I missed the official showing of the new Crank Brothers Products but did stop by their booth to check out a few of the new items. Apparently, they had a half a dozen or so technicians in front rebuilding broken Crank Brothers pedals non-stop throughout the multi-day race, but we are all hoping that they have raised the bar a little higher with their new line. One thing I can say about the stuff is that it looks GOOD – they have spent a lot of time designing the look of their product, and now we look forward to seeing how it will perform. The foam lock on grips definitely caught my eye and will look forward to trying those out someday. Check out the video I took from the Sea Otter Classic.

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Infiterra Spring Fury 12hr
By Jayme Frank

And so begins my second season back adventure racing – and what a difference a year can make. Last year I competed in my first race with only 3 months of training under my belt. This year I’ve got a solid amount of focused training in and it was time to see if it would pay off.

My race started a bit early with some emergency bike repairs before hitting the road. I found a kink in my chain and I figured I would bring it in to a shop to save me any hassle it may cause me. An hour or so later, I had a new chain and some new cables…some great service for a walk in repair (thanks to the guys at the Hub). I was on the road…..next hurdle, the US border on a long weekend! I moved a total of 2.5km in 2.5hours waiting in line with all the cross-border shoppers heading into the US for the long weekend. So rather than getting to my hotel early with some time for a nap, I arrived an hour before registration with enough time to check-in, drop my bags and head out.

Registration was pretty simple and then it was time for the pre-race briefing. We received 2 maps after the briefing with 2 more to come out on the course for the score-o sections of the race. Here is a quick breakdown of the course:

- Paddle + orienteering
- MTB – Trekking Score-O
- MTB + Score O
- Pack Raft – MTB

It took a few hours to work on the maps and get all my gear prepared. I managed to get to bed by 12:30 and had my alarm set for 4am so I had time to eat and digest before heading out to the start. I don’t think I’ve ever had a great sleep before a race when you know you need one, especially when you’re getting up so early. I was pretty restless with my first race of the year a few hours away.

Surprisingly, I felt pretty good when I woke up….as opposed to cursing the early starts like I normally do. Upon arriving at the park I had time to prep my bike and transition area (my car) following the paddle and get a short little paddle in to warm up. When it was time to start we were told we would start in our boats, but that changed and we ended up starting on the beach and had to run and launch our boats to get on our way. I pushed pretty hard to get out of the chaos and ended up paddling from CP1-3 with other other team of 2. We were the first teams to arrive at CP3 where we received the map for the orienteering section that had 5 mandatory points we needed to find.
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SA’s Team McCain Adventure Addicts recorded their best international result ever in Australia, where they took part in the XPD Cairns 2010 expedition race. This no-holds-barred, multi-disciplinary event – a key race in the Adventure Racing World Champs – saw the SA foursome race non-stop for six and a half days over 700km to claim second place.

This time, they seemed to have bitten off more than they could chew … The four McCain campaigners may be old hands when it comes to adventure racing, but trekking, running, kayaking, snorkeling, biking and rafting through croc territory for six days or more might be pushing the limits, even for them.

Let’s say that the ‘Adventure Addicts’ were able to avoid the ‘salties’ (local parlance for the salt-water crocs, which max out at up to a 1000kg), they would still run the full gamut of other Australian nasties. The fact is, they were facing up to the XPD Cairns 2010, a 700km expedition race, constituting a gruelling course through one of the wildest regions on the world’s most dangerous island…

‘Stinging trees’, which the teams ran foul of on Day Two within the Misty Mountains rain-forest near Ravenshoe, were a case in point. Contact with the toxic trees caused extreme pain and distress, and treatment by the race medics reduced several hard core adventure racing heroes to tears. Skin areas exposed to insidious thorns are treated with a solution of hydrochloric acid in order to break down silicon tubes broken off in the skin. Following this, the area is waxed repeatedly in an effort to remove remaining capsules, thus adding even more pain to the ‘cure’. Continue Reading

I recently took a tour of Wind Cave National Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Interestingly, Wind Cave was the 7th National Park in the United States and the first National Park to protect a cave. Park Ranger Mike led us through the cave and discussed all of the aspects of Wind Cave that make it a very unique place. For example, Wind Cave houses roughly 95% of the boxwork found in caves throughout the world. He also explained to us that Wind Cave is the 4th longest cave in the world and has many areas that are yet to be discovered. If you are planning a trip to the Black Hills, I definitely recommend checking out Wind Cave National Park. The inside of the cave is very cool, but outside there is plenty to discover as well. Wind Cave National Park is home to many creatures including prairie dogs, deer, elk, bison, mountain lion and allsl sorts of birds. It is a great place to do some back country camping as there are very few roads and tons of hiking trails. I had a great time!

The afternoon was cooling down after a scorching 39°C and the large shelter overlooking the lagoon and cliffs beyond was truly an oasis sanctuary surrounded in all directions by very harsh country indeed. Teams had been a long time coming to this transition (CP17), set up on Saturday (Day 4), giving the volunteers manning it plenty of time to enjoy themselves in this stunning location and create a great atmosphere to give the teams a hero’s welcome. The music sessions led by the SAR medic, Stru, were a particular hit and toad races and a dart competition also drew much popularity, as were the property’s dogs and litter of 5 young pups.

Not long before the winners crossed the XPD finish line at Rydges in Cairns on Tuesday night (Day 7), Mt Mulligan was experiencing a rush hour with 6.5 teams inundating the resources on hand at this transition. First aid medics were stretched to the limit advising teams on disinfecting and dressing blisters – this XPD has really hammered almost everyone’s feet. It’s almost hard to believe that the brutal and gnarly Walsh River paddle and Chillagoe Station trek legs haven’t hammered team spirits to the same degree – the energy and resilience of the racers really needs to be seen to be believed.

There was the Dirty Avocados Adventure Racing (37) drying out and tending to blisters and sore feet as well as a repeat acid/wax treatment, and the Yogi Bears (15) defying any lasting effect of the difficult trek, smiling, happy and going strong, still certain that the Walsh River paddle had been their favourite XPD leg so far. Latitude 19 (46) got stuck into some hearty meals while they took some time to rest some particularly nasty feet/ankle symptoms that had received a real beating being rolled almost constantly on the rocky terrain which was all but completely hidden by the high spear grass. Team for Cancer (6), a rare almost blister-free team, hobbled in still nursing some injuries sustained much earlier in the event and related how lucky they felt to have had the experience of the remote and isolated Walsh River paddle and Chillagoe Station trek legs and the BMX Bandits (17), doing their spirited best to sell their first aid technique to the SAR team – spear grass seeds for lancing blisters! And also in amazing spirits were DASH (29) and the remaining half of Securify.co.nz (4) who had hooked up for mutual benefit to complete the ‘tiger country’ trek – the Kiwi duo in order to have the chance to experience the harsh and remote trek leg, and the men’s team to experience the wisdom and strategy of some of the event’s best navigators. Continue Reading

There were new faces on the podium, and satisfied faces in the crowd following this year’s Atmosphere Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race (MOMAR), held this past Saturday in Squamish, BC.

After five years of being a race favorite, John Markez finally won his first MOMAR title, completing the race in 4 hours and 14 minutes. “In 2009, Markez was leading the race at the halfway point when he crashed during the mountain bike stage, and ended up in the hospital with a gash to his leg,” says Race Director Bryan Tasaka. “He ran a really clean race this year – it was great to see him come out on top.”

Trailing Markez by just over four minutes was the defending champion, Bart Jarmula of Revelstoke. Placing third overall and first in the team of two male category were teammates and former MOMAR champions, Gary Robbins of North Vancouver and Todd Nowack of Victoria.

Line Augaitis of Vancouver topped the podium for female racers, finishing in 5 hours and 30 minutes. Trailing by only 1 minute and 27 seconds was North Vancouver’s Lucy Eykamp, with defending female champ, Sarah Seads of Courtenay, coming in third at 5 hours and 42 seconds.

Squamish’s Shannon Collier Goetsch and Pamela Skeans were the first female team of two to cross the finish line, at 7 hours and 8 minutes. Michelle Steel and Shawn O’Toole of Ladysmith topped the team of two co-ed category, completing the race in 6 hours and 1 minute. First in the team of four male category and ninth overall were teammates Ryan Clozza and Barry Duplantis of Victoria, Jesse Wheeler of North Vancouver and Trevor Lang of Abbotsford, finishing in an impressive 5 hours and 16 minutes. Team Tag, You’re It, consisting of Victoria’s Ryan Clozza and Barry Duplantis, Jesse Wheeler of North Vancouver and Trevor Lang of Abbotsford, were first in the team of four co-ed category with a time of 6 hours and 46 minutes.

The 50 km Enduro Course began with a 1 km run around Quest University, followed by a three part, 35 km mountain biking section. The ride began with a steep uphill climb on a logging road, followed by some technical, uphill single track. Racers were then sent down the thrilling Half Nelson, a 2.5 km downhill section, which was a new addition to the race and a definite highlight. “The jumps, berms and tabletops of this trail left many racers saying they had never had so much fun on a mountain bike,” says Tasaka. Continue Reading

Blackheart.com.au (1) retain their top spot – CONGRATULATIONS!!!

The XPD that seemed like it might never end … for supporters, organisers and no doubt the racers as well!

Blackheart.com.au (1) hit the finish line in the evening of Day 7 at 20:55. The Aussie team were the only team to finish Cairns XPD 2010 in a week. They had an unexpected last few kilometres without their rivals on their tails when Orion Adventure (40) withdrew due to an ankle injury in the morning on Day 7 during the final trekking leg back into Cairns. Up to that point these two teams had fought a sustained battle up the front of the field, particularly since the Chillagoe Station trek (Leg 8), This unfortunate withdrawal was a great disappointment, of course for Orion Adventure (40), but also for Blackheart.com.au (1), the other teams and all the supporters. This incident left Blackheart.com.au (1) far out front with plenty of space for the rest of the day.

McCain Adventure Addicts (51) from South Africa gained a lot of time and ground during the last trek (Leg 11) as they closed in on the finish line and came in second, scraping in 4.5 hours later on Day 8 at 01:23.

Merrell/Alkali (42) (13:15) from Canada/NZ/France managed to stay out front and take out third place ahead of Aussie team City Bike Depot (27) (14:41).

The other team ticking off the full XPD course on Day 8 was the first all men team from Queensland, Starfactor (52) (16:28).

Very few teams finished XPD in time to follow the State of Origin on Wednesday 26th … this had been the goal of at least one XPD team before beginning. Surely XPD is way more exciting though, no?

It looks like It’s All Good (33) followed by the Dancing Pandas (50) will be the next teams over the line …. whether night or day, HQ will be ready by the pool with champagne and pizzas!

The Australian team Blackheart have won XPD Australia for the 2nd year in a row!  While many teams are still out on the course, hustling to reach the finish before the closing time at 6 PM on Friday, Blackheart can take some well earned rest.

This XPD featured several days of tense back-and-forth racing at the front, with Orion Adventure and Blackheart pushing eachother to the limit.  Eventually, even the most elite athletes will feel the strain of racing too fast for too long, and the Kiwis of Orion Adventure sufferred an ankle injury that put an end to the drama.  With about 30 kilometers to go, Orion had to withdraw from the race leaving Blackheart to race the final few hours without an adversary.  Of course, we don’t know when Blackheart learned that Orion withdrew, so they continued to race as fast as they could.

Don’t think this was just a two team race, however!  At one point, days after the starting gun went off, there were a cluster of five teams all racing very near to eachother.   Blackheart and Orion eventually broke away from the lead pack, with McCain Adventure Addicts (South Africa) edging the other 2 teams to settle into the third position.

For the select teams who have already finished the race, their focus is now rest and recovery at the beach town of Cairns.  For all the other teams, there is more work to be done.  Teams are withdrawing from the race, or getting placed onto alternate courses for various reasons, but there is a hearty core of teams still racing the full course and on target (more or less) to reach the finish by Friday evening.

As impressive as Blackheart’s run to the finish line was, complete with smart tactics, careful navigation, and blinding speed . . . I find the perseverance of the rest of the race teams to be wonderful to follow.  They may not be racing for the podium, but they are competing against themselves, their limits, and this rugged XPD course.  Good luck and finish strong, everyone!

It could happen any minute now: the winning team at 2010 XPD Australia should cross the finish line in Cairns, Queensland.  The dramatic see-saw battle between Orion Adventure (NZ) and Blackheart (AUS) can’t be understated.  Multiple lead changes . . . teams getting lost and then recovering . . . teams struggling through poisonous stinging plants and crocodile encounters . . .  this competition has delivered the most entertainment value of any race in recent memory.

I’m plugged in to the technology team in support of XPD Australia, and so it was quite a shock when we saw the “Help” message come through from the Orion team a few hours ago.  The tracking beacons every team is carrying include two safety buttons, one for “Help” and one for “Emergency Rescue.”  Fortunately, Orion had only activated the “Help” button which indicates nothing life threatening, but that their race was effectively over and the race organization would coordinate medical attention and transport for Orion to the finish line.  Apparently, a serious ankle injury proved the undoing for the Kiwis leaving only Blackheart to race alone for the final few kilometers to the end.

I’m not going to get ahead of myself and declare Blackheart the victors, however, as Blackheart hasn’t crossed that finish line yet.  This final trekking leg includes plenty of navigation, elevation, and distance (not to mention more of the stinging plants in the jungle!).  At the last checkpoint (here is the race leaderboard), when Blackheart and Orion were still fighting it out for the lead, they both had a 7 hour lead over the 3rd place South African team McCain Adventure Addicts.  McCain now elevates into 2nd place with the withdrawal of Orion, and we’ll have to see how teams fare on this final trek to the beaches in Cairns.

With focused attention on providing quality backpacks that match the unique body sizes/shapes and an effective suspension system to minimize the stresses of carrying gear through adventurous lifestyles, Osprey has emerged on the forefront in the outdoor industry for their products. It was just a matter of time before they would come out with their own version of the hydration system, and after testing it for the past few weeks, I can safely say they have placed the bar extremely high.

While the pack is quite a bit heavier than many others, they have effectively solved one of the more frustrating aspects of carrying so much water on your back – the sloshing and barreling. Using a spined bladder system with a hard back and properly securing it within the pack, the sloshing is now a thing of the past. The backpack system has excellent support and airflow thanks to the rigid ridged “airscape” backing on the pack, as well as various straps to compress the pack together (so any tools inside don’t have room to jump around either).

They opted to use a magnet to connect the bite valve to a sternum strap (only when it is clipped in place) which does a great job keeping the tube from flopping around – and the magnet allows you to guide the bite-valve in place without much precision – which is nice when you want to focus on riding.
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13-year-old Jordan Romero has become the youngest climber to reach the top of Mount Everest. A spokesperson says the team called via satellite phone from the summit on Saturday. The previous record was held by then 16-year-old Temba Tsheri (Nepal). Jordan was accompanied by his father Paul, Karen Lundgren and three Sherpa guides. Jordan and the team were climbing from the Tibetan (Chinese) side of the mountain as Nepal has an age requirement of 16.

Jordan has now completed 7 of the 8 summits in his quest to complete the ‘Seven Summits’ Vinson in Antarctica is all that remains and the team has tentative plans to go after that late this year.

Congrats to Jordan and the team and safe travels on the descent and back home.

Too often in adventure racing, the few lead teams steal the spotlight and the rest of the teams race in relative anonymity.  The performances at the front of the pack are certainly amazing, but there are also fantastic feats of endurance, creativity, and teamwork on every team in a race like this.

First off, we should take note of the phenomenal performance by rookie team www.alpineepic.co.nz (yes, that is their team name — they’re sponsored by the Kiwi mountain bike stage race at www.alpineepic.co.nz).  The fact they’re currently in 6th place, only a few hours behind the lead pack, is amazing; it makes me wonder a) exactly how do Kiwis define “rookie” and b) what could these 4 inexperienced racers accomplish with a few adventure races under their belts?  Watch out!

It’s All Good is another team worth mentioning; these racers have completed many previous XPD Australia races and their positive attitude makes me see XPD Australia finishes in their future, too.  How can you not like a team that is racing in 14th position and still keeps an eye out for ice cream stops and pubs along the way?

Truly, every team competing in a race like this deserves recognition and the drive and passion to undertake XPD Australia is something we can all draw inspiration from.  Just to participate is a life experience like none other, and in my book every team that struggles beyond their comfort zone is praiseworthy.  Let me run down a few of the other teams that are great stories and have caught my attention:

• MacPac Girls On Top Kayak the Walsh River

  Currently racing in 22nd place, the MacPac Girls on Top team is an all-women team from New Zealand.  An all female team is bound to attract attention because of how rare they are in expedition races such as this, but how about their performance out there — they’re racing a strong race, kudos to them!  They also have their own blog, pink theme and all, with pics from the race course at http://girlsontopconz.blogspot.com/

• How about the Yogi Bears team?  In 25th place on the official leaderboard, but first place in the “teams writing a lot in their reports from on the course”  category.  It’s worth the read to get a glimpse of the inside of a race like this.  And, I’m curious if they have those stuffed teddy bears with them on the course, too?
• The team Fully Rad to the Power of Sick, besides having a funny team name, are proud to be “mere mortals” in their approach to XPD Australia and enjoy the challenge without podium aspirations.  These sorts of teams are, in many ways, the heart and soul of adventure racing and I can’t help pulling for them.
• Juggernaut appears to be another of these teams of  “mere mortals” but they are of a special kind — the “unranked” kind.  One of their racers had to withdraw from the race, but the others are continuing on; this situation makes them “unranked” since they’re unable to finish the race without their full team.  XPD has permitted these guys to continue racing in this unofficial capacity.  In the face of many obstacles, they’re still going at it.

Adventure racing is the only sport in the world where the elite of the sport can line up with the “regular” folks, and compete head-to-head on the same playing field.  Amateur tennis players will never compete at Wimbledon . . . the neighborhood soccer (or should I say football?) game will never include players from the World Cup . . . XPD Australia is, like other adventure races, wildly democratic in the sense that everyone lines up at the same starting line.  Where else can former World Champions toe the line with first-timers and weekend warriors?

Even better, you don’t have to cross the finish first to be a “winner” here; you win by participating and pushing your boundaries and for people with demanding jobs, families, and other priorities the “prizes” at XPD Australia are the rich memories and accomplishments that can be found no place else.

The lead teams at XPD Australia have entered a crucial portion of the race; this is a long (60 k) trek through wilderness terrain where there are no trails or roads.  Darkness has also settled into this Australian bush country, so the navigation will be even tougher.

When I wrote for Adventure World yesterday, Blackheart was holding a slim lead over hard-charging Orion and the race leaders were heading into a shallow river paddle for 70k.  Since then, Blackheart took a small overnight detour and spent a precious 5 hours or more getting back on track.  Orion, I’m told, lost their boats during the paddle/portage (must have been when looking for a checkpoint flag far from the river bank?) and invested significant time recovering their watercraft.  All of this took place near the same bend in the river, so I’m declaring that area the “Bermuda Triangle of Australia.”

The other lead teams, however, had a bit smoother trip through the river and the result is a 5 team lead pack heading out on this rugged cross-country trek.  Check the leaders progress via the live satellite tracking, and just imagine the teams scrambling through the scrub, over the rocks, all in the darkness of night and knowing that 4 other teams are out here trying to do it faster.  This is going to be exciting to watch!

Here’s a run-down of the lead pack as best I can discern:

• Orion Adventure appear to be at the front, but not by much (see below)
• McCain Adventure Addicts, the hearty South Africans, are a mere 400 meters behind Orion
• 400 meters behind McCain is the Blackheart team, eager to reclaim the race lead
• Merrell/Akali are about 1500 meters in back of Blackheart, slightly to the South
• City Bike Depot, a “local” team from Syndey, are about 1500 meters in back of Blackheart,  but more to the North than Merrell

Keep in mind that since this is a road and trail free area, route selection will be a key determinant in how teams fare out there.  Teams are not traveling a linear path, but making their own way through the bush.

What a fantastic challenge for the teams to confront, balancing their fatigue, fitness, whits, and determination against some of the most remote terrain imagineable.  And against four other elite teams!

Day three and generally teams were onto Leg 5 cycling 130km of the Bicentennial Trail via Irvinebank and punctated by an orienteering trek at Stannery Hills. Reports from teams arriving at midcamp (CP11, Dimbulah) was that they loved the cycling leg a lot, despite the warm and fine weather. Some reports were that the orienteering quite challenging and the French team Wenger-Nam-EasyImplants (3) were particularly stoked about having seen so many kangaroos on this section.

Teams arriving at midcamp are generally in very high spirits, even the particularly bruised and battered. It seems that the cycling leg has given racers both the physical and mental distance and to put their stinging Misty Mountains experiences well behind them. It’s questionable whether the Muppets (39) will readily forget waking up on that trek with a leech in one of their mouths though! And Townsville Adventure Racing (18) blogged at Ravenshoe that their XPD was quickly turning from a race to an experience and soon to pure survival – so hopefully it will be full revival again for them with the treats and a break at midcamp.

Mid camp at Dimbulah started to fill up slowly from the afternoon – the kitchen kicked into gear cooking hot meals for teams and the tents beckoned teams to retreat and rest sited in the cool luxury of big shady trees. The IGA here is also seeing and increase in trade and many teams have taken a bee-line for the café – & volunteers are counting on these businesses extending their trading hours in response to XPD!

Blackheart.com.au (1) were the first team to leave midcamp with a lead of about 1.5 hours on Orion Adventure (40) – both teams leaving not a minute past the 6 hour mandatory break. The 20km wheelbarrow leg out to the Walsh River, quite a scene apparently – with a mountain of kayaks and paddle gear strategically packed and balanced. Only Blackheart.com.au (1) is expected to put in early enough to get started with some daylight paddling hours. The navigation and portaging on the remote Walsh River leg will be very challenging for teams, even in daylight, so it will be fascinating to follow the progress of the leading pack of teams overnight.

When I bumped into the Australian team Blackheart at the Portugal airport last November, it was just days after they had finished a dissapointing AR World Championship race.  Dissapointing, for Blackheart, as they had high expectations of challenging for the podium after racing so well to qualifiy for the World Championships.  The sense I gathered from them was that their 17th place finish in Portugal wasn’t representative of how they truly stand in the world scene.

Fast forward six months and we’re a couple days into the 2010 XPD Australia race; Blackheart is demonstrating emphatically that they are a force to be reckoned with.  They opened up a 2 hour lead on their nearest rival and 2008 World Champion, Orion Adventure, during the latest bike leg and have the rest of the race field feverishly chasing behind them.

The first day of racing, “Round 1″ at XPD Australia if you will, was led by Orion Adventure; now with the second day of adventure racing behind us, it’s clear that “Round 2″ goes to Blackheart.

The dark zones and mandatory rest areas are done for the lead teams in Australia; from here on out, it’s a non-stop multi-day expedition to the finish line.  Now we’re talking! There are shallow rivers with crocodiles, vast Australian plateaus with no trails for miles, and more jungle treks in their future.  The live tracking map shows that second place Orion Adventure has already started eating into Blackheart’s 2 hour lead (down to 1 hour 40 minutes now?), and the days to come at XPD Australia will prove more significant than the days already raced.

Yes, Round 2 at XPD Australia went to Blackheart, but can they win Round 3 or Round 4 or Round 5?  I think they will need to in order to cross the finish line first!

There is no question in my mind, however, that this Blackheart team is one of the strongest adventure racing teams in the world.  The last words I shared at the Portuguese airport with Rob Preston, Blackheart’s talented navigator, were about course design and where Blackheart’s strengths lie.  His response keeps coming back to me today as I review the rugged race course remaining in front of them at XPD Australia.

His words: “The more off-trail, bushwhack, the better.  Just love that stuff.”

So, strap in, there’s a horse race down under and let’s see who wins Round 3!

The ride from Mission Beach was fast, flat and dark for most teams, sealed roads taking them via Tully’s Golden Gumboot and past sugar cane fields and banana plantations up to CP5, Tully Gorge Camping Area. This transition area was to be inundated with teams all through the night.

First in was Orion Adventure (40) before 8pm with a lead of about quarter of an hour, followed by a bunch of teams only minutes apart including: Blackheart.com.au (1), McCain Adventure Addicts (51), City Bike Depot (27), Merrell/Alakali (42), www.alpineepic.co.nz (25). The teams were bunched into rafting departure groups reflecting the order of their arrival.

During the cycle wildlife such as snakes, bats, a pig (close shave) and a ‘porcupine’ (maybe by an overseas team?) were encountered and Waiting for Inspiration (19) discovered that snakes make and ‘interesting yelp sound’ when they get run over! Macpac Girls on Top (36) made good use of their singing voices and Goldfish (11) dedicated much effort into eating, aka ‘nutrition’ – homemade, three course gourmet that is, in a bus shelter somewhere along the way.

During the night Born to be Wild (12) suffered an unfortunate bicycle accident on a wooden bridge at speed, and following necessary medical attention they retired two team members. The team later reformed (unranked) taking two members from Team C.A.R. (44), who decided to retire their original team at the completion of this cycle leg.

Following their rides in, several teams decided to walk up to the Tully power station and rest until the rafting in the morning. However most teams took advantage of access to their trunks and gear at CP5 to be as comfortable as possible and try and get around 4 or fewer hours sleep – not as easy as it sounds as the surface choices were bitumen/concrete or soggy grass. In the calm and starry darkness the sound of the Tully River roared all night, heightening the anticipation for the rafting to come.

With much excitement, all the teams made it up the hill (9km) in time to raft the Grade 4 Tully River. Words cannot do justice in explaining this amazing and totally fun feature experience, compared with the photographic and footage taken, suffice to say that conditions were fantastic for a brilliant run down this iconic course and the Tully River certainly impressed on all it’s famous white water best and stunningly beautiful setting showcasing a variety of exotic butterflies – lots of big drops, non-stop big water and a couple of teams landing in the drink! Continue Reading

We’re seeing the emegergence of a front-runner at the XPD Australia expedition race.  After a relatively “light and friendly” first day of racing that included snorkeling and beach running, the teams reached a whitewater dark zone that grouped the teams back together again.  At sunrise this morning, the racing resumed with rafting on the famous Tully River rapids.

The protocol for the restart would be as follows:

• Teams will start rafting at sunrise
• 1 team per raft, with professional guides on each raft for safety
• Teams will restart in waves, 12 teams at a time, in the same order as they arrive to the dark zone
• Roughly 30 minutes will separate each “wave” of 12 teams

If any of you have rafted before, you know that the speed you progress down the river can be blocked by any number of things.  Boats ahead of you get stuck on rocks and cause you to wait, or if a boat flips and there are swimmers in the rapids it can delay your safe progress down river.  The point is, the more teams that get started ahead of you on the river, the more likely it is that you’ll be delayed.

For any team that considers themselves “competitive for the win” at XPD Australia, their goal would have been to be amongst the first 12 teams to the Tully River dark zone last night.  Many of the race favorites made it into this top 12 group, the most notable exception being Wenger-Nam-Easy Implant who were the 14th team to arrive (missing the top 12 cut by nearly 90 minutes).  There are other strong teams who didn’t make this “top 12″ group, possibly conserving energy for the long haul ahead.  It will be interesting to compare the times from Checkpoint 6 (the whitewater take out) with the eventual race finishing times.

Orion Adventure have been having a very strong start to this race.  Orion was the first team to the dark zone, the first team on the whitewater, and now reports have them 15 minutes ahead of the 2nd place team Blackheart after the 46 kilometer tropical jungle trek.

Orion has shown they’re a strong team even with the new personnel, and they’re trying to put their stamp on this race early!

With that said, I think it’s a mistake to read too much into all this.  A 15 minute lead with 5 days of racing still ahead is essentially no lead at all, and it’s interesting to see Blackheart hanging close to Orion’s heels.  There are several other teams hanging around the front, which at this early stage of the race might be the most strategic way to go.

I don’t know about you, but I’m staying glued to the race website.  The tracking beacons should come back now that teams are leaving the dense jungle trek section, and I have an inside tip from race HQ that they have some fantastic video footage from the rafting section and it will be posted online in a few hours.

XPD racers boarded the buses out of Cairns at 0630 this morning for a two hour trip south to Mission Beach. Having discovered the main boat booked to transport everyone to Dunk Island had broken down, the event organisers had to recruit other services to help tackle the job as efficiently as possible. By 1130 and several lattes later (for those teams on the first boat) everyone had assembled for the absolutely final briefing, group photo on the beach and minute of quiet contemplative silence. Just before midday the starting gun fired – XPD Cairns 2010 is officially ‘on’!

Teams left their one (1) inflatable kayak, aka ‘raft’, on the beach while they took off ‘trekking’ at a rather cracking pace down the beach to scale the heights and circumnavigate Dunk Island. Within an hour Orion Adventure (40) and Merrell/Alkali (42) were the first back to get their boats and paddle over to Kumboola Island for the snorkelling component of this leg. The head wind and choppy conditions created a challenge for all and although the snorkelling visibility remained good (~ 10m) the buoys proved tricky for many teams to locate between the peaks and troughs.

The strong start established by Merrell/Alkali (42) took a hit when the team damaged their boat on an oyster covered jetty pylon as they left Dunk Island for the passage crossing to Mission Beach (CP2). This damage required repair which gave Orion Adventure (40) comfortable space to lead ahead and transition to Leg 2 at their leisure.

Though the boat reshuffle to Dunk Island before the start had delayed the anticipated kickoff time, the organisers’ concerns that teams could be paddling all night in the choppy conditions didn’t eventuate quite so. By 6pm half the field had passed through transition at CP2 and the two rear teams were departing Dunk Island. It seems that the tailwind across the passage worked to help quell the challenging swell and assist the heavy water and passenger laden ‘rafts’ ashore. The inflatable kayaks, when loaded with 4 paddlers on open water, became more commonly known as ‘yellow submarines’ on this leg … and vomiting featured as a familiar experience (repeatedly!) for quite a few teams during the crossing.
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The day began with all teams registering and an official welcome from XPD Director, Craig Bycroft. Each team had the opportunity to introduce themselves to the rest of the field and say a few words as they collected their official race bibs. Fast-paced, 30-seconds each – we heard all variety of snappy and witty, humble, controversial, enthusiastic, sarcastic and quirky comments, sponsor plugging and also insights into some teams’ goals, experience and rivals.

This is the first XPD or expedition length adventure race for many of the teams, quite a few having only one previously seasoned member among them. Also for several teams it is the first time they have actually met in person due to reasons such as geographic location or needing a sudden new team member perhaps only days before arriving in Cairns.

The new teams are all in such great spirits and full of enthusiasm to give it their best and just have a go, an Aussie characteristic that Canadian team Race the Rockies (35) commented is unknown for similar new teams at their home events. Several of the US teams further commented that the high reputation of XPD internationally not only reflects it World Series quality, but also its capacity to foster new expedition adventure racers.

Serial XPDers and seasoned expedition length adventure racers from overseas were humble in honoring the large contingent of strong national and international teams present at this year’s event, highlighting the uncertainty and increased competition this will bring to the event – we are in for a treat of fantastic suspense once the starting guns fires.

The bulk of the day centered on teams ticking off their competency and equipment checks under the shady Esplanade trees and in the resort pool: team photos and bio updates; navigation and GPS; first aid; ‘all time – on person’ equipment checks; and kakak skills. Lots of shopping and then food preparation was going on in team accommodation … and lots of resting up and just waiting for the course to be released.

First aid was a bit of an eye opener (and fear raiser) for most teams and not just the international visitors! The amount and severity of dangerous fauna and flora in this neck of the woods has the potential to be quite overwhelming – box jellies, irikanji, stinging trees, crocodiles, spear grass, cassowaries, ticks, leeches, snakes, wasps, wait-a-while, lantana, blackberries, spiders … anyone still keen to race? Some of these things give the most painful and most deadly encounters for their type IN THE WORLD!! An early consensus was the dangerous biodiversity is the biggest concern for teams at this stage.

The racing at XPD Australia begins tomorrow morning (Queensland, Australia time). This translates into overnight for Europe and North America, so when much of the world wake ups tomorrow, they will find teams well into their first leg of snorkel/beach/paddle mayhem on the Great Barrier Reef.  It should make for great entertainment!

Let me give a run down on some of the teams to keep an eye on, and relay a few pieces of background on some teams who I know well . . .

Scanning the race leaderboard alphabetically, I first come to the defending champion of the previous XPD Australia: Blackheart.com.au.  This is one of the best teams in the southern hemisphere, and they must be counted among the race favorites.  Their home is Brisbane, Australia, nearly 1,000 kilometers south of the race location for 2010, but I would still put them in the “local favorite” category from where I’m sitting.   This team is fast, and two Blackheart racers recently won the Australia Rogaining Championship so we have to consider them ready to take on the tougher orienteering portions of the race.

Dancing Pandas are the next team that jumps out at me, one of the American teams and with Mark Lattanzi who I saw recently when his team raced to a 2nd place finish at the 3-Day Untamed Switzerland race.  The rest of this bunch are tough, experienced racers, although they had to bring in a mercenary Australian to fill in for their injured 4th teammate.   With strong races at PrimalQuest and other events around the world, I would keep my eye on these 4!  Maybe even a dark horse for the podium, here . . .

The Dirty Avocados, also from the United States, are well-known as northern California’s blue ribbon racing team.  They’ve been preparing for Australia for over a year, and have a long list of podium finishes on their resumes (as well as a strong showing with two teams at 2009 Untamed New England — so I’ve seen them compete first hand).

Merrell/Alkali is yet another team racing under the American flag, but oddly is composed of two Canadians, a Frenchman, and a Kiwi.  While usually an “American” team, Merrell is usually led by Robyn Benincasa . . . but this team features some different racers who are still very experienced and among the strongest at the race. The McHale husband/wife duo makes for an interesting storyline, too.

Northwest Profile #5 is a team from Washington in the northwest United States. With PQ experience and numerous regional races, they are no strangers to adventure racing and we’ll be wishing them well on this Australian expedition.
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This is adventure racing!  If you don’t get goose bumps reviewing the course information for the 2010 XPD Australia course, then you should get to a hospital pronto because you don’t have a pulse.

Let’s look at it in broad strokes:

1. Teams start with a snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef, then raft themselves back to the mainland before starting a 100 km mountain bike trip up into the highlands near Koombooloomba Preserve and Tully Gorge National Park.  This area is known as Australia’s “wettest” and picture heavy rainfall, lush vegetation, whitewater, and spectacular views!
2. There is a “dark zone” prior to the next portion of the course, the white water rafting, so this will probably become effectively a restart of the race prior to the whitewater rafting down the wold famous Tully River.  If you picture a Phish concert (without the psychedelic drugs, here), that’s a bit what this dark zone could look like.  Tents, tarps, and improvised shelters . . . buzzing insects . . . staggering people cooking a meal over a small fire; even though it’s early in the race, some teams could be looking worse for wear here.
3. At sunrise, the tent village will disintegrate and teams hit the rapids of the Tulley River.  How fun does whitewater through the jungle sound?!
4. Then teams tackle a 50 km trek through the “Misty Mountains” where — you guessed it — it’s dense jungle and really wet.  Lots of critters through here, so racers will keep the medical kit near the top of their packs.
5. A tough 100+ km mountain bike ride comes next, with a 10 km orienteering section added for spice.  This is entering really remote terrain.
6. Next up is the “Wheelbarrow Way Wheelbarrow push” which is a historic path past ancient rock formations.  Teams will be hauling their kayaks  and gear for the full 20 km, too, but I don’t know if they will really use a wheelbarrow or not.
7. 70 km of shallow river paddling comes next, and to me that sounds like portage/paddling when ever a race org mentions “shallow” in terms of paddling.  The stream they’ll be paddling flows from one watering hole to another, through dry and desolate country.

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Cairns locals today may have noticed an unusual trend of groups of fours all over town – many athletic types in the lobby booking into reception and other accommodation nearby, cycling along the esplanade and around the CBD, also further out, checking out some of Cairns’ sights … maybe anticipating parts of the course? Relaxing, shopping, stocking up on supplies and equipment, chilling by the pool and packing their boxes were other popular options. There was a pretty relaxed vibe about and the weather today provided a magnificently cheerful “welcome to XPD Cairns 2010”.

A few teams were happy to spend some time sharing a bit about themselves and what they are expecting for the race. In no particular order:

Juggernaught (21)
These guys were pretty chatty, super excited and really hoping for a rough and tough course with the team captain stating, “the rougher the course, the more I’ll enjoy myself!”.

New team formation, Juggernaught, said that they were all injury free … with their fitness ‘to be decided’. They have a host of rather clearly defined goals, which they shared: 1) to finish; 2) to finish unranked; 3) not to be the last ranked team; and 4) to finish in time to watch the State of Origin (26th).

If any team is going to fire up Juggernaught it is the Dukes of Hazzard (30) … and apparently Juggernaught is willing to resort to any unsavoury tactic to ensure they stay ahead!

Amongst this team, members have the experience of several GeoQuests, an XPD and a strong showing at the 2009 Hells Bells under their belt. They are loving the climate, looking forward to a roped element of the course and their only real race concerns are about possible wind while sea kayaking in the inflatable boats … and crocodiles!

In addition to the challenge of the race, these guys have set themselves another challenge: to gain weight during the event – and so they have filled their boxes with tins of food and shared out 150L of Gatorade powder. It is rumoured that bathroom scales will be out at HQ tomorrow, precisely to record weight and height (just for interest), so we’ll see how they go with this once the race is done.

And with their moto, “nothing stops the Juggernaughts” … they went off for a stretch session and to carbo load.
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