Adventurethon Townsville Race Wrap Up
As the south of the country suffered under the winter chills, Townsville was experiencing perfect, mild conditions weather wise and was definitely the place to be! After recent events around the country suffering some pretty intense, chilly conditions, the visiting competitors were very excited to see sunshine and warmth (& not the intense North Queensland heat of summer time).
SATURDAY – Ultra, Enduro & Duathlon
As the day set off team paddler, Alex Duggan set a cracking pace, with regular Adventurethon winner, Jarad Kohlar not far behind. Jarad himself had told us his training has been less than usual, with the exciting addition of a son in his life and so he wasn’t sure how he would fare compared to previous years. Along with some very excited local competitors, who have been putting in the hard yards training, we knew it was going to be a fun day out.
Alex encountered a shark during his paddle…We know he’s a strong paddler, but maybe that’s why he paddled so much faster than the other competitors, lol. Rowan Crawford and Jarad arrived on the island soon after him and the race was on. The 2.4km run to the top of Hawkings Point was done in super quick time, and then paddlers made the quick time back to the mainland.
The Ultra Adventurethon course consists of a 16km paddle to and from Magnetic Island, a 16.4km trail run (split between Magnetic Island and to the summit of Pallarenda’s Mount Marlow) and a 29km mountain bike ride featuring the recognized Under the Radar track and Smedleys track. There’s also the first time addition of the abseil section, which challenged and thrilled so many people.
Angus Rodwell, Robert Laporte, Quentin Smith and Peter Spilsbury all arrived on the island in very quick succession and off they ran. Alex (Team 2 RAR Recon) reached the mainland and headed into transition a good 10 mins ahead of nearest competitor Jarad Kohlar. But if we know anything about Jarad, he will still keep forging ahead, chipping away at the gap.
With a very good representation from the women in the field, Elizabeth hit the lead early on and never looked like losing it. But competing against someone of the likes of Elizabeth Dornam was the motivation to push some of the other girls even further. It is so great to watch these women and men competing against each other, but with such admiration and respect that the results are enjoyed all around. Elizabeth finished a good 90 minutes before the nearest female competitor and retains her winners crown from 2016.
Nikki Giles from Mackay was 2nd female across the line, followed by Karen Riley.
With each leg that went by, Jarad and the Team 2RAR Recon jostled for line honors. At the top of the run (Mount Marlow) Jarad was still behind, but had made up much time). And even with a brief stop to assist a young fella with their bike tyre repair, Jarad managed to cross the line first 5 mins ahead of the 2RAR Recon team.
Special shout out to Daniel Morton, who had a Noahs ark type of day – First off his boat broke and was taking on water, then he borrowed a boat, which had a malfunction, so he switched to the Duathlon so he could keep competing. On his run he came across 2 wild boars, 2 black snakes and when he got to his bike ride he exhausted all of his spres tubes before deciding it just wasn’t his day and he was done. Hope you bought a lotto ticket that day Daniel – that is a lot of unusual luck!
SUNDAY – Taste & Junior
When we woke up Sunday morning paddling conditions were pretty tough. So much so, that the paddle leg was modified to make sure that more people could finish the paddle leg. There were some nervous competitors ready for a great day out.
Even with the modified paddle, it was still carnage out there, and anyone who got out and did it needs to commend themself! You rock! With a bit of assistance, and thanks to the awesome Adventurethon Water Safety crew always on hand, all paddlers were safely back in off the water and out on their other legs.
The 10km mountain bike ride through the Freshwater trail around the Town common was quick and then competitors headed out on their run. A 3.6km run and competitors were coming in very fast.
All i n all a very enjoyable morning out. And such perfect temperatures to be outdoors racing in.
Special shout to all the mums, dads, mates and colleagues who were there making sure that everyone achieved their goals. We see how hard you work preparing snacks, checking transition packs, filling water, carrying boats, bikes, clothes….running with your competitor if need be etc – all to make sure they achieve exactly what they set out to do!
Thanks also to our VOLUNTEERS – without you guys our race couldn’t be as awesome as it is! Every one of you makes a difference and we are so appreciative of it.
RESULTS – CLICK HERE
NEXT EVENT – Adventurethon Demolish – Clarence Valley, Grafton NSW – November 25 & 26 – A 3 stage race held over 2 days.