Geoquest Adventure Race #12

The annual migration to the mid-north NSW coast on the June long weekend has arrived. Now in its 12th year, Geoquest 48hr Adventure Race has for a long time been THE race to win on the Australian AR calendar. Team Macpac's Damon Goerke has been on the start line for every race- winning 4 times including the last 3, and the inaugural 2002 race. It is interesting when you look down the Wall of honour that there have been no back-to-back wins with exactly the same team line up. It is a testimate to the difficulty of maintaining a consistent team roster with different life schedules and priorities. We have retained 3 members of our 2012 winning team, Rob, Kathryn and Damon, and are joined by Peak Adventure's Jarad Kohlar after Richard Mountstephens wasn't able to race. You might be surprised to hear how hard it was to fill our 4th position, so we are fortunate to have Australia's king of Multisport in the team.

We have had a couple of good weeks of training and racing. Last weekend Rob and Kathryn won the Mountain Designs ARA race in Creswick Victoria. The 4 hr race was a great chance to practice some faster pace nav and transitions. And two weeks ago we won a local 6hr rogaine ahead of 2nd placed Damon and Jarad. So fingered crossed for a split-leg this year!

The race location is in Harrington, on the north side of the Manning River mouth not far from Taree. Having competing in many Geoquest's on the mid-north NSW coast we know pretty well what to expect. Great beaches and headlands normally feature on the trek legs, with some biggest hills and dense forests as you move into the hinterland. There will also be plenty of big waterways and the Manning River is sure to feature. I grew up near Newcastle and spent many summer holidays a bit further north in North Haven and its an area with great memories. I'm expecting a climb over Middle or North Brother and a ride through the Comboyne Valley should feature in the course.But there are sure to be some great unexpected locations, something race organisers Geocentric are always good at finding.

The race starts at 8am Saturday morning and the winners are expected to take between 30-36hrs. A link to the live update site will be posted at www.geoquest.com.au tonight. There will be live GPS tracking which is always entertaining if you can't get any sleep tomorrow night than log on and watch the dots.

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Or follow @team_macpac and @geocentricAR on twitter or search news using #geoquest.

 

Thanks again to our sponsors

Shotz Sports Nutrition

SILVA

Saucony

Peak Adventure

 

Team Blackheart- What have we been up to over summer?

With the impending Orion Health Godzone Adventure starting next week, you may have been wondering what we have been up since the ARWC last November.

The Adventure Junkies X-marathon race held in late December was a great race for the team(s) with the pairs format enabling a rearrangement into 3 teams. Rob and Kathryn, Damon and Fleur and Josh and Chris Mucha teamed up to take on a small but quality field including Peak Adventure (Jarad Kohlar and James Pretto) and Thule Adventure (Jacky and Mimi) the recently crowned world champions. The course centred around Lake Nillahcootie in Central Victoria was picturesque and challenging, and the low 30’s temps made it ever tougher. Peak Adventure took the overall win in 15hrs 10mins, with Rob and Kathryn coming in just 30mins behind and 1hrs in front of 3rd place Team Thule. Josh and Chris finish 4th, and Damon and Fleur 5th (2nd mixed). Full results

Rob and Kathryn’s Wedding

On New Years Eve, the social event of the millennium took place at Mt Baw Baw in Victoria- Rob and Kathryn’s Wedding. A perfect weekend in the beautiful Victorian Alps was enjoyed by the cream of Australia’s Adventure racers and orienteers.

Damon’s running adventures

Damon continues to add to his already impressive Ultra-running resume. At the Bogong to Hotham race in the first week of January, poor weather caused the cancellation of the race at half way. Damon was leading the race at this point, 9 mins faster than his previous best time, but he didn’t feel right about keeping the winners trophy so will return next year for another go.

Then Damon headed overseas for the The Coastal Challenge, an annual 6 day, 225km adventure run through Costa Rica. After a very tough battle with a local athlete, Damon won the race. Damon's Coastal Challenge race report

Orienteering season begins

Rob, Kathryn and Josh have been keeping busy with orienteering races, both on foot and mountain bike. The first round of the SILVA National Orienteering League was held in Ballarat on the Labour Day long weekend. With 3 races over two days, and some very close and fast racing, it was great start to the season.

The following weekend was the SILVA Duo at Silvan in the Dandenong Ranges. This race involved a short scatter-o on foot (choose your own order), then MTB, then again on foot. Aaron Dodd (Melbourne Forest Racers) had a great race to defeat Rob in his first Du-O from 5 starts by about 30secs. Josh continues to improve his nav skills and was satisfied with 3rd place.

And not to be forgotten, Kim and Dave Provan teamed up with Rob Davis to win the Melton Meanders 5hr MTB rogaine.

For the first time in many years Rob and Kathryn will miss the next round of the SILVA National League, the Easter Carnival in Queensland to compete in the Orion Health Godzone Adventure.

Damon's Coastal Challenge race report

The Coastal Challenge is an annual 6 day, 225km adventure run through Costa Rica. The location alternates each year between the rainforest in the south and the volcanoes in the north. In 2012 I went to compete in the north, along what they call “The Route of Fire”  with about 50 other competitors  mainly from North and Central America. The race organisers moved our kit around and set up a camp for us each day, allowing us to run with only the minimal equipment. Each night a feast was also laid on for us, with more than enough food (provided you liked rice and beans). 

The race start was in La Fortuna, next to Volcan Arenal, a classic cone shaped volcano towering 1500m above and would finish on the Pacific Coast within sight of Nicaragua. I ran most of the 25km of Day 1 which included 1500m of steep climbing, with Canadian Chris, until he dropped me on the final descent into Rancho Margot, our first camp for the race.  I felt comfortable though and knew I had kept plenty in the tank for Day 2, which was to be the toughest stage - 63km and 4200m of ascent. 

Day 2 started off fun with a few tricky river crossings before a steep and often muddy 900m climb. I got to the front early in the climb and I was with Chris again until he dropped off, only to be replaced by Roiny, a local who I was to have a great race with for the rest of the week. It took me about 40km to finally shake him as we ascended a ridge covered with wind turbines, before reaching the finish line in a local village. I must have pissed Roiny off, because he came out hard on the relatively easy 33km 

Day 3, with another 1500m climb. We ran together until he got away from me in a neat little singletrack section and disappeared and I was unable to catch him again. 

Day 4 was a little tougher, 47km and 1500m of climbing and I loaded up with Shotz gels, determined not to let him get away again. After about 15km I made the first break on a long climb and managed to get out of sight for about 30 mins until Roiny came charging past on a steep downhill. The final km was up an awesome river canyon with several crossings and swims before finishing at a waterfall. This is what I had come to Costa Rica for and was one of the highlights of the race. The heat and humidity had been intense so it was refreshing to have a swim, and it was a good chance for me to wash as I’d forgotten to pack any spare clothes for the week and it was starting to be noticed.  Later at camp I was told that after the 4 stages and 165km of running, Roiny had taken the overall lead by 7 seconds! 3^rd place was several hours behind so it was a 2 horse race. The remaining 2 days would be relatively easy, however it was promised to get even hotter in the areas we were to enter and I knew that would advantage the locals. 

The final stages consisted of a 11.5km time trial and then 20km run on Day 5 and a 22km run to the finish on Day 6. Starting in reverse finishing order at 1 minute intervals, I set off and slowly caught all the runners ahead except for a few before finishing and turning to see how Roiny went. The minutes ticked by until it became apparent that something had gone wrong. He had missed a turn and ran an additional 5 kms before realising his mistake. He finally arrived just over an hour later, obviously devastated. Knowing I now had a pretty handy lead, and with a fresh shirt donated by my suffering race mates, I could relax a bit and enjoy it (provided I didn’t get lost). To his credit, Roiny, the tenacious little bastard (the Americans loved me saying this), came good after his mistake and got back some time in the next 2 stages but I still managed to get the overall win by 1 hour in a total time of 20hr38min. Roiny Villegas from Costa Rica was second and Chris “Turets” Barth from Canada was third. It was a sensational week of running in a real paradise, supported by a helpful crew of locals and volunteers, I can definitely recommend it.

cheers

Damon

Damon Goerke wins the 2012 Coastal Challenge ultra run

Damon has won the 2012 Coastal Challenge Ultra in Costa Rica. After a tough battle with local Roiny Villegas, Damon finally gained the win in the last 2 stages of the 220km running race. Damon can now add this title to a growing list of international wins that include the Namib Desert Challenge and Gobi Desert run. Now he has just 3 weeks to recover before a title defence at the Maroondah Dam run. Congratulations Damon.

report and photos thanks to http://blog.leadadventuremedia.com/

Stage6 - Australian wins 8th edition of The Coastal Challenge

Australian Damon Goerke is The Coastal Challenge's new champion. Goerke is a long distance runner and international adventure racer.

This is his first event in Central America's tropical jungles and accentuates Roiny Villegas's strength throughout the race. Roiny missed markings on SectionA of Stage5 and ended up running twice the distance, losing his recently gained first overall on Stage4 merely 7 seconds ahead of Goerke.

Today's stage started in Junquillal, a natural reserve located on the Pacific Coast and headed north on reef and sand to finish at Bolaños Bay near the border with Nicaragua.

Male/Masculino

Damon Goerke (AUS) 20:38:42 Roiny Villegas (CRC Elmec): 21:39:17 Chris Barth (CAN): 24:21:10

Femenino/Female

Laura Hronik (USA): 29:03:48 Kelly Wilson (USA): 30:32:12 Patricia Ossenbach: 31:11:03 ---

Today's Stage:

- Km: 22Km - Start: Bahía Salinas - Finish: Bahía Salinas

DAMON GOERKE CLIMBS NEAR ARENAL VOLCANO

Damon in great battle in Costa Rica Coastal Challenge

Damon is involved in a tight battle for the lead of the Costa Rica Coastal Challenge with local Roiny Villegas.  Damon finished a close 2nd in stages 3 and 4, and with 2 stages left he is just 7 seconds behind. There are reports that race leader Villegas got lost on stage 5 so Damon may have taken the lead.

More race reports from http://blog.leadadventuremedia.com/

CRC runner, Roinny Villegas came in first position on Stage3, taking off 6m45s from the overall leader, Damon Goerke who came in second today. Goerke continues on the lead by six minutes.

Etapa de hoy:

- 33Km - 1550 Metros Elevación Acumulada - Inicio: Tierras Morenas (Faldas de Volcán Tenorio - Meta: Cuipilapa (Faldas de Volcán Miravalles)

Today's Stage:

- 33Km - 1550 Elevation Gain - Start: Tenorio Volcano - Finish: Miravalles Volcano

Male/Masculino

Roiny VILLEGAS 02:54:39 Damon Goerke 03:01:24 Chris Barth 03:39:55 Steve Bremner 03:44:41 Christian Schiester 03:48:14

Femenino/Female

Laura Hronik 04:12:19 Kelly Wilson 04:16:15 Patricia Ossenbach 04:44:47 Ana BARRANTES 05:05:40 Tanya Meeth 05:27:30 ---

Stage4 - Costa Rican takes first overall at The Coastal Challenge

Roiny Villegas runs ahead of Australian, Damon Goerke after four stages of running in some of Costa Rica's most remote locations.

"The Australian is very strong," kept repeating Villegas as he grasped first position. After 200km of running Villegas shortens the remaining five minutes separating the two racers and starts Stage5 first in the general list.

Went from the Miravalles Volcano to the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano.

In the girl's field Laura Hornik (USA) holds tight to first place, followed by Kelly Wilson (USA) and Costa Rican Patricia Osembach. "I think I'm running with one less toenail," said Osembach as she complains about strong pain in her feet after 200kilometers of racing.

Male/Masculino

Roiny Villegas: 04:02:00 - General 15:53:43 Damon Goerke 04:07:00 - General 15:53:50 (00:00:07) Vicente Charpentier: 004:56:17 - General (+6:39:40

Femenino/Female

Laura Hronik: 5:57:58 - General 22:15:04 Kelly Wilson: (se define en unos minutos) Patricia Ossenbach: (se define en unos minutos)

---

Today's Stage:

- 46Km - 1550 Elevation Gain - Start: Miravalles Volcano - Finish: Rincón de la Vieja Volcano

Damon Goerke competing in Coastal Challenge, Costa Rica

Team Blackheart's ultra running machine Damon Goerke has started 2012 in fine form. Firstly he placed first  in the Bogong to Hotham 64km ultra. Unfortunately the race was cancelled at half way due to poor weather and Damon didn't feel right about taking the trophy. But he was in front of his best previous time at Langfords Gap by 7mins so he was certainly in good form. Good enough form that he booked a flight to Costa Rica and is now running The Coastal Challenge. This race has been on Damon's bucket list for a while now and its easy to see why. The course looks amazing and this years edition is 220km over 6 days. 

The good news is that Damon was 2nd in the first stage, just one minute behind Canadian Charlie Barth, and in front of several time Coastal Challenge winner Roiny Villegas. 

But  Damon has taken the lead on a the extremely tough stage two and now leads by 11 minutes with 150km left to race. Keep it up Damon!

Here is a link to the website-http://www.thecoastalchallenge.com/
But there are more updates via the facebook page http://www.facebook.com/TCC.Rainforest.Run

Race Facts:Dates: January 21- January 28th
Length of Race: 6 Days
Location: The remote and dry Northwestern coast and volcanic regions, through inland lakes, windswept highlands, jungle and tropical dry forest. The course is set in Costa Rica's driest area. 
Terrain: jungle and rainforest trails, rough and winding dirt roads, farm roads and some asphalt; mountain trail and some single track across ridgelines, passes and highlands; beaches and rocky outcroppings or reefs, dry tropical forest and rainforest, open lands including river/water crossings and more...

here is the stage one and two reports translated to English from http://blog.leadadventuremedia.com

(TCC2012) RECAP - STAGE 1

SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 2012 AT 2:57 PM

In Stage 1 of The Coastal Challenge was Chris Barth Canadian who comes in first place in stage one of the event. This is the second occasion on which the Canadian competing in the sack.

The Stage 1 was very sunny and moderate wind in the hills west of Lake Arenal, where he met the goal of this first stage. This is one of the shorter stages in preparation for the second stage which has a distance of 62km.

The competitor Roiny Villegas (CRC) ELMEC team comes in third position and remains one of the favorites to win the eighth edition of the Coastal Challenge.

Kelly Nelson is the first woman to finish the stage in the female category this is the first occasion on which Kelly competes in this event and leads the overall standings.

Stage one of the event was a distance of 24 km, up to 1550 meters and accumulated two checkpoints.Started in La Fortuna de San Carlos, climbed the hill flat, went through the Arenal Volcano and came to the castle (Rancho Margot) on the shores of Lake Arenal.

This year participants from Australia, Austria, Canada, Costa Rica, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, Sweden and the United States were present to participate in the eighth edition of the ultra-marathons planet's strongest stage.

1. Barth Christ - Canada - 2:26:07

2. Damon Goerke - Australia - 2:27:15

3. Roiny Villegas - Costa Rica / ELMEC Team - 2:30:39

Stage 2 Find New Leader

In stage two of the Coastal Challenge Expedition Run World's Damon Goerke was (AUS) who won the first position followed closely by Roiny Villegas (CRC / ELMEC). Chris Barth (CAN), who finished first in yesterday's stage today suffered the consequences of a scorching sun and a cumulative total ascent over 4200mts losing first place in the overall standings.

From this stage the fight is between the Australian national Roiny Goerke and Villegas.

The Stage 2 began in the Arenal Volcano and went to the Monteverde Cloud Forest, then heading north through the mountains to pass Tilarán Wind Project near Lake Arenal and then turning to the community in Moray Land Volcan Tenorio

In the women's U.S. Keri Nelson had to retire in the Doping Control after presenting two knee problems and fatigue.

The stage went from tropical rainforest in the Cloud Forest Arenal to Monteverde area and then dry forest in Guanacaste where competitors have four stages to go before reaching the finish line in Bahia Salinas near the border with Nicaragua

There is nothing defined yet, four stages remaining after the event and more than 150 km yet to go on the slopes of the volcanoes of Guanacaste.

Masc. 1. Damon Goerke - Step 6:18:49 - 8:46:04 2 General. Roiny Villegas - Step 6:27:09 - 8:57:30 3 General. Chris Barth - Step 8:15:53 ​​- 8:57:30 General

1 female. Laura Hronik - Etapa 8:48:10 - General 12:12:24 2. Kelly Wilson - Etapa 9:14:31 - General 12:50:38 3. Patricia Osembach - Etapa 9:14:31 - General 12:57:48

Damon and Fleur taking on the Gobi Desert run in China

Damon, and partner Fleur Grose have arrived in Urumqi in China's Xinjiang Province for the 4 Deserts run across the Gobi desert. The race is 250km over 7 stages, and participants are required to carry all gear for the week. Damon has been having a fantastic year, having already won the Namib Desert Challenge in March, and also the first Australian finisher at the North Face 100km in May. Add to that wins in the 30km Mt Macedon Run, Maroondah Dam run, and Geoquest 48hr Adventure race with Team Blackheart just two weeks ago.

To follow the race head to www.4deserts.com/gobimarch. I will try to post some updates on the blog too.

Stage 1 Update for the Gobi March (China) 2011 will posted on 26 June.

Course:

Stage 1 is called Tian Shan Mountains, and begins at Gaoyachun village, 1,557m above sea level. The stage will be 34.6km (21.5 miles). The course begins by following dirt roads out of the village before competitor head up into the hills and the rolling grass plains where the Kazakh herders livestock roams. There will be some steep hills tto cross with around 1900m of elevation to negotiate. Camp 2 is in the middle of a sheep grazing pasture with breathtaking mountain views.

Damon Goerke wins AURA Maroondah Dam 50km Ultra

Damon cleaned up the AURA Maroondah Dam 50km Ultra on Sunday. The full results can be found here. Damon's report follows....

It’s been nearly 10 years since I last ran the Maroondah Dam trail run. I’d only ever done the 30km option and was keen to check out the full 50km. Starting from Fernshaw Reserve just out of Healesville, it climbs up to Dom Dom saddle then across to Mt St Leonards before a knee crushing 13km descent to Maroondah Dam. The total ascent is almost 2000m, with an almost equal amount of descent. The weather was cool and clear, ideal for running, but unfortunately the recent bad weather had trashed the trail and we were warned to be prepared for a bit of bush bashing in the first 10kms.

I found myself at the front within the first 500m and by the time I hit the overgrown section, everyone was already out of sight behind. The organizers had done a great job marking the route with tape, but they were right about it being overgrown. There was no track for several km’s up the first climb and I was bashing through chest high scrub covered in wait-a-while vine, trying to stay out of sight of the runners chasing me so they couldn’t follow my route. After about 45 minutes I found myself out of the scrub and onto a fire trail, my legs covered with blood after being ripped apart in the vines. That was the end of the fun stuff, and the next 30km’s were a combination of fire trail and some off road sections to the summit of Mt St Leonard. I was still in front and told I had about a 10 min lead. I was pretty confident I could maintain my lead on the long descent, so I didn’t take any risks and took the rocky, slippery trail easily. I was just starting to hit a low patch when I came to Donnellys Weir, which I knew was 3km to the finish and was able to finish strongly on adrenaline in 4hr24. Dave Eadie came in 8 minutes behind in second place.

Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge- Team Blackheart Report

Well better late than never. We've been pretty busy since returning from Abu Dhabi over a month ago. Here is Damon's report from the race. Thanks again to the organisers of the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge for a fantastically well run event. Thanks to our sponsors who make it possible to travel the globe chasing the dream. 
Over to Damon...

With 2010 fast coming to an end, Rob  decided that he wanted to fit one more race in for the year and convinced me to join him for the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge (ADAC), a 6 day race in the United Arab Emirates. Over the last 3 years, the ADAC  has established itself as one of the premier races on the calendar, attracting the best teams from around the world. I was struggling to justify the trip to myself (and Fleur) after having moved from Sydney to Melbourne, enjoyed a 3 week holiday in the Swiss Alps, buying a house, car and starting a new job, all in the previous 3 months – but I somehow managed it! (She has just informed me that I never actually got permission from her, must have forgotten to have that conversation…). Rob had an easier solution to the leave pass dilemma, he invited his partner Kathryn to race with us. Our fourth member was Luke Haines, a mate from Geelong, who would be new to our team.

Unlike most adventure races which are non-stop, the ADAC is considered a staged raced with breaks at the end of each day. The first 2 days would consist of a mix of disciplines including cycling, swimming, running, canoeing and rope work, with the final 4 days including some monster 100km+ desert trekking and kayaking.

Day 1- 22km Adventure Triathlon

Starting with a canoe/run/swim prologue at the Abu Dhabi Corniche, we were to show our complete lack of canoeing skills, but luckily there was a bit of running also, including going through the sheik’s palace, a massive complex covered with manicured lawns and gardens, where we were able to make up some places. Only 3 of us had to complete the 900m swim, with Luke opting to walk around the beach with our gear while we swam. Halfway through the swim I realized I probably should have done some training for this as I tried to ignore the girl overtaking me breaststroking. We managed to hang on to our position after some more running and canoeing before finishing back on the Corniche in 20th place. We then jumped in the buses for a 3 hour drive out to Al Ain, Abu Dhabi’s 2^nd largest city, for the afternoon’s activities. We picked up our bikes, more water then headed off in a mass restart for a 30km ride to Jebel Hafeet. With 50 teams of 4 in the race all riding together, it was hard to keep track of teammates in the jostling of the bunch. Only a few km’s from the start, one rider went down hard and slid along the hot mix in front of me. I had just enough time to avoid him and think how much that would have hurt, before I realized it was Rob. He got back up relatively unscathed, but soon found he had a broken spoke and flat tire. Where was the donkey when we needed him? The next problem was that our main repair kit was with Luke, who was still with the bunch disappearing ahead at 40km/hr oblivious to our problems. Luckily we had a tiny emergency pump and tube and were able to get back riding, although we wasted at least 10 minutes in the process and more importantly, lost the comfort of the peloton. We managed to catch up with Luke who had dropped back and rode together for the remainder of the ride to the transition. The final section for the day was a rocky run up Jebel Hafeet and abseil back down and run into camp. We ran quite well and caught back up to a few teams, but still ended the day pretty disappointed with our result.

The camps were fully catered, both dinner and breakfast, and we were pleasantly surprised by the feed the put on. There was plenty of food and drink to go around for everyone. Camping the first night next to Jebel Hafeet, we could see the lights at the top, almost 1000m above us. Tomorrow we would have to run back to our bikes, ride up to the top, run and abseil down and then run back up again.

Day 2- 6km run, 20km MTB, 10km run and ropes

We struggled on the first 5km run, which included a neat crossing of a rocky ridge, and collected our bikes already 5 minutes back from the leaders. A short section of dirt road led us back to the bitumen and the big climb to the top, which would take us over an hour. On finally reaching the top, we filled up with water and headed off into the rocks. Our running form had returned and we moved quite well again to the beginning of the fixed ropes course. This was one of the highlights of the race for me, with fixed ropes installed down through a gully in the mountain and then up another. It was a spectacular descent, however the slow progress along the fixed ropes had caused some bottlenecks around teams and it was a relief to hit the final abseil and get some space at the bottom. Having little information about how long this section was, we had underestimated our water requirements and were running low. Now entering the heat of the day, we really suffered on the long climb back up. On nearing the top, we were all out but somehow managed a final burst to run into the finish to devour some cold drink and chips (thanks Chris). We had performed a little better today, finishing in 12 place and 15th overall, but our slow progress along the ropes had lost valuable time.

Day 3/4- 94km MTB, 110km Desert Trek

The next 2 days would see us trekking over 100km’s through the massive sand dunes in the desert, but first we had to complete a 90km ride to get there. We had to be self sufficient during this time and would only be supplied with water at checkpoints along the way. Starting at 4am, we rode the first couple of hours in the darkness, loaded with food and gear for 2 days of racing. Alternating between a good surface, to potholes and sand covered sections, to entirely disappearing at times, this ride took us 5 ½ hours to complete, over an hour behind the leaders. Now in the heat of the day, we ran off to collect 6 compulsory checkpoints, with the option of collecting a further 4 CP’s if we had the time. With a 6 hour bonus for every optional CP, they were worth going for, however there were cut-offs and a compulsory 8 hours break along the way you had to keep in mind. The dunes were like an oven and at the first opportunity to stop, we opted to have a 2 hour break. The 8 hours compulsory break had to be taken at a CP at a maximum of 2 locations along the way. Most other teams seemed to have the same idea and there were a few of us competing for the shade of the organizers vehicles. Starting off again in the afternoon, the conditions were much nicer and got better during the night, but we were still travelling a lot slower than I’d hoped. Navigation at this point wasn’t much of an issue as there were plenty of tracks in the sand to follow. The dunes were incredible, bigger than any I had run before, like mountain ranges with ridges, gullys and peaks, seemingly never ending. 

The satellite photo’s we were given to navigate by showed sections of salt flats and it became obvious to join the dots between the CP’s and salt flats to travel faster, but that usually meant a huge climb back up the dunes at the end of each flat. We stopped earlier in the night than hoped for our remaining 6 hour break, sleeping in our tent and bivvys. There was a cut-off at 10am the next day at the final compulsory CP if you wanted to go for the last optional CP. Several hours before this cut-off it looked like it could be a close call for us to make it so we picked up our speed a bit, but as the sun rose, so did the heat. We made some good time, but the dunes coming into the last CP were enormous and we ended up missing it the cut off by over an hour, meaning we had to head straight to the finish. Only 9 teams made it to the CP in time to go for the last optional. It was now stinking hot and we’d been trekking for over 24 hours. Kathryn opted for a “short cut” over a final, massive dune range she could see in the distance at the endof a salt flat, which would lead to the finish. In a bit of a low spot, all I could see was a wall ahead of us and I got a glimpse of Rob’s future life as I pleaded with her to take another route and was promptly put back in my place and told to harden up. It felt like the biggest, steepest dune we had crossed so far and I was on hands and knees to get up it, but I did what I was told. On rounding the top, we found some energy and were able to jog in to the finish at 3pm, in 34 hours, in 9th place, now 12th overall. Our trip across the desert had been about 105km. Helping ourselves to the cold drinks and pasta supplied at the finish, we jumped back in the buses for the 3 hour ride to the Maffi coast, where we would be sea kayaking over 100km back to the finish.

Day 5- 130km kayak over two days

We were woken early in our tents by strong winds and the announcement came over that the start would be delayed. Not long after, the decision was made to cancel the days kayaking stage due to the strong winds. With much of the route being off shore it seemed like the right decision was made. The day was spent hanging around the beach and local shops, which sounds much more relaxing and enjoyable than it actually was. We were notified in the evening that the kayaking would restart the next day back in the city after another bus trip.

Day 6- 33km kayak

The wind had only died down slightly the next day as we drove back to town. The new kayaking course was going to be 3 laps of an 11km course along the Corniche. We had about a 10 minute gap to catch the French team Vibram Lafuma in front, with a lot more time to the next team behind. We had a crack at catching them but they were too aware of how close we were and kept a close eye on us for the 3 laps and we ended up maintaining our relevant positions.

After the 6 days of racing, we finished in 12^th place. Having the kayaking cancelled was a disappointing way to finish what was an excellent event, but the fixed ropes course over Jebel Hafeet and desert trekking made up for it. Our result was not what we’d hoped, but it was a very tough race and competitive field. The catering was fantastic and I think I may have actually put on weight during this race. Thanks to my teammates for racing with me. Apologies to Kathryn, who was amazed/disgusted that I’d still not had a shower the whole week, even though they were provided for us every day. I was just trying to make Rob look as good as possible before he finally seals the deal!


Thanks to Shotz, whose electrolyte tablets proved a winner once again as we popped them into litre after litre of water to keep hydrated in the extreme heat. Thanks also to our other sponsors – Blackheart, Salomon, Aussie Butt Cream and SILVA.

Team Blackheart at the finish

The Winners- Team Thule Adventure

The Mexicans aka Team Blackheart win 2010 Geoquest Adventure Race

From left: Andrew (Wol), Damon, Kim, Dave

The Mexicans- containing two Blackheart Team members Damon and Kim, along with Dave Provan and Andrew Wolstencroft have won the 2010 Mountain Designs Geoquest Adventure race. Some might say persistence had paid off, after winning the inaugural race in 2002, Damon and Kim have returned every year since try and reclaim the title. Now with 9 races under their belt they have a 2^nd victory.

2^nd in the Premier Mixed team were Rock Wallabies, and 3rd New Zealand team Cantera maps.

Geocentric new report here

Full results here. 

Kim and Damon looking super focused in the Red7 surfski

Kim leading the way, and Damon doing a great job with the map. Perhaps Rob should have more confidence in his abilities?

Damon getting a tow from Kim?

photos courtesy Geocentric Outdoors

The Mexicans return to Geoquest Adventure Race for the 9th time

Damon and Kim return to the start line of Geoquest for the 9th time. This year they are joined by Big Dave Provan and Andrew "Wol" Wolstencraft. Kim and Dave recently moved from the famous CIS training facility in Carrum Victoria to the warmer training grounds in Brisbane. Geoquest will be the first opportunity to test the effects of the new training environment.
The race coverage can be found here, and again includes GPS tracking and the popular Trail Mail message board.

Meanwhile Rob and Kathryn have been in Norway for the World Orienteering Championships. If you missed all the action there is plenty of good entertaining reading on the Aussie team blog. I raced the Sprint Distance and Long Distance Qualification races finishing 25th and 27th in heats which wasn't good enough to qualify for the finals. But with only 2months to prepare since XPD in Cairns this wasn't a bad effort and up toying with the idea of a better focused attempt at the 2011 WOC in France.

And another race of interest on this weekend is the Inaugural Vanuatu Adventure Race. Several friends and family are racing, with Peter Preston and Ben "What injury will it be this week" Rattray racing as NSW Stingers. Also Steve Todkill and Dave Meyer are racing as Team Stingers. Vanuatu looks like a fantastic location for an Adventure Race even better place for a holiday so I'm sure they will have a great time. The "Supercrew" Julia and Robert Preston have also jumped Geoquest support duties in favour or a pacific holiday. Checkout the race at http://www.racevanuatu.com

Rob Preston and Damon Goerke Australian 24hr Rogaining Champions

Rob and Damon have teamed up to win the 2010 Australian 24hr Rogaining Championships. The event was held at Providence, near Adaminaby in the northern part of the Snowy Mountains. Rogaining is similar to Orienteering, but competitors chose their own route and have to return to the finish within a set time frame- in this case 24hrs.
The course was set by experienced rogainers and ARers David Baldwin and Julie Quinn, who presented the competitors with a course full of choices and navigational challenges. The intricate contour detail made the control sites very challenging, especially at night. The terrain consisted of alpine ash forests, through snow gum woodlands and granite boulderfields, to open plains and ranged over an altitude of 1100 to nearly 1700m. The course covered by the team was about 90km, and collected 56 out of the possible 74 controls for a total score of 3510points. Western Australian team of Ben Corry and Paul Williams followed closely behind with 3460 points and Victorian Mixed team of Kevin Humphry and Kath Copeland were 3rd with 2890 points.
The guys used the event as training for the upcoming XPD Adventure race in May, and will also head to New Zealand for the World Rogaining Championships in November to try and improve on their 2nd place at the 2006 WRC.

Thanks to our sponsors who helped achieve this result.
Shotz Sports Nutrition for the truckload of gels, bars and electrolyte tablets we consumed during the 24hrs.
SILVA- Rob and Damon used SILVA Jet 5 baseplate, Spectra OMC Wrist compass and Jet 6 Spectra Compasses throughout the race, and the Alpha Headlamp turned night into day.
Salomon- the XA Pro 3D is still the best offroad shoe for a race this long

Damon finishes 2nd in 2010 Cradle to Coast Multisport Race

Damon has just returned from an epic weekend in Tasmania competing in the famous Cradle to Coast Race. Starting at Cradle Mountain and finishing in Hobart, this is a tough 3 days through a beautiful part of the world. More information can be found at http://www.tasultra.org/cradle/cradle_index.htm

Damon's report continues....

This would have to be one of the most challenging in Australia, as well as one of the best. A 3 day stage race across Tasmania by foot, cycle and kayak. I'd done it previously in 2001 and had been meaning to go back for years.

13 of us headed off on the opening leg, a 62km trail run along the overland track from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair. We were carrying everything from full warm and wet weather gear to bivvy bag, first aid kit etc. Not long into the run I started suffering from severe leg cramps, similar to what I suffered last year which ended with me in hospital for 8 days as a result of kidney failure. I backed it off pretty quick and was forced to slow down to ensure the cramps didn't flare up too badly. It was a shame, as the track was in pretty good condition, nice and dry and good running, a little different to last year when we ran it in torrential rain. I made it to Narcissus Hut at Lake St Clair in about 6:45 and jumped straight on my ski for a 15km paddle across the lake to the end of day 1. With a slight tailwind and following swell to surf, I really enjoyed the paddle acrss Australia's deepest lake. I finished in 1st place in just under 8 hours, but my quads were suffering from the cramps earlier in the day.

The legs had nothing for the day 2 120km ride. I managed the first half ok, then died on the never ending hills to the transition at Meadowbank Dam. I had heaps of shotz gels on the bike though so felt confident I could have a good paddle. A short 4km jog to the Derwent River, where the water level was a bit higher than 2001 and we had a great run. Good weather and clear water made it a lot of fun and I really enjoyed this paddle also - except for a numb bumb. Mainly flat water, it was broken by a half dozen grade 2 rapids to keep it interesting. I had no problems, although I did leave some orange gel coat on a partly submerged rock to warn others. I was very hesitant at the railway bridge (last) rapid, where a crowd had gathered hoping for some carnage, and had a good look before heading down. Apparently GPS measured this at 49km, not the 45km we were told. I think my time for the day was 8:20.

I was in now in 2nd place due to my shocking cycle, about 90sec's back, at the start of day 3. I made a few minutes up on the first guy, Paul MacKenzie, in the first 16km paddle down the Derwent and headed off feeling good on the bike for a 60km cycle through the hills around Hobart. Trying to remember verbal directions (R-R-L-R was the most I can memorise) and reading basic notes I'd written on my arm on the largely unmarked course, I missed a turn-off not long after the start. I stupidly kept going even when I was thinking something was wrong. I ended up riding an extra 15km before I found my way back on course, but wasted a lot of time hesitating and looking around so don't know how much time I lost. A bunch of competitors had gone past me and I ran out of food on the last climb to come in ages behind. After a couple of quick shotz gels, I fired up for the final run up to the 1200m Mt Wellington summit and down to Hobart. I felt pretty good on the uphill but was worried about cramping on the downhill so took it easy until it levelled off for the final run into Salamanca Place . I finished pretty strong but was 50 minutes behind the winner overall, in 2nd place. My total time was over 23 hours, a touch slower than 10 years ago so figure I am now past whatever prime I had.

After about an hours rest, I jumped in the car for the 3 hour drive to Devonport to catch the overnight ferry to Melbourne, followed by a 10 hour drive home to Sydney, to be back at work the following day, absolutely rooted.