Hells Bells Wild&Co 2025 Race Report – Team -Mountain Design - Written by Laura Newton
Mountain Designs Hells Bells - Sunshine Coast Hinterland, QLD; Approx total distance: 140km; Elevation Gain: 2,600m
Getting to the start line!
About ten days before race day, I got a message from Kim
asking if I could fill in for the Mountain Designs Women’s Team. I said yes
without hesitation! In adventure racing, just getting your full team to the
start line is half the battle, and I know how heartbreaking it is when someone
pulls out last minute. I was thrilled to help—well, until I started thinking
about how fast these women move!
With only about 50% of my usual fitness due other injuries
and a sinus infection hitting me two days before the race, nerves kicked. I
felt out of my depth but committed to giving it everything I had. The girls
were amazing and supported me throughout the race!
Race recap:
Leg 1 – 12km Trek 🏃♀️🏊♀️: Obi Obi
Gorge - The race began at Lake Baroon, plunging teams straight into the rugged
Obi Obi Creek gorge. We rock-hopped, scrambled, swam through icy water, and
took a few tumbles. A slight error early on cost us around 2.5km and some
precious energy, but we quickly corrected and began regaining ground.
Leg 2 – 45km MTB🚴🏾♀️: Obi
Lookout to Kenilworth - Starting from the Obi Lookout in Curramore, we climbed
into cooler air—and then the hail hit. It was brief but invigorating. As we
flew down a fire trail, suddenly we heard a loud pop! Nicole had hit a
screwdriver, tearing a massive gash in her back tyre. We scrambled to fix it,
and a few teams were kind enough to offer help. We managed to get a new tube on
however, it was faulty and wouldn’t pump up. After a second attempt (40mins
later), we were back on the bikes, determined to claw back lost time.
Leg 3 – 13km Kayak🚣♀️: Mary River - We
transitioned into a chilly paddle down the Mary River. It was a lot shallower
than we expected and had to get out and portage briefly for a few sections. By
the end, my legs and feet were frozen solid. Still, it was a welcome break from
being on our feet.
Leg 4 – 15km Trek🏃♀️: Forestry Trails -
This leg tested our patience, CP #15 😆 Around the 70km mark,
we spent over 2.5 hours searching for Checkpoint 15, attacking it from every
possible angle. We even teamed up with a few other teams and searched
together. We had exhausted all options
and had to make the hard decision to move on. No team got this check point and
unfortunately it was in a different position. Chris Dixon did a great job to resolve this fairlyat the
end of the race. Nice work Chris!
Leg 5 – 6km MTB 🚵♀️: Obi Obi Road - A
short, sharp ride into Kenilworth to begin the Rogaine section. Quick and
efficient.
Leg 6 – 6 km Trek🏃♀️: Coolabine Rogaine
Classic rogaine format—strategic checkpoint hunting through a farm near
Coolabine. We kept our heads down and moved with purpose. The Nav was on point!
Leg 7 – 30km MTB🚵♀️: The Delica Track -
This was a brutal finish. We bush-bashed through thick lantana and scrub, with
a male team trailing behind us. Kim led the charge, keeping us focused and
moving. It was a tough slog, but we pushed through dense bush with our bikes. Bush
bashing and bikes is not a great combo at the end of the race. We hit some fun
single track, climbed some more big hills and got all the checkpoints.
We finished the race around the 22hour mark. Despite the
setbacks— losing a team mate last minute, having a half fit person step in,
getting a screwdriver through a tyre and some interesting weather - this race
was an unforgettable experience. The Mountain Designs Women’s Team showed grit,
grace, and camaraderie every step of the way. I was honoured to be part of it.
Well done to all the teams and Chris and his team (Wild&Co). Thanks to
all the wonderful volunteers!!! inlcluding ARWS REFEREE Jan DeVries-Leverton 🥰
