’t have to push it or carry it. This leg had the most checkpoints, and a few required off track exploring to find. After a climb that seemed to just keep going up, we rolled into the next TA just before sunrise. With that, I had survived the first night of GeoQuest.

 Named the ‘Briggs Lookout Trek’ this leg had the option of teams splitting into two and getting two of the four checkpoints each. During our pre-race map session, we had decided that Cass and I would pair off and Kim and Gina would work together. Cass and I made quick work of our first checkpoint as it was straight down a recently graded road, and we just had to follow it all the way to the ‘track-end’. Our second checkpoint was at a creek junction, and we knew this would be significantly more challenging. Thankfully the sun had now risen, and we were attempting this checkpoint in the daylight. We decided to follow the road around a bit further to find an attack point that wasn’t as steep, and this worked well for us. We still slid our way down the embankment using trees, vines, and anything else we could grab onto to slow us down. Eventually, we were in the creek and followed it down to find the junction. The creek was incredibly overgrown and slow going. We were battling fallen logs, copious amounts of lantana and slippery rocks. Just your usual adventure racing creek line. At one point our only option was to crawl along the creek bed to get under the lantana. We had been inching through the creek for a while and were started to second guess our approach. Cass decided we would continue for five more minutes and then around the next bend there was the elusive checkpoint! All adventure racers know how good it feels to finally find the CP after a battle like this. We then bashed straight up the hill, with a few sideways detours, and popped back out onto the road. Before we split up, we had identified a road junction as where we would meet. Cass and I made out way to the meeting point and began waiting. Little did we know that Kim and Gina had already been there, after being unable to find their second checkpoint, and had gone back for another try. Cass and I got so cold while waiting we started pacing the road, which I’ve been told was very concerning for those who were watching our tracker. Eventually, a team on bikes let us know that Kim and Gina were coming up the road and would be there soon. When they arrived, they let us know that they hadn’t been able to find checkpoint J and we decided to all go in together. Turns out many teams had a challenging time locating this checkpoint and some never found it at all. After approaching it from Kim’s last attack point option she and Cass worked together to locate the checkpoint. Watching the MD Wild Women work together to problem solve and their grit and determination to find the checkpoint is awe inspiring. With the final checkpoint for the leg punched we made quick progress back up to the TA and jumped back on our bikes for the final time. 

Trek Leg 7 - Hayley had the tracker, so you can see we nailed J from NE approach 

Kim and Gina approached J from the SE 2 times, from the two obvious suprs....no luck! 

As with all the bike legs in this race, they seemed to pass by so quickly with minimal issues or effort. We rolled through kilometres of undulating hills in beautiful forest, only having to backtrack to one CP. After channeling our road riding skills and taking turns on the front we rolled across several bridges, crossed the highway, and climbed up to where our support crew was waiting for us to begin the longest trek leg of the race. Once again, we feasted on gourmet toasted sandwiches, with brioche bread, and hot chocolates and geared up to tackle Mt Yarrahapinni, the ‘you are amazing’ trek as we had named it. I had heard many tales of the infamous hike a bike up this mountain from a previous GeoQuest and was very happy I wasn’t taking my bike on this leg. We waved goodbye to our support crew and set off for what would be one of my favourite legs of the race. We were all in good spirits and, as we had for the whole race, we jogged all the downhill and flat sections. Kim and Cass were on-point with their navigation and easily found the first CP on a little side trail. Not long after we began the scramble up Mt Yarrahapinni. At the base we passed a few of the half-course teams and they were singing and in great spirits. I would later find out that these teams were from the Kaiarahi Cultural Collective and their energy and spirit was uplifting an inspiring, a great boost for me as we approached the climb. Kim suggested we all get a sturdy stick, which I quickly named, to help with the climb as there was no track. I was just following Kim as she made her way along a path that only existed from other teams pushing their way through the bush. A few times I stopped to check the incredible view and take a moment to acknowledge what we were doing, really, I just needed to catch my breath. Finally, we made it to the top and enjoyed a celebratory coke, an adventure racing tradition. 

We headed up the fire roads to the highpoint and here we belted out a unique rendition of ‘you are amazing’. Another example of the joy this team brings even more than 24hours into racing! We ditched our sticks after thanking them for their contribution and rolled on down to the lookout. The rest of this trek was jogging down and hiking up the undulating hills in some of the most beautiful forest I have seen. At this point in the race, I think we were all feeling the downhills in our legs and trying not to get out of control on the descents. We racked up a few more CPs and eventually made our way down to the coast. I was starting to struggle again, feeling very fatigued and ready for a rest, as we scrambled around Grassy Head. I forced myself to keep my head up and take in the view as I knew it was special. Luckily, Murillo had found us again and we have some amazing photographs to remember this phenomenal area we explored. We quickly found ourselves trudging through the soft sand down the beach to our second last TA. A quick bush bash for the last CP on this leg and we found Jan on the bridge over to the TA. She was very happy to see us and gave us a boost of energy with her enthusiasm, thanks Jan. Once again, our trusty support crew had everything ready for us, including hot chips which were exactly what we needed, and we spend through the transition knowing we were so close to the end. 

Heading to the lookout at Grassy Head to find the CP. Photo Murilo Mattos

Heading back along the track after finding the CP. Photo Murilo Mattos

Gina sets the pace just before we head down onto the beach for the last CP on the leg.
Photo Murilo Mattos

Crossing the bridge at Stewarts point after 

Back into the boats and we headed off to race the sun to the final TA. With the tide and wind against us I quickly began to struggle. The 60km of paddling we had already done and nearly thirty hours of racing combined to put me into a hole I was struggling to come out of. I apologised numerous times to Cass as I had to take a break from paddling and all I could do was complain. She assured me that people had been in worse condition at this point in the race and I was doing so well. After another forced soul searching, I’ve found adventure racing is good for this, I continued to do the best I could. Kim and Gina were also eternally patient and continued to encourage me to enjoy the sunset cruise paddle. We punched the two checkpoints we needed to get and set our course to paddle around the break wall. It felt like we would never get there but as we rounded the wall, we could see the transition area, and this gave me the boost I needed to make it the last few hundred metres. Reflecting back on the paddles, it is amazing to think we paddled more than 70km of the one river as the centre piece of the extraordinary point to point course. I had been thinking when we arrived, I would put my jacket on before the last trek leg as I was wet and cold. As usual, in adventure racing, things don’t go how you plan them, and the other girls sprang out of the boats and declared that we were going to just run. Honestly, I didn’t take this too well at the time but just did as I was told and started running. Well, I thought I was running but it was more of a frozen shuffle with the people on the nearby jetties able to hear my teeth chattering.

Our transition from the trek to the final paddle. Photo Trent Boyles

 

Kim and Cass pack the gear into the kayaks, Nick checks we have everything. Photo - Trent Boyles

Off we go on the sunset paddle

Gina asked me what song I wanted to sing, and I chattered out ‘Ice, ice baby’ which made the whole team laugh. They hadn’t realised how wet I was and none of us could work out how I had been the only one to get wet on the paddle. Thankfully, the coastal breeze was warm, and I quickly dried and was not longer feeling like a moving ice block. We made brief work of the first CP on this leg and only had to be on the beach for a short while, which everyone was happy about. 

The sun has set, time to get out and run the the finish!

No time to muck around in this TA, Hayley sings 'Ice Ice Baby' as we set off. Photo -Trent Boyles

The sun was setting at this point, and we all knew we were so close to the finish. We only had two CPs to collect and then find the finish line. Kim decided to take us to a trail she knew existed and after finding ourselves in the water processing swamp, not the nicest place, we followed her bearing and were on the right track. Unbeknownst to us, our supporters at the finish line were stressing at this point as other teams had tried to find this track and had been unsuccessful. One thing I’ve learnt about adventure racing and the MD Wild Women is that you must trust your navigator and have full confidence in them. We were totally committed to this approach throughout the race and Kim and Cass never let us down, they are amazing. We followed this winding path, that made me feel like we were in a magical forest, and emerged at the end of the bridge where the CP was. We only had one to go! Choosing the coastal path we made quick progress to the final CP, where Gina performed some athletic manoeuvres to punch the card. Then we were off to the finish line and the cheers and smiles of our supporters and friends. We crossed the line as the 4^th full course team overall and the first women’s team.

Mountain Designs Wild Women finish Geoquest - watch the video!

What a pleasure it was to experience such beautiful country through a course where every leg showcased the natural beauty of the area, from the crystal-clear water, spectacular rolling hills to the lush green rainforest. Crossing the GeoQuest finish line with the MD Wild Women, my team, my friends was the end of the race but the beginning of me knowing that with hard work, trust, teamwork, support, and joy, we can do hard things and achieve beyond our expectations. I will forever be grateful to Kim, Jan, and the MD Wild Women for giving me the opportunity to have this experience, test my limits, break down and keep going and in the process, learn more about myself, how to suffer joyfully, and the kind of person I can be. As a MD Wild Woman, I know I am strong, capable, adaptable, determined, resilient and joyful. Now bring on the next adventure!

Mountain Designs Wild Women - 1st Women's Team - 4th overall (our best GeoQuest result)
Photo - Murilo Mattos

The Mountain Designs Wild Women GeoQuest 2023 - Kim Beckinsale, Gina Dunsdon, Cass Kimlin and Hayley Kelner; would like to thank our sponsors – Mountain Designs, Ay Up Lighting Systems and Tri Adventure as well as our amazing support crew, Nick Baker and Trent Boyles as without you our experience and results would simply not be as good as it gets. Thanks to Chris Dixon from Wild&Co and your team of officials and volunteers for creating another memorable GeoQuest course that we can relive for years to come.

Photo Credits go to Murilo Mattos from fotop.com; shared via Wild & Co on their FB page, other credits to Trent Boyles and Jan Leverton.