Where Legends are made!

Mountain Designs Wild Women lined up for the inaugural Legend Expedition Adventure Race Jindabyne in February 2023.  https://www.legendexpd.com.au/

Mountain Designs Wild Women - KIm, Alina, Del, Nicola

The 500km Wild&Co ARWS Regional Qualifier event was staged in the Snowy Mountains over 6 days and involved navigating with map and compass through 14 stages of the course on foot, kayak and mountain bike. Only teams who completed the full course and found all the CPs can truly claim ‘Legend’ status.

The Mountain Designs Wild Women were represented by Kim Beckinsale, Alina Mc Master, Del Lloyd and Nicola Jelinek. As a team of four we had not all raced together before, but each of us had our strengths and weaknesses going into the event.  I was certainly nowhere near as fit as I had hoped following a tumultuous 2022, Nicola was super fit and on fire, Del was coming back from an ankle injury and stepping into the team just at a few months out after not doing any sort of expedition racing like this since before kids, and Alina only just joined us a few weeks out.

We were super excited to race together, so after a few zoom chats and messaging forward and backward as the event drew close we were super excited to see the course planner when it was  revealed 10 days prior to the start.

This helped us to organise the equipment we needed and determine our food requirements as at the event we would need to pack gear into our bike boxes, 4 gear tubs and a paddle bag. Bike boxes were allowed to weigh 30kg per box and tubs just 25kg and the paddle bag 20kg.

Now, you would think that being smaller and lighter would be an advantage here, but it was not…… as at our first weigh in, all boxes were a few kgs over. So as a team we spent quite a while shuffling, sorting and discarding items we may not need. Skimping on food and gear can be a disaster in these conditions if the weather turns poorly.

In addition to gear checks there are also competency checks which include navigation, first aid, use of tracking device, swimming and kayaking capsize and re-entry. This is to ensure that individuals are capable of surviving up to 6 days in remote areas with just their mandatory gear and their teammates.

Click here and see Alina chat about mandatory gear 

Jan (Race Referee) checks our mandatory gear

Navigation and First Aid Test

Race Director Chris Dixon explains how to use the trackers

Click here to hear what the team had to say!

So, here’s a little about the course and little bit of detail…..

Leg 1 -Trek - Jindabyne - 5k - Elevation Gain / Loss 0 – We managed to run and keep 3POC in sight – thanks to Alina we were able to manage a few short cuts.

Leg 2 - Climb & Abseil - Jindabyne Rock - 500m - Elevation Gain / Loss 100m – Nicola and Del took this on while Alina and I studied the maps. I also ate half of Alina’s Lamb wrap….now that’s team work. We had a compulsory 1hr 30 stop there.

Del on the abseil

Leg 3 - Gorge Trek & Swim - Snowy River - 15km - Elevation Gain 200m / Loss 340m – Wow this was amazing and nowhere near as cold as we expected. No need for the frog skins we carried.

Mountain Designs Wild Women swim the Snowy River Gorge

Leg 4 - Mountain Bike - Cootralantra - 51km - Elevation Gain 950 / Loss 570m – A super-fast leg where we chose a nice fast route making it to TA 2 just on dusk.

On the bikes heading to Berridale before the sun vanishes

Leg 5 - Kayak - Lake Eucumbene - 40km - Elevation Gain / Loss 0m – This was one of the toughest night navigation experiences on a kayak leg for most of us…..it was pitch black.

Course Notes - Leg 5-9

Finally, we have light at the end of a dark challenging paddle across Lake Eucombene

Nicola all smiles as we approach TA 3

Leg 6 - Trek - Monaro High Plains - 45kms - Elevation Gain 1100 / Loss 1285m – A spectacular trek which had everything – it was so hot though….who would have thought. Thanks to Nicola for swapping packs with me for a bit as my new pack was no where near as comfortable as my trusty old Mountain Designs pack.

Mountain Designs Wild Women - hike through the plains 

Nicola charges ahead as we near CP11

Kim pauses to check the map - the flies were tagging along too!

Nicola punches CP 11

Mountain Designs Wild Women all smiles after CP 11

Leg 7 - Cave Rogaine -Yarrangobilly Caves - 8km - Elevation Gain 50m / Loss 50m – We tried to do this before dark, but did not quite transition fast enough…..wonder why…well we had had no sleep in 48hrs. We did enjoy a swim in the thermal pool though after a bit of a dash around the cave to fins 5 CP’s….the caves were pretty cool at night…..even though we had none of the views.

Map 6 - The inset has the CPs marked for the caves.
 

There was a swim to get this CP - we all jumped in as it was so refreshing.

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Leg 8 - Mountain Bike - Spicers Creek and Cumberland Trails - 85km - Elevation Gain  1650 / Los100m – Massive 7k climb out was tough, but then we almost froze when we started descending…..lucky we had to head into the bush to find the CP’s – this warmed us up. Loved the last CP on this leg as the lookout was spectacular…. despite the fact we were running out of time to get to Talbingo before the Darkzone cut off.

Riding into the TA at Talbingo - excited to have made it before the Dark Zone

Alina cranks up the Jetboil - no cafes here but we have milk and coffee to make our own.

Leg 9 - Kayak (towing MTBs on Kayak) - Talbingo Reservoir & Talbingo River - 20km - Elevation Gain / Loss 100m – Phew – we made the cut-off – even had time to eat, secure or bikes to a kayak for towing. This was certainly not a fast transition but a rewarding one! The paddle was actually nowhere near as bad as we thought it would be…. our bungee length that we had tested out pre-race – worked perfectly and the fact that we could actually see….unlike the previous one! 

Off we go - travelling fast despite towing 2 bikes on a kayak

Rounding the corner just before CP 15

Leg 10 - Mountain Bike - to Marable - 11km - Elevation Gain 680m / Loss 50m – We had a big feed before heading off on this leg as leg 10, 11 and 12 were sort of all together. It would have been great to sleep here, but we did not want to lose light.

Course Notes - Leg 10-14

Leg 11- Trek Rogaine - Maragle - 7km - Elevation 50m / Loss 50m – We arrived just on dark…. bummer, but still headed out on the rogaine….not sure if this was the best choice, but we did find all the CP’s.

Leg 11 - Rogaine - we were to find 5 of the 7 (We did F, G, J, K, L)

Leg 12 - Mountain Bike - Happy Jacks to Guthega - 143km - Elevation Gain 4250m / Loss 3800m – Wow what a ride this was….and it was not a fast one….a lot of pushing, walking but some wicked descents. We split the leg into two by sleeping in  the CSIRO hut…. that was a treat…..but still freezing!

Red arrow - where we searched in the wrong creek for 2hrs
Blue arrow - where we were meant to look for Cp 22 - oops! 

Leg 13 - Trek - Main Range Trek Kosciuszko – 28km - Elevation Gain 1073m / Loss 1328m – This was the most spectacular part of the course and we lucked out with the weather for sure. Nicola towed me for most of the leg…. what champion she was….

Mountain Designs Wild Women - Traversing the Main Range 

Mountain Designs Wild Women - in the Mountains!

Mountain Designs Wild Women - feeling on top of the world. 

Leg 14 - Mountain Bike - Thredbo Valley Trail to Finish in Jindabyne - 47k - Elevation Gain740m / Loss 1085m – Unfortunately we had to do some of this in the rain…. probably not the best idea to ride wet slippery roads after only 7hrs sleep in 4 days….but we survived…the hot mix and the singletrack on the TVT.

Wild Women ride to the finish - powered by Ay Up Lights

Total Distance – over 500km

Total Time – teams had 6 days to complete the course as a team of 4

Total Elevation Gain – Approx 10000m

Total Elevation Loss – Approx 8500m

Total Check Points – 35

The Mountain Designs Wild Women found all of the CP’s and finished the full course well before the advertised finish. Here are some of the challenges we faced and also some of the highlights!

Mountain Designs Wild Women - smile at the finish

 Challenges the Mountain Designs Wild Women faced throughout the event.

1.       Trying to get our maps marked up before the start and not miss the bus transport to the start.

2.       Del overcoming her fear of heights and choosing to be one of the two to complete the climb and abseil on Leg 2.

3.       Jumping into the Snowy River and choosing to swim sections on Leg 3 instead of trying to hobble over rocks.

4.       Night Navigation on the kayak when you can only see about 2 metres in front of you because of thick fog.

5.       Packing and unpacking our bikes into boxes without losing something important and getting our bikes going for the final ride.

6.       Managing to get through all of the MTB sections without any race destroying mechanicals.

7.       Staying alert in the caves on Leg 7 when we had had no sleep for the past 2 nights.

8.       Working out the best way to strap two bikes to a kayak and then tow the kayak for the next 22km when time was running out fast to get onto the water before the DARKZONE cut-off!

9.       Problem solving when Alina could not find any of the batteries for her lights (end Leg 7 ) that she thought she had packed. We then had to ration and share what we had to get through the next 4 stages until she remembered they were in Nicola’s box.

10.   Navigating on the bike using 1:50000m maps, when Kim lost her night specs we only had one set of glasses between the three of us….. thus, we had to bounce back from a little navigational hiccup as a result of this (see point 10 in highlights).

11.   Keeping going after dark on the 150km bike ride after riding since 6am and realising that there was not going to be anything open in Eucumbene or Nimmo…. we were dreaming of a bacon and egg roll!

12.   Sleeping in a bivvy, bivvy bag and bothy bag and then somehow managing to get all of the mandatory gear packed back into bags.

13.   Realising we had climbed the wrong peak on the Main Range Trek – Leg 13 and having to descend and climb a bit more!

14.   Riding the TVT MTB trails sleep deprived and tired – Nicola without rear brakes without any serious crashes – we were falling like dominos at times.

15.   Getting to the Finish Line, without being short coursed. As a team you must travel together from start to finish, carrying all of your mandatory gear, food and any extras, your equipment must not fail, and you must also find all of the CPs to be in a position to be ranked and not receive any penalties. This is what Adventure Racing is all about and the MD Wild Women achieved this at the Legend Expedition Race.

Highlights for the Mountain Designs Wild Women during the event.

1. Trekking down the down the Snowy River and not freezing to death when we had to jump in the water and swim.
2. Finding checkpoint 7 on the Leg 5 Kayak after spending two hours searching rocky points in the pitch black.
3. Getting to the end of the Leg 5 Kayak in the daylight and not needing hot shower to warm up.
4. Stopping for lunch at an alpine hut on the Monaro High Plains Trek and then finding the final checkpoint after a little navigational glitch occurred when tracks on the ground were not as they appeared on the map.
5. Swim in the thermal pools on the Cave Rogaine and then sleeping in our bike boxes for an hour.
6.  Spectacular views and great descents on the MTB in the morning after riding all through night.
7. Making it to Talbingo before the Dark zone cut-off and then enjoying the paddle towing our bikes on kayaks – it was nowhere near as hard as we thought it was going to be.urs and then sleeping in our bivvies for 3 hours (total sleep – 4 hrs in 3days)
8. Sleeping in the CSIRO Hut for 3 hours after riding and pushing our bikes up hills for more than 15 hours (total sleep 7 hrs in 4 days)
9. Working out that were in the wrong creek after searching for CP 25 for a few hours and then getting to the TA at Guthega by midday! Singing ‘Wild Women Do’ when we arrived at the TA thanks to Lauren one of the volunteers
10.  The main range trek was stunning – we were feeling on top of the world here – especially when we found all three CPs and saw snow on the mountains. Eating Jan’s fruitcake which may have had a bit of rum in it.
11. Running, yes running down from the top of Mt Kosciuszko range to Thredbo village – yes we could still run but were thankful to have our trekking poles. ‘Sending it’ down the Thredbo Valley Road – the hot mix was a great reward for our tired legs and Alina was on fire!
12. Finding the last 2CP’s on the bike meaning we had now found 100% of the CPs and just had to get to the finish to become legends. Nicola managing to ride this section of the TVT without rear brakes……they simply fell off her bike!
13. That finish line feeling just after 3.30am on Friday 3 March – Completing the inaugural Legend Expedition Adventure Race in 2^nd place overall and 1^st Female Team in just under 4 days and 18 hours. 

The Mountain Designs Wild Women now feel like we are legends after that result. Obviously we would like to thank Mountain Designs for their ongoing support of the team and adventure racing in general, Ay Up Lighting Systems for ensuring that we had all the lights, fittings and batteries that we needed for the event, and Tri Adventure for a bit of extra kit, so we looked good out on the course.

Finally, thanks to Chris Dixon from Wild and Co and his team of officials and volunteers for having the guts to go ahead with such an ambitious course in such a spectacular part of the world, because wow it was just such a great race and I am sure that in the future many Legends will be born.

Written by Kim Beckinsale (Mountain Designs Wild Women) March 2023

Photo Credit - Wild & Co Facebook Page - Photographer - Murilo Mattos 

Mountain Designs Wild Women - Legends of Adventure Racing

Alina Mc Master - AR Legend & Mum

Alina - strong and tough throughout the race - a true legend of the sport!

Del - excited to be back racing expedition events - after kids

I don't want to go home just quite yet!

Nicola - Mum of 2 - stepping up to the long stuff

First expedition race done and dusted - excited about what's next

Kim - Team Captain - inspiring women to get out there!

Oh, we made it girls.... Thankyou so much! 

Mountain Designs Wild Women inspiring women of all ages to go outside and climb mountains!

Mountain Designs Vintage Wild Women - ARWS Oceania 24Hrs

The forecast for the weekend was not looking awesome, so we knew we were in for a very wet race. Jan and I were secretly very glad that we had not decided to take on the 36hr championship course which would have had us starting at midnight, in the pouring rain.  Instead we were bunkered down in a nice, cosy Gold Coast apartment, having a look at the Wild & Co social media feeds and posts from teams who were preparing to race. In fact, we had a bit of a sneak preview of what the course may look like for us after seeing what the 36hr course had in front of them.  We had anticipated we were paddling the Nerang River and riding trails in Nerang…..we were correct.

1800 Friday

As we had already received our logistics planner, we spent the night organising our event boxes.  We made sure we packed extra gear. Thanks to Mountain Designs support over the years we had plenty of thermals, waterproof Gore-Tex jackets and rain pants as well, we even threw in a couple of lightweight fleeces!  The course looked like this – Paddle (long), MTB (short), Trek (short), MTB (short), Trek (long), MTB (long), Paddle (long) and Trek (short).  Looking at the course timings we anticipated a finish in the morning sometime after sunrise….. so, in addition to our warm, waterproof gear we packed more than enough batteries for our Ay-Up lights!

0600 Saturday

We woke to the sound of rain, no surprises there….. 36hr teams had now been out all night, we were still dry and warm and wondering what we were in for…..

0900 Saturday

HQ was at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre in Southport. We were there on time ready to collect our maps. Looking at the logistics and the maps, the course looked very long, with a bike all the way out to Numinbah where we would have a trek!  Interestingly the course had quite a few options, meaning on the paddle legs we could collect CPs on the way out and back and the same for the first and last MTB legs!  This made us think!  The paddle looked fairly straight forward, but we saw that if we collected all of the MTB CPs in Nerang on the way out, we could bypass the single-track on the return.

1100 Saturday

Final Briefing – well the only briefing, just 1hr to start and we were lucky to be listening to what some of the 36hr teams had so far encountered, rain, wind, wet slippery trails….. just what we were expecting!  It was not raining at this point, so we were pretty happy and almost ready to race!  A couple of key points -we MUST leave TA4 at Numinbah if we planned to get through the final bike leg and we MUST start the final paddle before 7am Sunday morning in order to finish by midday!

1200 Saturday

The weather gods were smiling on us at the start as it was calm and not raining as we set off.  Jan and I were decked out in our Mountain Designs Wild Women kit but had waterproof jackets over the top. We were ready for rain!  As we set off to the first CP was I absolutely cooking….so had to take off my jacket.  I lost my glasses as I jumped back in the kayak…..as they fell off my head and sunk to the bottom of the river!  We did not waste too much time and continued on our way.  We had numerous weir crossings where we carried the kayaks and a portage as well!  For us vintage Wild Women this was a struggle, but we just did it!  As we got into the TA at Nerang we had to assemble bikes and right on cue it started bucketing down with rain!  We planned to not change clothes here, but I did put my jacket on and a vest, and Jan put on a thermal top.  Very wise! I did the bikes while Jan went and marked up the maps.  Not sure how you really do this when the maps are wet and the pens don’t work!!!

1500 Saturday

So we headed off on our bikes to Nerang MTB park.  We had two sets of maps here, one being the topographical and the other a Trailforks MTB map.  If you have ever ridden in Nerang, you would know that the trails are usually technical and challenging as well as NOT flat!  By the time we arrived at the park, the trails resembled waterfalls and on our way up to our very first CP in there, a guy was walking the other way saying he had just closed the valley trails….mmm was that where we were headed next???  Yes, Barney’s trail which we had intended to take was closed, so we went the long way around on a fire trail to Goanna trail for the next CP.  We managed to find all the CPs on the single tracks and then just had a big out and back ridgeline climb to CP J before exiting the park via CPK.  Well by the time we were on our way back from J, it was seriously bucketing down and it was dark, we could not see more than about a metre in front as we were sliding down the trails.  Phew - we got out of there unscathed but our timings were now way out as it was now well after 6pm and we were not even at TA2.  On our way we did see Team Alpine Avengers flying by the other way…we could not believe they were on their way back!

1900 Saturday

There was no box for us at TA2 and we had planned to be in and out of this TA before dark, so I had carried Ay-Ups but Jan only had the small emergency light!  So, our contingency was to just wear our helmet lights - always good to have a back up plan! We had also opted for a quick transition here as we had just worn the same shoes from the start, but before we could set out we had to mark CPs on the map. There were only 3 (L, M ad O) but it was so hard to see the details on the maps, as contour lines looked like trails and trails were so hard to decipher!  Jan handed me the maps for the first bit as it was so hard to see and we eventually worked out how to get to CPL.  The rain eased and Jan continued with the nav again and took us straight to M.  We had a bit of trouble getting to the CP 0 at the dam as near CP10 which we had to come back to later in the event there were a maze of tracks …some unmarked.  Here we ran into Team Thunderbolt (36hr course) and heard Shelley had just been taken out by a kangaroo on the road.  Lucky she is tough and yes, she was okay….just! We got to the dam and the CP description was creek bed, but in fact it was a fast-flowing river!  After finding the CP we made our way back to the TA and saw our Tri Adventure friends  the Crazed Curlews Kooki Kiwi heading out on bikes.

2100 Saturday

Our race times were well and truly blown out now….we thought we might be lucky to get to TA4 by midnight, but doubted we would even be able to trek.  Most of the ride was on tar, but we still had 3 CPs to find.  We could have just skipped these CPs but that’s not how we race! CP Q and S were paddle CPs for 36hr course and they were really challenging in the wet conditions....and took time. In fact, Q was a rock scramble 500m down a creek line to the dam and S was not much easier due to the steepness of the banks.  Just one CP to go before the TA - CP 5 and it was tricky!  The marked track ended and we found ourselves on an airstrip and right next to a fast-flowing creek of which we thought we needed to be on the other side of.  There were other teams there and then suddenly they disappeared …..it was the bewitching hour indeed!  We backtracked and found another way in which was much easier, as the marked route simply did not exist.

0100 Sunday

Not sure exactly when we arrived at TA4 but we well and truly missed the trek as we had missed midnight cut-off to get the MTB CPs around the dam.  Fiona Crossley was looking after this TA and she told us that we just had to go back the way we came and pick up CP10. So before heading off we did a full change of clothes in a nice cosy, warm horse shed.   We were not freezing but as we had been in the same wet clothes for over 12 hours we thought it might be nicer just to be warm and dry for just a little while.  I think this was a really smart move as we also put on dry jackets and dry rain pants as we ‘breathed in’ some corn chips before heading back out into the pouring rain.

We were the last team to leave the TA.  The ride back was not easy as it was still pouring rain and it was quite undulating!  We used the tow rope to keep together as it was safe to do so.  We knew the way to CP 10 but found it a bit tricky….100m NNE of multitrack junction….mmm there were several junctions in the circle….so which one was it!  We found it after 3 goes from 3 different spots!  Then we had a fast route planned TA 1 without having to go back through the MTB park….this saved us a few hours!

0700 Sunday

We arrived at TA1 just as it was getting light but it was now absolutely pouring with rain.  Greg & Michele Krome had been at this TA since before the race started and were doing an amazing job helping teams find their gear and a bit of shelter.  We packed the bike gear up and got out of there pretty quickly, we did not change, but just stayed in our full wet weather gear.  The paddle back was a tough, hard slog....wind, rain and tide against us....Jan was doing a great job navigating….but we were not really getting very far…..there was no other option but to kept on paddling!

Finally when we arrived at TA 5, it had stopped raining...but we kept on all of our wet weather gear as it was windy!  We headed to the coast – wow - the ocean was a crazy washing machine and there was no one on the beach.... usually Sunday morning at Surfers it would be packed with bikini clad tourists....but this was a stark contrast! We still had to find a few CPs so maps out along the way!  I must say the last leg was definitely the easiest and we did actually run more than half of it!

0920 Sunday

The Mountain Designs Vintage Wild Women crossed the finish line shattered but still smiling and satisfied that we had persevered in such testing conditions.  Nothing about this race was easy and the attrition rate was probably over 50% so for two women one 55 and the other 62, this was no walk in the park but an opportunity for us to still continue to challenge ourselves against mother nature and the crazy race that was the ARWS Oceania 24!!! Thanks Wild & Co – Race Director – Chris Dixon for having the confidence to let the race go ahead!  Sometimes in life we need challenges like this just to show us truly what we are capable of achieving and that’s why we continue to do this sport!

 

 

 

It's been a Wild Ride.....the rollercoaster of life!

Well it’s been a while since I have posted on this site….and a few races have been and gone. I would have usually created a post after Hells Bells and maybe I should have!  The Mountain Designs Wild Women were in fact winners of the women’s category but I was not part of the team ☹ Cass Kimlin joined Amie Munson, Gina Dunsdon and Nicola Jelinek.

Mountain Designs Wild Women - Female Winners Hells Bells Kenilworth 2022

I did, however, have a great time as a volunteer, not only managing TA1 for the full course and half course teams but also taking some short videos of teams at the start, finish and out on course.  This was a great way to keep me occupied when I would have rather been racing!

Kim - Hells Bells Volunteer Official - Media

2022 in fact has not been the best year, as just before I headed off to Geoquest 2022, I was told that I had a melanoma on my leg and that I would have to have this removed.  This would involve some major surgery (skin flap) and a long rehab.  So that was my year gone…..racing wise….well so I thought! Instead of ‘racing’ with the Wild Women girls my Tri Adventure partner Jan Leverton and I teamed up for a 5hr Rogaine and backed up with an MTBO event the next day.  I loved getting back out on my feet in the 5hr rogaine, Jan and I managed to score well and took out the female category. The next day my year went from bad to worse, when I flew over the bars on the MTB and crashed hitting my head hard and, well, almost breaking my fingers.  So, when I was I was told 12 weeks for my fingers to heal, I was so upset…. Jan, however, was convinced that I could still do the Mojo with her, as we were only entered in the 6hr event!

Mojo Raid 6hr was a great event, unfortunately the ‘MD Wild Women’ were not there, as not only was I in ‘gradual return to racing mode’, Cass was totally out of action!  She was unfortunately taken out by a shower door after Hells Bells in the Kenilworth showgrounds, so instead of attending the HB presentation ceremony, she had to go to hospital and get stitches in her heel.  Anyway somehow I managed to get through 6 hrs racing with my fingers strapped and wearing a hand brace on the trek legs…..just to prevent further damage.

Trekking in the Mojo was no easy task!

Anyway, getting through the Mojo meant that I possibly could sign up for the Oceania ARWS, but just do the 24hr version – as opposed to the 36hr Championship event.  So, I convinced Jan to help me fly the Mountain Designs flag and race as Mountain Designs Vintage Wild Women.  Other great news was that the Cass would be back in action too with Amie, Gina and Nicola and take on the 36hr Championship event. All of them would be backing up the week after the Wild Women AR where Cass and Amie were outright winners with Nicola and Gina’s teams rounding out the other two overall podium spots. Mountain Designs came onboard as an event sponsor for the Wild Women AR event as well which was so exciting for women's sport! Thanks Mountain Designs!

Start Wild Women AR 2022 - Gina (front left) and Nicola (front far right)

Cass and Amie - Outright Winners Wild Women AR 2022

So next up the Oceania Championships!

 

 

Age and gender no barrier for these Wild Women

 Mountain Designs Wild Women Geoquest 2022

Mountain Designs Wild Women - Geoquest 2022

Adventure racing is a sport that is tough, challenging and certainly takes you way outside of your comfort zone, but for these strong fit women, it would appear that age and gender are no barrier to success!

Yes, adventure racing like many other sports is a male dominated sport and that’s fine, but what sometimes happens is that women automatically think that adventure racing must be too hard for them, because they are not always as big and strong and seemingly fit as their male counterparts. In the sport the ‘premier category’ is a mixed team, so this means that most teams toe the line with three males and one female. This is certainly a great way to race and for women who want to race at the ‘elite’ level in fact it is the only way to really achieve the highest level of success in the sport.

For many years I did exactly that, racing in mixed teams and racing for Team Mountain Designs. In every team, we achieved great success, winning many of the big-name adventure races in Australia against some of the best adventure racing teams in the country……Geoquest 2007, XPD 2013, Hells Bells, ARA Darkside …….but then I wanted more from the sport, I wanted to be able to lead a team, navigate the entire way in some of the big events…..so at the start of the 2017 season, I put my case forward to our major sponsor Mountain Designs to support an all-women’s team and so the Mountain Designs Wild Women were born. Here is a link to our welcome blog…..

http://mountaindesignswildwomen.blogspot.com/2017/03/welcome-to-first-edition-of-mountain.html

So, since then the Mountain Designs Wild Women have had some success indeed, winning the women’s category of some of the major AR events on the calendar….. Rogue Raid 2017, 2018, 2019, Geoquest 2017, 2018, and 2019; Hells Bells 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 Wildside Expedition Race Canberra 2017, XPD Tasmania 2018, Raid 100 2019 and XPD Rivers of Gold Cairns 2021 and we are proud to have had the ongoing support from Mountain Designs along the way.

Fast forward to Geoquest 2022…..and the Mountain Designs Wild Women are still on fire…..despite icy conditions at Shoal Bay NSW and the reality that we are not getting any younger!!!! In fact Wild Women originals Kim Beckinsale and Gina Dunsdon are both over 50; joining the team for the first time was Nicola Jelinek, who is just shy of 50 and Amie Munson is our baby, aged just 42. So, as you will see age is no barrier for the team as we believe that women are tough and strong and can achieve anything as long as we, stay positive, stay focussed, and keep doing what we love best. So really that is what adventure racing is all about and why we love coming back to Geoquest!!!

Part of the thrill of AR is not knowing where you are going until maps are released and then it is all systems go, map planning, gear planning and lucky for us - support crew planning. Geoquest originally was a supported event and so we opted to stick with tradition as the crew become part of the ‘team’ and thus live the adventure as well! Dot watching and tracking from home is okay….but there is nothing quite like being right there in the thick of it and being allowed to offer support. Retired Cowgirl and Geoquest tragic Jan Leverton was joined by Cowboy Mark Denham and super cyclist Nick Baker ……. wow what a crew!

This event because of the polar freeze and winds predicted was going to be one of the coldest events we have experienced for some time, so we spent a lot of time making sure we had packed gear that we could rely on:- Mountain Designs thermals, Mountain Designs socks, Mountain Designs waterproof and windproof  jackets for paddling and yes more Mountain Designs socks…..and we were prepared to carry it 😊

Geoquest 2022 - Full Course Overview

So, to cut to the chase here is how it all panned out……

The start / finish line for Geoquest 2022 was on the beautiful beach at Shoal Bay. Race morning the sun was shining and the wind was howling and yes, we were going to be paddling right smack bang into it. The first section of the event was a paddle, trek paddle and we planned for this to take us about 8hrs but we made sure we had lights and extra gear in case we did not see our crew till dark.

Geoquest 2022 - Mountain Designs Wild Women ready to race!

There were new Surge kayaks for the event and they have no steering, so this was going to sort a few teams out,  as you had to be able to paddle using your kayak blade as a rudder and in these conditions, this would prove to be challenging. The team all have plenty of paddling experience using all types of craft, as this is definitely one thing that women do need - skills over strength and speed.  So, we always make sure we prepare for the event as best we can, prioritising the skills required for each discipline. Winner winner chicken dinner!  - well that was our carrot to get to the finish - the dream of a hot chicken and guess what, we had an awesome start, finding ourselves in 2^nd place as we arrived at TA1 and on our way on foot to CP1…… and by the end of Leg 2 somehow we nailed CP3 and were somehow leading the whole race. I promised Amie that I would not try to win Geoquest outright, but I must say it’s pretty fun to be right up at the pointy end as a team of girls - turning heads!!!

Mountain Designs Wild Women - Leg 2 on our way to CP3 (in the lead)

Navigation is key in any event and this race would be no different, the paddle up the Myall River for almost 30k was tough and made tougher by having to navigate up a tiny creek and trek 1k  out and back to CP 4 (some teams dragged their kayaks up the beach instead of paddling, this was never an option for us) and then face gale force wind and waves whilst crossing Bombah Broadwater – 5k on a bearing of 300 degrees to CP 7. By this stage there were at least 4 teams in front of us one all male team and three premier mixed teams, we were still right up there and the light was fading fast and we were starting to freeze. TA 2 was less than 4k away, so instead of stopping and adding layers, we just paddled our guts out to Nerong where we were greeted by our crew, with a fire and hot soup!!!!

Kim set a bearing of 300 degrees to cross the broadwater.....note the 12degree offset!

The next three legs would be in the dark, so not only do you need to carry warm gear, but also have good lights for trekking, mountain biking and paddling. So, on go the Ay Ups over our buffs and jacket hoods as we ran out of the TA to try to get warm, as we could not stay by the fire all night!  We had nice dry shoes and socks for all of 5 minutes before we crossed a swamp, bummer……but lucky CP 8 was a high point.  After CP 9 we had a bit of trouble finding Jacks Creek Trail, sorry dot watchers…. In fear we missed it and were heading for OOB we backtracked almost right back to the CP before finding this vague foot track - well spotted Amie! It is always great to have someone in the team who looks around and notices things that the navigator might not!  We nailed CP 10 and 11 and were soon at TA3 near Devils Hills enjoying some hearty sausages prepared for us by the crew. It was pretty freezing, so best to just keep moving, so that’s what we did on the bike.  Nicola was on fire and set a blistering pace out of the TA, then some hills would slow us down a bit! Lucky were all had pretty good descending skills on the bike as there were some doozy down hills. Just before we reached the TA we were approached by a random car - I got a bit scared thinking someone was trying to chat up the girls, but it was only Sloshy (Dave Schloss AR legend) who was working at the event on search and rescue -- phew! We started the final paddle down the Karuah River at a TA4 near Booral, it was so freezing there so we put on almost everything we owned and started paddling….. there was one rapid too….so lucky we did not fall in!  We were still in about the same position in the race as we were at the end of the last paddle, but we knew there was another all male team hot on our heals and that we would be on the water in the dark for more than 5hrs.  It was so cold when we got out at CP18 and somehow a boys team got in front of us there.  We paddled toward CP 19 as the day dawned and picked off the features along the way to the next TA…..inlet on left, oyster leases, big left bend, oyster leases bridge and then TA5 was in our sights….yay!

Did someone say cheese toasties????  Yes, these were on our menu too!!!! We inhaled these as we tried to find shelter from the howling wind.  At the little town of Karuah we had a split trek, so it pays to have more than one navigator in the team.  Amie and I teamed up to get CP A and B, while Gina and Nicola sprinted around to get B & D. Part of my goal as a team captain has always been to encourage team mates to navigate, so in this race Gina had the second set of maps on the trek legs, Amie on the paddle and Nicola on the bike - working to our strengths. This proved a to be a great strategy for Geoquest 2022, as we left that TA ahead of the two male teams that had been in front of us!  We were in 4^th overall!!!!

Split Trek - A B C D

According to the crew and our course overview it was only short MTB ride to the next TA, it was mostly all on just one map and it looked relatively straight forward.  As it was daylight it made the navigation much easier but the riding wasn’t!  Why???? Well we were actually riding through mud, mud and more mud, or should I say mostly carrying our bikes around mud holes that looked like we could almost swim in. 

Gina Dunsdon

Amie Munson

Nicola Jelinek

Kim Beckinsale

The TA for Leg 9 Rogaine was just some spot on the side of the motorway near Twelve Mile Creek. We had made pretty good time but our crew were enthusiastically trying to ensure we had a very quick transition and get out on the 10k rogaine without any time wasting!  Why????  Well the lead teams Thunderbolt, Alpine Quest and Three Points of Contact had not yet returned, so this meant that the navigation was probably tricky.  So, while the rest of the team were getting sorted, I was carefully marking up the maps, yes sometimes in the more challenging legs in an event, you have to draw on your own circles on your map. There were 8 CPs all up and we had to find 5!  I could not see a clear route at first glance, so before we headed out, I got Gina to check that I  had marked up all of the CPs correctly and we as a team all had a look! The route we discussed would have us collecting J I K H and E - in that order - but I was not entirely convinced as there was no real backup in case we could not find one.  

The team chats - just before we set off on the rogaine.

We ran walked our way to CP J and nailed the watercourse bend CP. CP I was a high point so other than a few tracks looking a bit weird, we got it fairly quickly.  All this time I was not happy with our planned course, so I showed the girls an alternate route, which was a bit longer, but maybe safer! So, we headed for L and F and were using all of our orienteering skills to make 100% sure we were going the right way! Pacing using steps and time, checking off track junctions and other features…. although the contours and creeks were barely visible on the map….we tried. To find CP L we aimed off a bit early so we knew we just had to walk left (NE) once we hit the creek…..I noticed a second creek in there, so we spread out and bush bashed! Nicola soon spotted the CP – Bingo! The track to F was there and the high point was obvious, so now just a long hike to H which was ‘head of watercourse’ on the side of a hill. I probably did not pace this one too well  and we went in a bit too early, but once again we spread out and walked NE and eventually located a very obvious watercourse and our final CP! We hurried back to the TA where were we greeted by the crew and event officials who were very impressed with our speed and with the line our tracker drew….a dog!

Can you see the dog we started to draw!???? 

There was no time to mess around in this TA for Light was going to fade fast , we knew we had just two legs to go, but they were quite significant and we would be spending another night out in the cold. With fruitcake, snacks and water loaded in our packs we set off on the bikes for a 54km ride to Anna Bay!  Amie and Gina were checking distance and Nicola and I had the maps. CP23 on Gold Mine Road came up pretty quickly, but we know that we would be hitting CP24 in the MTB park in the dark as light was fading fast and it was almost 10k away. We were on an awesome trail and suddenly this turned into a swamp!  Yes, is was pitch black by now and we were trudging through waist deep water…we were getting pretty cold, but we could see that others had been there….so on on!  Finally we came out onto something that looked more rideable, but I could not see that anyone else had been there…no tyre tracks…no foot prints. So, as I was not 100% confident that we were ‘going the right way’ I convinced the girls to go back and take the alternate route that we had discussed when marking up the maps! I was just upset, that I did not think of this earlier! We came across some crazy young people bogged in a car and their rescuers as we headed back up Taylors Road and they confirmed the other route might be better. We were not sure who was the most crazy at that point…..them or us!  The alternate route was a superhighway and we finally arrived at the Medowie MTB park to look for CP 24. Just as we arrived, we were swamped with teams and there was a frantic search happening….no one could find anything.  We just had to take a deep breath, start again and ride the course slowly and not be distracted by others, so with Nicola following along on the map right behind me we picked off every bend until bang….CP 24 glowing right in front of us! Phew!! Out of the bush now and all roads to Anna Bay! We came across other teams looking for CP25 it seemed so easy, but the CP was not where it was shown on the map, so everyone was running around the streets looking at every sign saying Pacific Dunes….I got locked inside the golf course at one point too! After we finally got the CP and waded through another waist deep swamp, we rode our little socks off all the way to Anna Bay trying to keep ahead of the guys!

This is what happened for those who may have been watching the tracker!

I have no idea what time it was, but it was PARTY TIME at Anna Bay for the Mountain Designs Wild Women! We were still in 4^th place overall and we were ‘just ahead of the guys’ we were all feeling pretty good and we just had one final trek! The crew were amazing feeding us pizza and playing tunes ‘Wild Women Do’ as we left the TA running!!!!! We got out of sight and found the location for CP 28 but we just could not find it…..so a quick reset and we were back in exactly the same spot….a few teams were all around together looking….as well! This was a low point for me as I just could not work it out….we had not had any sleep it was the bewitching hour and everything was just getting funky! But lucky for us another team spotted the flag, hiding low in the bushes….we had been in the right spot…..but had just not spotted the CP. Canberra AR passed us at this point, they were motoring! We were still ahead of the guys though, Amie told me they said they wanted to beat us….but we thought that they had not found all of the CPs. So just 2 CPs to go and the race was on…..MD Wild Women Vs the boys from the Gold Coast – Kooks on Debut! They took off when we hit the road near Boat Harbour and were soon out of our sights…. we kept our cool…. however we were actually freezing….so very chilled indeed! CP 29 and 30 had us walking along sand dunes and stretches of beach…..the waves were thumping and the tide was incoming and at one point we almost got swept off our feet into the water…..so had to hobble along the dunes to get to higher ground. The full moon was setting, so this meant that the sun was almost going to rise, we better get to the finish then! So, with a spring in our step knowing that we were going to finish Geoquest 2022 in our best position ever well under top 10 we powered down Government Road to the finish line just before 5am!

Mountain Designs Wild Women at the finish....wild as ever!

Our support crew were there and so was the Race Director! Congratulations Wild Women…… 5^th overall!!!! What about the boys we said???? “NO you smashed them, they did not find all of the CP’s on the rogaine’ the crew said! So there you have it a TOP 5 finish for the Mountain Designs Wild Women, just behind Canberra AR who finished 4^th . Our closest ever finish behind the podium premier mixed teams Three Points of Contact 3^rd, Alpine Quest 2^nd and Thought Sports 1^st .

So all of you women out there remember ‘Wild women do, And they don’t regret it’, why….. because they can and don’t you forget it! Why not, get out there and plan your next adventure! 

Thanks to Wild & Co for bringing us Geoquest 2022, it continues to be ‘Australia’s original and premier adventure race. Thanks to our fabulous support crew for feeding us and keeping us going through the night, sacrificing sleep as well! Finally, thanks to our major sponsor Mountain Designs for continuing to support the sport and this group of ‘Wild Women’.