XPD 2007 – THE WHITSUNDAYS

‘A most excellent big adventure. Truly awesome!’ M.K

‘A surreal experience and true adventure. A journey that I will remember for a long, long time.’ P.G

‘A good challenge and looking forward to the next one.’ M. P

‘Fun, great challenge, team building, great memories to last a lifetime’ S. W

The Lead Up
We had been training and preparing all year and the big event finally arrived…XPD 2007, the Whitsundays!

TKT’s final team line up was Mick Kolody, Paul Gruber, Scott Williams and Mike Pickavance. I say final team line up, as there were quite a few team changes along the way, as we factored in injuries, training & events, work & family commitments. I’ve always said it’s 80% of the work just to get a fit, motivated and well prepared team to the starting line of an adventure race…let alone XPD.

The team had spent limited time with each other, and really only completed the one group training session a month before the race, although we had previously done various rogaines, 36 & 48 hr adventure races, but only in pairs, so this was really going to be a big test to see how the group dynamic really worked.

I mention this as the group dynamic is a factor that is very much overlooked. Considering you are about to spend 7 to 10 days with people, running, paddling, mountain biking, navigating and pushing through for 24 hours a day, perhaps with an average of one to two hours sleep per night, sleep deprivation and overall fatigue come into play. Hard enough with people you know, but even more difficult when you don’t, so a lot of patience, consideration and compromise required, much like any relationship.

Lesson learnt from Geoquest, which Mick & Mike entered earlier in the year in preparation for XPD, was to get to the event earlier and leave yourself and the team plenty of time to prepare. It also gave our team those extra few days to get to know each other a little more, and begin the team bonding process.

TKT flew up from Melbourne, so some stressful, logistical planning required in organizing mountain bike transport, paddles, pfd’s, team luggage and flight transfers. It was a relief to finally arrive in a warm Airlie Beach, as it was t-shirt/shorts & thongs weather, a pleasant change from the Melbourne winter grind.

Airlie Beach was a great venue for base camp, and it truly is the gateway to the Whitsundays. There is so much to do (although we were busy with our own race preparations), and heaps to eat and drink, and we were certainly taking every opportunity to carbo-load and super-hydrate ourselves prior to the race…again more team bonding over dinner and drinks.

The race anticipation was already building, seeing other teams at the airport, transferring gear, and even in town at night dining, everyone checking each other out. It was really nice that we knew a lot of familiar faces through our adventure racing exploits even coming from Victoria, and even better that everyone at XPDwas very friendly and we made heaps of new friends along the way.

Race briefings were exactly that this year…brief. Due to an accidental death in the Geocentric staff prior to the race, things were a little behind schedule, and this necessitated forgoing the usual competency tests, which was great as it gave the teams more time in preparation for the race.

The maps were handed out for the first third of the race (the remainder to be handed out during the race) which also added interest as you could only plan out this first third of the race. This was also a good change as we did not need to stay up all night before the race marking the maps for the entire course…great for the ‘sleep bank’.

We were also given materials (plastic tarp and two broom handles) to build our own sails for the kayaks. This also meant we had to scramble around town for other equipment to complete the sails eg rope, cable ties etc…It was fun seeing all the teams going to the same hardware stores, jostling for equipment and even groceries. Some items proved very popular and certain shelves in the supermarket were left totally empty eg chicken noodles, powder gatorade, staminade and endura.

It was also interesting to note different teams food requirements for the race. As we were flying up and had weight restrictions on the plane, it meant we had to purchase the majority of our race food in Airlie Beach. Again, it’s all fun, particularly as you factor in a vegetarians dietary requirements amongst a team of carnivores.

Our team had already started to sort out its own areas of specialty. Paul was an ideas man, Scott a fix it man, so they both quickly took to building our sail. It looked great and better than most teams, and we were looking forward to using them on the boats. The two Mikes took to the maps and started marking out the course.

The night before the anticipation was truly huge, and you could really feel yourself, and everyone else tingling. It reminded me when you walk up to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for a big football match, the atmosphere is electric before the game has even started.

It was a quiet night, almost like the quiet before the storm. Even though we were in bed early I don’t think anyone slept that well…the nerves were already starting to kick in.

So the big day finally arrived, it was Wednesday morning 22nd August 2007.
We were packed and ready and got down to race headquarters for the 6.45am shuttle bus ride to Shute Harbour for the start of the race. It was very quiet again on the bus, nerves totally kicked in now…the quiet before the storm.

At Shute Harbour the rumble started as teams inflated and launched their boats in preparation for the start of the race, along with a lot of nervous toilet stops throughout. The start line was several hundred metres out on the water, so as we paddled out the first thing we noticed that these damn boats (inflatable Sevylor kayaks) were not so easy to steer. They were bargelike and many teams had difficulty keeping them straight, not a great omen for the rest of the race.

And so it was around 8.00am that the teams were lined up on the water, the siren sounded and there was a huge cheer as we also started paddling like mad. It had finally started, and what a relief.

Mick Kolody
TKT

The Race – Stage 1
Leg 1 – Kayak with snorkel/trek (30-50km) Shute Harbour – Airlie Beach
This was certainly the highlight of the race, as we got to paddle and snorkel around the Islands of the Whitsundays in the beautiful aqua coloured water. It was absolutely magic!
We were blessed with awesome weather so made for great paddling and snorkeling.

We also had to locate several checkpoints on the islands, and it was equally as nice on land running through the various resort islands, climbing the hills and checking out the various views across the Whitsundays.

Everyone was quite fresh and talkative, so spirits high, and maximum fun value.
We were truly treated as we also spotted a whale 80m away.

In this section you were given the option to collect which checkpoints you like and receive a time penalty later in the race for those that you did not collect. There was also a night cut off at 6.00pm to be off the water, so after much discussion we decided to miss checkpoint A (as most teams did), and we got back to Airlie Beach at 5:45pm, just in time before the 6.00pm night cutoff.

Leg 2 – Trek (30km) – Airlie Beach – Brandy Creek Road
It was a long day on the water, and therefore not the fastest transition for us.
Most teams started the trek with a quick stop in at KFC or McDonalds (and some additional vitamin supplies at the chemist for those opting to swim with a bum bag of vitamins during the snorkeling leg – Good one Mike P!) before climbing out of Airlie Beach and onto the Whitsunday Great Walk. All still in good spirits, and we paced ourselves finishing approximately 1am.

Leg 3 – Mountain bike (47 km) – Brandy Creek Road – Dingo Beach
First mountain bike ride was fun descending along a dirt track, narrowly missing a police car coming up the road.
Mike P had a quick nap on the bike, Scotty saving him as he headed for the ditch.
We arrived at Dingo Beach at about 5-5:30 as others were awaking to pump kayaks.

The Race – Stage 2
Leg 4 – Kayak (43km) – Dingo Beach – North Whitsundays – Bowen
After a quick 30min interrupted sleep on the beach (not good), we woke to the first teams leaving. Our bike boxes weren’t there when we arrived, so we fumbled around until they arrived an hour or two later in the morning.
We had a quick bite to eat and we were off, and opted to miss the first checkpoint to ensure we gain made the 6.00pm night deadline off the water.
The water was like glass in the morning and were again treated this time seeing a turtle. We beached the boat for a walk down the beach to get a checkpoint, at which some other teams were taking a break at an island coffee shop on the beach .
There was a fair amount of coasteering which was nice but with the sun out it soon started to heat up and things slowed down as Scotty took a nasty fall on the rocks cutting up his leg. We had started to get short on time again, and we had to leave 2 checkpoints, which was a wise decision as the winds picked up and we felt like we were going nowhere. The boats were extremely difficult to paddle in the conditions, and both front and rear paddlers were continually making correcting strokes to battle the massive cross winds and current.

A lot of teams struggled in this section, as we saw one team get picked up by the support boats and the two French teams complaining that “It’s too difficult” A little tension rose as Paul saw a fin in the water… relief and then joy as it was a dolphin! Another fast snorkeling section and run up and over the hill, followed by a mad a final paddling session back to the historic town of Bowen.

Leg 5 – Mountain bike (105km) – Bowen – Sonoma
It has been another long day on the water and again not the fastest transition for us.
We opted for ‘Fish and chips’ at the yacht club as we planned our route as we had not got enough time to look over them before the start of the kayak leg.
We started off through streets of Bowen with the local hoods cutting laps of Bowen in their cars, smoking up the streets. We had a small detour but made it back on track, and started catching other teams sleeping. We rode until tired at 2am and stopped under a tree, and took 3 hrs sleep, going by 5.30am.

Always good to get some sleep, however we had some navigation difficulties and spent some time looking for a farm house. This was followed by another poor decision to go cross country and cut a corner which left us with 1 flat each for Paul and Scott and two flats for Mike (one tire had 7 thorns in it)

Interestingly several other teams were also busy repairing flats in the same dry river bed.

It was another hot day, and water saw scarce, and we were pleased to find to find a big water tank to replenish our supplies…always a relief.
This was a long bike section, and we seemed to follow some power lines forever, which seemed to mainly go up hill. Suffice to say there was a lot of ‘hike a bike’ up these hills and most teams resorted to the same tactics. Mind you we all came off at least a few times each trying. Great effort boys. Paul crashed in soft sand, broke his backpack, and the untested tow devices bent on both bikes under their own weight (mental note to make next prototype more robust). Mick also crashed on rocks and suffered some niggling knee injury for the rest of the race. It was a common problem on this stage and a couple teams pulled out on this stage with injuries, so we were well pleased just to finish the ride.

Like I said it was a long ride, and we came across one team walking back down the track, after which Paul asked them “What did you drop”…however quickly realised they were already miles into the next rogaine section. We eventually finished the ride around 3pm, and then spent the next 2 hrs recovering in transition. The top teams were taking approx 12 hrs for the next rogaine section in daylight. Looks like it will be a long one.

Leg 6 – Rogaine (35km) – Sonoma
This was one of the toughest parts of the race, having to collect 11 out of 13 possible checkpoints with difficult navigation over tough terrain.
As we departed at 5.00pm we were short on light, and were not helped as Scott lost his head torch. It was not a great start, as followed a train line and paced out to where we wanted to cut into the first checkpoint. I am not to sure if we were just too busy yacking and not paying attention or we simply just f…ed it up, but we walked up the wrong hill. It was comforting to find another team up there, so we stood on the rocky outcrop watching lights from other teams in the distance trying to work out where the right hill was, before heading back down and trying again.
We eventually recovered, finding out where we were, and got the checkpoint on top of another mountain. Great to get at least one checkpoint that day…only 10 more to go.

Finding the one checkpoint gave us some much needed inspiration, and we proceeded on for a few more hours getting very close to another checkpoint, but not quite. It was a prudent decision to take a few hours rest until dawn revealed how close we actually were to the checkpoint. Great stuff, only nine more to go.

Third checkpoint, and another massive climb. We were now in the heat of the day again, and were going to run short of water and were considering going back to the start to refuel. Luckily we found a small stream to replenish our water and again this urged us on. Funny how the small things can do this. It truly was hot out there and Paul the ‘ideas man’ made a hat out of the bottom of his zip off pants.

There was one notable granite rock canyon that we climbed, which was truly awesome, and a highlight of the race for several of us. Unfortunately Scott dropped his hat into a crevasse in the rocks and again we took some time recovering it (it was hot out there and we needed that hat).

It was in the heat of the day that Mike P’s backpack really starting to stink, and no one wanted to walk too close behind him, so we had to rotate (NB Race rules dictated that we carry everything in and out, including your own faeces). One checkpoint blurs into another, and all I recall is a lot of massive climbs, some through shoulder high grass at times and lots of falling over, for the remaining 3 checkpoints. We were again down to our last sips of water sharing it amongst the team.

What a relief to finish just after sunset and avoid any more night time navigation.

We all agreed that that was the most difficult rogaine we have done, being out there for over 24 hours in some really rough terrain.

Leg 7 – Mountain bike (145km) – Sonoma – Eungella (Midcamp)
This was to be the longest ride on the course and after the monster rogaine, we headed straight into the town of Collinsville to catch the pizza shop just before closing time.

We chowed down what we could, no pizza left so it was pasta….didn’t matter, we were hungry! We ordered approx four trays of pasta, way too much, so Scott tried to tape the remaining pasta to the back of his bike along with a 2 litre bottle of coke. When we took off Scott was pulling monos down the street, and it only took 10km before he quickly disposed of both the coke and pasta.

We rode along the Bowen river, into the night and the next morning. This was one straight red dirt road for approx 100 km in the middle of the outback. Luckily it was a full moon, and Mick & Mike went without bike lights, just cruising under the stars and moonlight. This was definitely one of the highlights of the race for us, as we rode for hours under moonlight.

It was also where our team really bonded riding through the night (no sexual reference intended). It was just motivational team building riding for so long, and when the sun finally rose over the valley it was inspirational for all. I will remember that mountain bike ride for the rest of my life.

Morning now and still in the outback, we replenished water supplies from a rural water trough which the cows drink from…thank heavens for water purification tablets.

We came across a reservoir (heaps of water now), and feeling closer to mid camp spirits lifted and we even had a line up and race with a fellow team. Unfortunately the ride just went on and on, with lots more climbing before a final descent to arrive at mid-camp.

The Race – Midcamp Eungella
It was a huge relief to get to mid-camp, which we know was just over half way. If you can get to mid-camp, you know you can get home…a huge psychological boost.

Our monster ride through the night had brought us back into the front half of the field, and was a huge inspirational lift.

We chowed down some bacon & eggs supplied by race organizers as we looked over the new maps for the rest of the course. We then serviced the bikes before getting 3 or 4 hours sleep in tents provided or under the trees, as the tents were just too hot inside. When we woke we could sense the weather was changing.

Leg 8 – Trek (21km) – Eugella – Crediton
The Makay Highlands Great Walk was a Rainforest trail that followed the Broken river
We started approx 5.30pm, and finished approx 6 hours later at a rough old shed.
Blisters and foot maintenance was now paramount, and stating to take its toll on teams.

Leg 9 – Mountain bike (76km) – Crediton – Mia Mia
The course notes indicated that this next ride had an extensive descent ie down hill. However we soon realized that ‘To go downhill you have to go uphill first’. We rode for a few hours and eventually found some grass on the side of the road to take a sleep around 3.00am. We were up at daybreak for some more climbing, but were then rewarded with lots of fast downhill, some proving quite treacherous as it was on rocky terrain.

The last part of the ride was tough as we had a strong headwind, riding through the Queensland sugarcane fields. We continually tried to improve our drafting technique ‘All on board for the Steam Train’. Not the most successful, but fun trying, and we finished around 2pm.

Leg 10 – Kayak (22km) – Mia Mia – Marian
We were now on the river, so some nice flat water, and in the daylight…heaven! We also knew it was our last paddle for the race, and the excitement starts to set in, just sensing you are closer to finishing. There were however a couple of weirs to overcome, and this proved to be a real pain in the butt, having to portage around them. Scott took charge and his experience leading paddling expeditions proved invaluable. We also had some fun getting around some small rapids, before just completing the second weir portage just before dark. This could have been very difficult at night, and we were relieved to get to the transition early in the evening where we had to carry the kayaks up the river bank and across the road to the hall at transition. Last paddle now finished.

Leg 11 – Mountain bike (91km) – Marian – Cathu
We made time for same fast, greasy food from the general store in town, while Mike P opted for a healthier alternative in gojo berries.
We eventually hit the road around 9.30pm, and Scott & Mick almost hit a horse as we pelted down the road at night.
We were all tired, Mike P particularly so as he almost fell asleep while riding (I don’t think those gojo berries had enough oomf in them), so we took a couple hours sleep in a bus shelter long the side of the road…interesting place to sleep.

Again, it was a long ride, which seemed to go on forever. We struggled into the transition point, Mike P having hit the wall, and Scott on a flat tire and a pump that didn’t work

We were forced to take a longer rest here to ensure plenty of team recovery time after the ride, and particularly knowing that it was a long tough trek ahead.

Leg 12 – Trek (90km – shortened to 75km) – Cathu – Hill Rise
‘It’s a big hill’ We started just after midday, and started climbing, and just kept going, for approx 7 hours. Luckily we had our trekking poles now (as placed in the gear tubs for this section) and Paul found his own new locally made trekking pole.

At the top of the hill, we had a decision to enter the forest via river or trail at nightfall, or wait until morning for daylight. Our previous experience with the rogaine highlighted how difficult the navigation is at night, particularly with 1:100,000 scale maps and 40 m contours…you just can’t see small contours on the map.

We decided to sleep at the top of the hill, before entering the tough bush. It was a much welcome rest and we also took the luxury of building a fire to keep warm. Although Queensland winter weather was lovely during the day, it was still bitterly cold at night, particularly in the outback and with minimal light weight race gear eg space blankets and mandatory gear to keep you warm.

The extra 8 hours sleep, the longest for the race, was invaluable and gave us a good top up to finish the race. We could hear several teams shouting out down below in the bush, and we knew they would be struggling in there and forced to sleep anyway but in much worse conditions.

In the morning we took a trail down to the river, followed it down and came across a big waterfall, truly spectacular. We then made a B line to the knoll, which as very steep and rocky, and ended up being the wrong knoll anyway. Not to worry, and there is not much you can do about it anyway except soldier on, try again and climb another mountain…perseverance prevailed.

It was truly tough terrain and again tough navigation with some very steep sections over rocks. We were absolutely stoked to find checkpoint 34, the final mountain top checkpoint, and we took a celebratory group pic as attached.

Another steep decent down over rocks and along a river, followed by a long boring walk out along a dirt road that again went on forever. The final trek over and so close to home, with one short mountain bike left, or so we thought.

Leg 13 – Mountain bike (60km) – Hill Rise – Airlie Beach
The course notes outline a short 3 hour 60 km ride back in Airlie (Not).
Being the last ride, and thinking it is a short ride at that, we dump all the camping gear as we are sure we won’t need it.
Although enthusiastic when staring the ride, the nav problems started early on, as we went round and round in some paddocks, along with another dozen teams which had now all banked up due to the last trek which forced a lot of teams to sleep at the same time.

After consulting the course notes again, we finally worked it out, and came out in the canefields as required. Mike P almost got taken out by tractor barreling down the road.

We made a quick navigation stop outside Proserpine where Paul stepped on and broke his own compass.
Another stop at BP for our last top up of no-doze, and Mike P was totally so spent he came out of the toilet with his top inside out and almost running over a guy before skidding in font of him. The look of bewilderment on Mikes face truly memorable.

All aboard the steam train for the final ride back to Airlie beach, experiencing some rain along the way, motivating us even more just to get home. We arrived back at HQ around 6.00am feeling absolutely victorious riding through the night and coming into town at dawn. An awesome feeling!

The Finish
Pizza, champagne and video de-brief on the XPD winners couch (anyone who finishes is a winner) as we drank out of our new ‘XPD Finisher’ champagne flutes. We were so totally exhausted I can’t remember anything anyone said, so will be interesting to watch the video.

Massive smiles on our faces, and absolute elation as we had achieved what we set out to do ie ‘finish the race’.

We were out on the course for 192 hours (8 days, although you sort of lose count of the days while out there) and finished with a total race time of approx 200 hours when accounting for time penalties, which put us in fifth place in the men’s division, and 21st overall, out of approx 57 teams starting the race.

So tired, yet so happy.
‘Fun isn’t always fun!’

Paul Gruber & Mick Kolody
TKT Team XPD 2007
‘Stay strong, stay on target’