Team Mountain Designs XPD Flinders Ranges -Race Report
The preparation begins…..
Well looking back it is hard to know where to begin, as this
year’s XPD had the longest start to a race that I can remember, so lucky we had
only made the decision to race 3 weeks prior otherwise it would have seemed
like an eternity. We arrived in Adelaide Saturday 31st August, where
the team were met by Race Directors and media for a pre event photo-shoot at
the Adelaide Cultural Centre, and local markets, where we met teams Soldier On
and Girls on Top. 3hrs later we hopped onto the late bus, filled with plenty of
excited adventurers to commence the trip up to Port Augusta. The trip was set
to take over 5hrs….. Gary and Sloshy jumped off the bus half way to help out
James the camera man, as he was falling
asleep following the bus in a 4WD…..so Sloshy took control……the heat and flies
were starting to become very noticeable. It was dark by the time we arrived,
and we were dropped at our accommodation. We had to lug our gear about ½ a
kilometre to the entrance…….and soon we were settled at the Oasis Apartments
where we would stay until Tuesday. Instead of relaxing we went shopping, so
that would give us more time in the morning for preparation of gear.
Early Sunday the boys went for a little jog…….testing out
the Salomon XR Mission shoes while Jan and I went for a little ride around Port
Augusta, it looked like we were already in the desert…..and it felt like it
too. Sunday was registration, briefing, and competencies….. it almost took the
whole day, we had to get our mandatory gear checked, do a first aid and
navigation test as well. It was hot, hot hot…..and everyone was feeling it, so
we were quite happy to jump into the freezing cold water for the kayak
competency and do a swim, we had heaps of fun, anticipating what lay ahead.
We
spent the rest of the afternoon sorting our gear and food as best we could. Monday
came quickly and at 9am we all huddled into the Barracks at Port Augusta for
the revealing of the course……we were told we would have 13 legs, 750kms, start
at Arkaroola and finish at Port Augusta, but what was unique for this sort of
race that we would not paddle the final leg and it would be 87km - with a dark
zone! Soon after we had our maps it was a hive of activity in our room…….Gary
& Sloshy were going to share the Nav, so they were calculating our route
while I was writing notes on the CP descriptions page while Leo was reading the
notes in the course booklet…..a well organised team. Soon contacting was underway and then we
commenced the most challenging part…… placing the gear in boxes……this was by
the far the most stressful part of the preparation for me! So we planned leg by
leg….food /gear…..food /gear! You have to get this right as a mistake could
mean you have no shoes for a trek, or a vital piece of gear missing. Lucky for
us Frankie (Leo’s wife) cooked up a hearty meal for us, and she and Jan cleaned
up around us as we were finalising our boxes……we finished at around 10pm.
Tuesday was travel day……yes we still had 24hrs till the
start…..so at 9am team all piled onto busses to head out to the start at
Arkaroola, we had two stops along the way …… I am sure that the temperature was
close to 40 degrees. We jumped off the air-conditioned bus at 3pm and were
totally inundated with flies and heat…… we purchased some fly nets and cut our
buffs in half and sewed these onto the back of our hats……we had totally
underestimated the desert conditions. We were treated to a big BBQ before and
spent the night in tents….just 12hrs till race start! In the morning we pack up
the tents, put gear in boxes, had a big cooked breakfast, then, finally the
race begins…….
Leg 1 TREK - Arkaroola to Wooltana Station – 29k
Well almost…….the start was up on top of Acacia Ridge……1hr walk away……so all the teams
had to walk there first……the race commenced with a special remembrance ceremony
for Team Discovery who lost two team mates early this year. So about 30minutes
after this ceremony the hooter sounded and the race officially started! We had
a rogaine, so we had to mark up a map with CP’s and collect some of these on
the way to CP1. It was a scorching day; Leo did not have a good night as he was
coming down with a cold, so we took things steady, as we climbed up and down
steep rocky outcrops. There was plenty of media attention as we neared CP1 and
ventured down the George……there was no water…..and temperatures were rising! Team
Outer limits were hot on our heels and we travelled up out of the George to CP
3. I asked the team to stop here for a moment to attend to a bit of a hot spot
on my feet, which I am now so glad I did, as so many people suffered from
blisters from this first leg. We had a pretty tricky technical descent down a
really steep rocky slope, and were lucky not to get cliffed-out. It was so hot that we stopped a few times to
dip our caps in tiny water holes, and at Arkaroola Springs we refilled our
water bladders and jumped into the water! We didn’t care that we were totally
soaked as it was just so hot and dry! Leo was really struggling, so we kept a
steady pace, and somehow were still in front of the rest of the field. We
climbed up to CP4 where we could see all around us, we had certainly opened up
a bit of a lead and could see Outer Limits were at least 10 minutes back. As we
approached the TA the excitement mounted as I think this trek had taken longer
than anticipated.
Leg 2 MTB – Wooltana
– Lake Frome – 48k
We tried to get in and out of the TA before Outer Limits
arrived, but Sloshy had a few bike issues, and Leo, who was not feeling great,
tried to fix it……so unfortunately we were beaten out of the TA. It was probably
now about 3pm and it was still hot, dry and dusty. The bike course was flat and
the road corrugated, but travel was extremely fast. Leo was feeling much better
on the bike, and Sloshy was doing the Nav. We were in great spirits as we
passed Outer Limits about 10 minutes into the ride! We could not seem to shake
them for a while as we kept getting to these tricky sections where the tracks
would disappear, so we would all be together …..This happened several times. We
were beginning to think that we would finish the bike in daylight, but the
track to the TA was non-existent, so on went the AY UP lights and we spent the
next hour riding through desert sand and shrubs to get the TA. We arrived to
find an electric dingo fence separating us and the TA……lucky we did not try to
go through it….it was on! Our boxes had not arrived so we had to wait 15 minutes……we
were given a time credit and thus had an 8 minutes lead on Outer Limits.
Leg 3 TREK – Lake Frome (The Salt Lake) – 51k
This was going to be challenging as we had to Navigate to an
Island in the middle of the lake which was 30k away. Sloshy was the main
navigator for this leg as it was now dark, and we all tried to set our
compasses to the same bearing. We were stride for stride with Outer Limits for
the first couple of hours, and then we decided to lift the pace. Leo was given
the job of pace setter as he was not feeling 100%, so we would run 100m, walk
100m at his discretion, so he could stay within his comfort zone……soon we were
running more like 800m and walking 100m…Leo was on fire! We were also now
navigating by the stars……lights were off and we were lining ourselves up with a
little cloud of Milky Way just above the horizon. It was still incredibly hot,
and managing fluids was still really important, I could not think of eating
anything salty, as I feared running out of water. After about 5hrs we started
to see something in the distance….could this be our island????? Yes it was! We
hit the island and started looking for the CP……we thought we were exactly in
the right spot and commenced our search, we spent about 5 minutes scouring
every tree on the edge…… just as we saw the lights of Outer Limits
approaching…... we continued heading round the corner of the island and found the
CP…..so all together again. Leo takes off again……this time he keeps running, we
can see a light in the distance….we think this must be the TA, but it is still
20k away……so we just keep moving forward!
Suddenly the ground becomes damp and
soggy and we are walking in water…….it’s ankle deep and freezing cold……so out
came the arm warmers, jackets etc…….and we kept walking……..wondering how deep
it was going to get………1½hrs later the water subsides and we are still looking
at the light of the TA…..it does not seem to be getting closer! It starts to
get lighter and lighter and finally we start to get closer to the TA, and
arrive at about 7am……we looked a treat…….with the lower half of our bodies
encrusted in salt……Gary helped my get my gaiters off as they were solidified!
Leg 4 – MTB Lake Frome – Wirrealpa -90k
It was a beautiful clear day, and it seemed a bit cool,
surprisingly…..I had to borrow Leo’s arm warmers. We were all in great spirits
are we headed out of the TA, and Leo was happy to be on the bike again……Sloshy
was getting his head around the maps. This ride was tough as it just got
hotter, drier and sultrier as the day went on, and as there was not much change
in terrain were quite uncomfortable on our seats….not to mention hot foot…….we
had 2 CP’s to find on this leg, one at a bore and one in a fridge in a shearing
shed. We filled up water at the bore and travelled toward the TA……just as we
were getting close a plane was flying loops around us…….I said to Gary “do you
think this plane is hassling us”? When we arrived at the TA we found it was the
property owner out looking to see how far away we were....he was pretty excited
to see us! Unfortunately when we arrived we had ‘No BOXES’ so another wait……1hr
and 8 minutes this time……without our proper food and gear….but we would be
given another time credit. So Leo had a shower, aired his blistered feet (he
had been hiding this from us), and we lay to rest inside the shearers quarters
on a cold concrete floor! We were restless and could not sleep, but when our
boxes arrived it was all happening, we packed away the bikes, in preparation
for the toughest navigational trek of the event!
Leg 5 – TREK – Wirrealpa – Angorichina – 38k
It was about 2.30pm as we set off on this leg……we didn’t
realise it was so hot……and it was not long before we realised that our forced
stop may have been a bit of a blessing in disguise. Gary was suffering a bit in
the heat so we backed off the pace, Leo was coping with not only a cold, but
severe blisters as well……we nailed CP 13 before dark and as Sloshy was on fire,
Gary handed him the maps! We approached the water point just on dark and were
pretty excited to find not only water but a bottle of coke here for each team. Now
the nav was getting pretty tricky, so it was a relief to find CP 14! Sloshy was now finding it really challenging
as we were into our 2nd night and we had had no sleep….and poor Leo
was fading as the hours passed by. We were all falling asleep and we were
bamboozled trying to find our way to CP 15 as noting was making sense. I lost
my trekking poles somewhere at this point, and we were not about to try to find
them as we had no idea where we were. So we headed west on a safety bearing to
hit a trail and find a shed……but could not find them either, so we ended up
sleeping in a creek from 2am – 4am. Now we know why we didn’t find that shed……
(as we actually had walked straight past the CP in the dark thinking we were 2km
further south….everyone back home watching the spot trackers must have been
beside themselves watching us do circles at this point). When we woke up we
continued west to find a main road, and worked it all out…….we found the water
point then tried to attack the CP from the other direction….despite the fact
that it was now light, it still took two attempts to find it. We were so
relieved, but had lost crucial time……we wondered if other teams out there were
having trouble too, had Outer Limits passed us by through the night? We were
close to the TA now and the boys thought they could see a camera man on the
hill and thought it was moving……it was just a power line marker…… We picked up
CP 16 on our way to the TA. When we arrived the officials raced out so
excited…..apparently we were still in the lead……we were surprised! Outer Limits
had pulled out after CP13 due to blisters and, all other teams, according to
trackers, were now over 5hrs behind……Craig & Louise came in to say hi and
ask us what happened out there…..as we had certainly been much longer than
anticipated. We unpacked and set up our bikes, signed out of the TA and went to
the shop across the road…..we ordered pies, pasties, ginger beer, iced coffee….well
deserved!
Leg 6 MTB Angorichina – Heysen Range -68k
We were certainly in great spirits now and very excited to
be in the lead……Leo was in great spirits (now off his feet) and we all enjoyed
the trails….as this was the first true type of trail riding that we had done so
far……we actually looked forward to the small hills and climbs along the way, as
the descents allowed us to stop pedalling for a few moments. We were motoring
along and found the CP’s without any troubles! It was not long before we were
at the water point, we did not need to fill our bladders, but filled bottles
just to pour over our heads. With about 20k to go we hit what seemed like an
oasis, trees, creek crossings and lots of shady bits……however it was like a
sauna…..my bike computer read 36 degrees……and it felt like it too! With just
10k to go we stopped for 2 x 5 minute breaks in the shade just so our core
temps would not rise too much. The final bit of trail into Wilpena Pound was
awesome, as the temperature dropped our speed increased….we surprised the TA
officials once again as we were well ahead of schedule. Here we met Jan and
James with their camera and the Wild Racers film crew……we were pretty relaxed
at this stage and probably took a little long in transition, chatting to
everyone there……maybe something to do with being out on course with no other
teams around us……we were very excited to be in the lead at XPD!
Leg 7 TREK Wilpena Pound – 23k
We set off back to the camp ground and stopped at the café
for ice blocks, toilet stops etc. I thought we were taking a bit long so I said
to the boys’ you know what since we have hit the lead’ we have been stuffing
around, and if we want to make that dark zone we can’t afford to become too
complacent, or we will lose our lead” So off I went……. set a cracking pace up
to St Mary Peak pass, it was a steep climb and I was loving it….for some reason
I did not seem tired at all. We were so lucky to do this part of the trek in partial
daylight as there were spectacular views and as we reached the top we were
treated to an amazing sunset out to the west….the sun was so big and massive!
The rest was all downhill and we tried to run when we could, I was pushing Leo
and the boys and tried not to let the pace drop too much, so it was a mix of
walk/run/ walk/run etc….just like what we did on the salt lake. CP 24 was out
at sliding rock, on a viewing platform….but no view……so we high-tailed it back
to the TA. The final part of this run hurt, but now all we had to do for a
while was ride to ropes then to mid camp……so we were further than halfway. Back
at the TA we had a much faster Transition this time…..in and out in less than
half an hour!
Leg 8 & 9 Mtb 20k Ropes 8k Mtb 54k
It was approaching midnight, so we were now getting a bit
sleepy as we had really only had 2 hrs sleep, it was now also getting a bit
cold….so we decided to play a few racing games along the way to the ropes, as
most of this ride was on the tar…..think we hit over 50k/hr at some point….we
had unleashed the Monster (aka Gary). At the ropes TA we were told it would
take just over an hour to get there on foot and that it was a bit steep in
parts….well that was an understatement, it was like a rocky scramble most of
the way, as we followed bits of pink tape through rocky crevices….we had no
idea where we were going and could not see much at all….we were all falling
asleep. We thought Sloshy was seeing the sleep monsters big-time, as he saw a
red rope, lights and ‘heard someone just ahead’…….we had just convinced him
that he was seeing things when we arrived and he asked the ropes guys…was there
a red rope on the track?….yes they said….Sloshy was relieved…he was not going
crazy after all. We were now excited but tired, we were trying so hard to listen
to the instructions, but every time there was an opportunity to curl up on a
rock and sleep for 30 seconds ….we did. We got hooked up onto our ropes one by
one and commenced the climb….Sloshy, Gary, me then Leo….. It took me a bit to
get going but then I got the hang of it. Unfortunately we could not see a thing
at all it was pitch-black out there…..so when we reached the top the abseil
down was fun and not scary at all.
As we headed back to the TA we were like
drunks, wandering all over the place……we were lucky to make it back the TA
without falling off the side of a cliff. We had a 30minute sleep before we set
off on the bikes again as riding at this point would have been dangerous. We
left there at 4.07am. It was now freezing….the weather had changed, so out came
the thermal top, the jacket, and my beanie! We were awake now and the sun was
starting to rise as we were approaching the Chace Range, we were looking for
the track through the saddle. It was a steep climb, and we could not ride the
whole way, Sloshy got a flat, but the goo in the tube worked, so we set off
down the other side with Leo showing off his downhill MTB skills. We had a bit
of trouble working out the trails here….but found the pipeline track and soon
we were at CP29 ‘the ruin’…..lucky we did this part in the light…..so our sleep
earlier had seriously helped us! It was only 25k to the TA and for some reason
if felt like it was downhill all the way…..so we were flying, and even I did a
few turns and got a few pushes from Gary too. We were getting excited as we
were so close to mid-camp. We rocked in at 8.32am awesome – we know knew that
we had a chance hit the paddle a few hours before the dark zone…..just had to
get through a 155k bike and 51k trek…..anything could happen but we were
thinking positive. Shower, bacon & eggs and a compulsory 6hr
sleep……..heaven!
Leg 10 MTB Mawson Trail - 155k
There were 8CP’s to keep us excited along the way, a few
hills but mostly flat, Sloshy, Leo and Gary were on fire and I was just sitting
on the back…….we were going mostly over 30kph and the hours and k’s were flying
by. We kept seeing signs to Quorn, but not the way we had to go, as we were
following the famous Mawson Trail. We hit the Quorn pub at 8pm, and found the
CP at the railway cart! Sloshy went into the pub looking for food, and ordered
hot chips…..5minutes they said…..30minutes later finally they came out……I was
getting a bit edgy as I was thinking we
are just wasting time…..forgetting that the boys need to eat more than me…..I’m
a bit of a camel! We were soon back on the road again and the boys were all
fuelled up….we were now going even faster as it was now just 40k to the TA and
the final trek was approaching. When we arrived at Wilmington Hall, the
officials were still asleep and the lights were out, as they did not expect us
till 2am…….we were getting faster now as we also know that the Bivouac Colts
were having a comeback, and we really needed to get the paddle start before
dark the next day……but a 51k trek that was meant to take at least 13hrs was
still threatening to spoil the party. So we had another quick transition and
left at 11.22pm
Leg 11 Trek - Mt Remarkable 51k
Now Sloshy was on the maps again and had said this trek had
some hills. We encouraged Leo to once again set the pace, and to run a bit……as
it meant we would just get there faster…..both he and Sloshy had bad blisters.
So this is the point where I started to get excited, I just tried to keep the
pace up, whenever it was flat, downhill or not too steep I was running and the
boys just had to keep up. We had 5 CP’s on this trek, two were in creek junctions,
one at a hut, one at a creek bend and the other right on top of Mt Remarkable. We
found CP 39 and 40 quite early on and then we had a 13km downhill run ……yes 13km…..my
knees were aching so much I had to slow to a walk …..We were all falling asleep
again so Gary was singing Peter Allen‘s ‘I go to Rio’ and dancing all the way
down the hill….we were playing name games to keep stay alert! We hit Alligator Gorge in the dark…..it was so
amazing, and awesome running and rock hopping along flat rocks…..lucky it was
flat and dry! Out of the Gorge we had a trail run to Blue Gum Flat, and 7k
seemed to take forever on the windy trail….we all were taking turns on the front
to keep up the pace. We hit CP 41 just on daylight and commenced the climb up
the ridge of Mt Remarkable …..over 800m of climbing….again somehow I was on
fire and setting a cracking pace…..poor Leo just had to keep up…..he was trying
so hard to ignore the pain! CP 42 in the creek was just beautiful, it was lush
and green and looked like a sheep’s paddock in NZ…….but soon the terrain
changed yet again on the final ascent up to the peak. We found CP 43 at the
trig point and commenced the 7k descent into Melrose……it was a single track all
the way, and it was in full sun…….Gary and Sloshy were playing aeroplanes in
the background (falling asleep again) as Leo and I just kept motoring …..we
just wanted to finish. As we arrived in Melrose the town bell rang and all the
MTB riders in town from an 18hr MTB race were all cheering us on! We had
arrived before midday and paddle was now a reality….so another quick transition….and
we were out of there.
Leg 12 MTB - The Bridle Track – 38k
Leo went into the café, purchased 4 paddle pops and we rode
off with these in hand……it was now super-hot again and the wind was behind us….but
we set a scorching pace. We climbed up to the top of the range and we could see
the ocean! The final descent into the Port Germien was awesome…….spectacular views
and super-fast riding…….we hit the TA at 2pm……mission accomplished….so we
thought! Sloshy was reduced to tears when he saw his wife Lea and son Kyson at
the TA to greet him….a total surprise! Everyone was so excited for us to be in
the lead…it was the best feeling ever!
Leg 13 Paddle – Spencer Gulf – 87k
It was a real challenge to get going, we knew we would not
get to paddle far, as we would have to stop paddling at 6.15 ….the dark zone! So
we packed food and water for our overnight camp, as we had a jet boil and
dehydrated meals. What we did not realise is that it would take us another hour
to get the kayaks to the water….as the tide was out! I am sure it was more than
1k….so we had to carry them all that way……and it was so windy....thought we
were going to get blown off the pier! I have no idea how we had any energy left…..but
we found it somehow. At about 3.45pm we started paddling into the wind, it was
very bumpy and I was totally soaked and freezing……we made it to the sand bar
and had another portage…….I had to put on a jacket……and it did not take too
long for Leo and Sloshy to do the same……Gary was super-human at this point! We
lugged the boats over the sand bar and began to paddle as hard as we could, as
we only had one hour. At 6pm we started to come in close to shore to find a
spot to camp……the tide was still out and it was a 400m hike back into the beach….Gary
ran in and started a fire……and I just stood there and warmed up as the boys
brought in the boat and the gear! We had a great night under the stars and had
9hrs sleep. Gary announced that his new nickname was ‘the fire walker’ as he
got up in the middle of the night and walked across the hot coals……forgetting
where he was and that we had a fire…..he was very lucky not to have severe
burns! We were just packing up ready to get paddling in the morning when Craig
& Louise turned up…….they had bad news……the Colts had portaged all night
and were now just 5k up the road, but there was a severe wind warning and that
the paddle would have to be reduced. So we agreed to cut the paddle short but
they still had to find the Colts…….they did, and we were picked up and taken to
the TA loaded kayaks and headed north. The Colts had little sleep, and we had a
1hr 23 time credit as well as an extra 5k lead (which would equate to a 1hr
head start for the shortened paddle)…..so our lead was not threatened….as we
got further North……the conditions were severe!
So a decision was made to take
us North of Port Augusta for a 10k paddle to the finish, and that we would
start together, as our lead was impossible to beat realistically. So off we set
finally, just 10k to the end of XPD….we had a tail wind and there were camera’s
everywhere as IRB’s motored past …….it was a very emotional paddle into the
finish line……we exited our kayaks arm in arm, with tears running down our faces……we
could not believe what we had just achieved as a team, not only had we finished
for Sloshy ….we had won XPD Flinders Ranges – World Series International
Adventure Race.
Thanks so much to all our friends, supporters and sponsors who
have helped make a once in a lifetime opportunity a reality…….three weeks ago winning
XPD was only a dream! Please support our sponsors Mountain Designs, Salomon, Hammer
Nutrition, Ay UP Lights, and Tri Adventure.
After a bit of a frantic effort get organised I managed to
meet the team at the bike & paddle drop, I just had to hope I had
everything as my packing was quite rushed, the boys seemed pretty excited to all
be racing together again. We were handed
the maps, and Sloshy and I certainly had some local knowledge of the areas we
would be travelling through, but the maps were 1:50 000 and had barely any
features, so not much advantage gained. We
finished the maps, attended the briefing and then tried to get a little sleep…..within
seconds Gary was asleep under Leo’s car in the Twin Waters car park.
Race commenced with a candle lit ceremony at the lagoon,
where we launched our candle into the water – our motto ‘race hard take chances’……before
piling onto a bus which took us out to Mapleton State Forest. When we hopped off the bus we were given another
map, one which we could actually see the contours (but still not creeklines)…..so
at least Gary did not need the Vapros! 
Onto the bike Gary was feeling a bit better, I had to remind
my legs to ride hard now after spending three days on bikes with kids being the
tail end Charlie……it took me a while to warm up but I got there. Leo was on ‘ferret’ duties and was strong, we
were just managing to stay ahead of teams as we approached CP 5 but as we approached
the Old Vehicle at CP6 we were nearly all together again. The trails were fantastic,
a great mix of flat, hills and descents……well for a while…..as we headed for CP
7 the trail became indistinct, but we were on something so we pursued it…..during
the planning phase I was a bit dubious as to whether it would be there having spent
many hours in this area riding dead end tracks….anyway we took a chance…..and
it was a disaster! 
