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Rescheduled dates: 29 & 30 May, 2021

Clarence Valley, NSW

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ADVENTURETHONDEMOLISH

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Rescheduled dates for Clarence Valley are the 29th & 30th May.

Once again we are unleashing Stage Racing in the Clarence Valley with Adventurethon, 29th & 30th May, 2021.

Previous events have received rave reviews and provided participants and spectators with a truly memorable experience amongst some spectacular scenery. Gorge swims are a real highlight of the run stage and the Clarence River turns on beautiful water for a fast and scenic paddle with a few fun rapids to spike adrenalin levels. Rumour has it that some competitors back-tracked to repeat some rapids during the race because it was such good fun! The weekend will include a mountain bike stage based around the Clarence Gorge trails. The long course here will be a real tester in this hilly landscape and the shorter courses should provide some real fun.

As with all Adventurethon events we aim to cater for all skill levels in all the different disciplines, paddling, trail running and mountain biking so there is a discipline, distance, and technical level appropriate to you.

Our philosophy has always been to put on an event with every leg being a stunner in its’ own right, with no need to compromise on quality. In addition, we often found that there were people who would love to do one discipline but not all three and that finding teammates was kind of a hard process if they weren’t already part of the multisport circles. Hence the evolution of the Adventurethon Stage Race Format (formerly called Demolish). The stage race format allows us to run 3 stand alone individual races, one for each discipline, over a weekend. This allows participants to choose which disciplines they want to do and leave the rest to others. For the multisport athletes there is the option to do all three disciplines because times that can be tallied together to find an overall champion. So, the stage race format can be raced as a team, in pairs, or simply attempt your favourite leg.

Our stage race format has the added bonus that each stage can be held in a different location across the weekend. The upshot of this is the ability to set courses that provide you with the best possible courses for each discipline and not have to compromise by working from a common location.  The Clarence Valley event will feature an amazing tour of the area taking in some challenging but mostly fun mountain biking, adventure trail running and paddling over 2 days. Bring your family and mates and settle in for some great camping and entertainment with seriously easy logistics and a warm, country atmosphere at the heart of the weekend.

“Having travelled a lot of the country I must say I was completely blown away with the Clarence Valley and the hardest bit has been trying to figure out what not to include… the area really has some amazing scenery and I actually felt like I was out of the country with no beach in sight and great water flow through the rivers, amazing Gorges on the run, and a stunning mountain biking area. It was hard to think I was only 3 and a bit hours south of Brissy at times”.

– Joel Savage.

We can’t wait to be sitting around a campfire with you all – Chatting about the amazing adventure course you made it through earlier or how you tried your first paddle in rapids and flowing water and are now hooked.

Adventurethon Demolish will be a weekend of spectacular courses and amazing atmosphere. We can’t wait to share it with you.

The Gorge AdventureRun

Completely escape the “same-same” of regular trail running and become magically absorbed in the adventure experience as you run along the edge of the Clarence Valley Gorge, through cattle tracks, water crossings, rock scrambles and so much more.

Our Taste / Junior (short) course turns and crosses the Gorge early and allows a safe crossing amongst the pools, with the gentle sound of rapids and waterfalls close by. The ENDURO (medium) run takes you further upstream than the Taste / Junior course to a safe crossing point before diverging from the ultra course and returning through different country for a real adventure. The ULTRA (long) course continues beyond the Enduro turn along the edge of the Clarence River to the Gorge property boundary before returning and crossing the river and taking in the bulk of the amazing Gorge waterfalls and rapids from the rocks that line its edges.

This Adventure run has a couple of safe sections to cross the river with rope crossings and signage in a few areas.

Date: Saturday 29th May

Competitor options: Ultra (long) 18 km; Enduro (medium) 11 km; Taste/Junior 6 km

Registrations: Registration is online only. Registrations close 9:00 pm Thursday 27th May or when sold out.

Race Pack Pickup: Friday 28th May at Race HQ, The Gorge.

You must attend in person to collect your race pack as you will need to sign an indemnity form.  You will also need to nominate an emergency contact person (so make sure you have your phone handy if you’re not great at remembering phone numbers). Come along, hang out, talk bikes, running, or other things interesting, look at maps, and pick up some last minute Adventurethon merchandise. If you can’t make it to race pack pick up on Friday you can collect your pack from 10:00 am at the Gorge Race HQ.

Presentations: at Race HQ following the final race finisher’s arrival.

All runners will receive their medallions at Presentations. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for each category will be presented and all finishers will be invited to collect a finishers medallion.

View/download Map View in Google Maps
Ultra (18km)

ULTRA COURSE – Distance 18 km (feels like 22km) 2 hr fastest time, slowest 3 hrs 30 min

Location:  Clarence Valley Gorge Homestead

Date: Saturday 29th May

Mandatory Race Briefing: 7:00 am

Race start: 7:30 am

Course description:

The run leg begins along cattle tracks that dance with the edge of the Clarence River and the edge of the gorge a few times early in the piece, with sections veering higher in the landscape and through different vegetation and crossing small creeks and wetlands. After the cattle track you will turn to the edge of the river and follow the rocks along to a course junction where the medium (Enduro) course diverges right to cross the river.

The medium (Enduro) course turns and crosses the Gorge early. the longer Ultra course continues much further upstream along the river’s edge (to the Gorge property border) before coming back and crossing the river and taking in the bulk of the amazing Gorge waterfalls and rapids from the rocks that line its edges.

This Adventure run has a couple of safe sections to cross the river with rope crossings and signage in a few areas.

Enduro (11km)

ENDURO COURSE – Distance 12.5 km – 50 mins to 1 hr

Location: Clarence Valley Gorge Race HQ

Date:Saturday 29th May

Mandatory Race Briefing: 7:00 am

Race start: 7:30 am

Course description

DCIM103GOPRO

The ENDURO (medium) run leg begins along cattle tracks that dance with the edge of the Clarence River and the edge of the gorge early in the piece, with sections veering higher in the landscape and through different vegetation and crossing a few small creeks and wetlands. After the cattle track you will turn to the edge of the river and follow the rocks along to a course junction where the Enduro (medium) course diverges right to cross the river (the Ultra course continues further upstream from here). There will be plenty of markings to show this track divergence through to a safe crossing amongst the pools with the gentle sound of rapids and waterfalls close by. The longer (Uutra) course will continue much further upstream along the edge of the Clarence River.

This Adventure run has a couple of safe sections to cross the river with rope crossings and signage in a few areas.

Taste & Junior (6km)

TASTE & JUNIOR – Distance 6km

Location: Clarence Valley Gorge Race HQ

Date: Saturday 29th May

Mandatory Race Briefing: 8:45 am

Race start: 9:15 am

Forest FlowMTB

If you are looking for a challenging, yet visually spectacular mountain bike course, this one is for you. With many kilometers of remote tracks with sections of really unique riding, this mountain bike course is just heaps of fun. Much of the course can only be ridden during Adventurethon because the course utilises areas of private property that is otherwise closed to riders.

Skilled riders will find they are able to navigate the course faster and can take ‘A line’ options for extra fun and some race specific benefit. Beginners can feel confident in that there are ‘B line’ (easy options) to pass by the more technical features.  If you don’t have a suitable bike, or don’t want to transport your bike to the event, or friends at Montem Bike Tours can assist with hire bikes at a very reasonable cost. Simply contact Kristy or Olly (0487600839; montembiketours@gmail.com) and they can help you get organised to have some real fun. Check out their website while you’re at it because they have some great tour options that you may enjoy as well (https://www.montembiketours.com.au/).

There are options to suit your preferences with Ultra, Enduro and Taste/Junior, courses so be sure to bring the whole family and make a weekend of it.

PLEASE NOTE: Finalised 2021 Mountain Bike Course maps and distances are still pending.

Date: Saturday 29th May

Competitor options: Ultra (long) 40 km; Enduro (medium) 20 km; Taste/Junior 13 km

Registrations: Registration is online only. Registrations close 9:00 pm Thursday 27th May or when sold out.

Race Pack Pickup: Friday 28th May or minimum 30min before race start.

You must attend in person to collect your race pack as you will need to sign an indemnity form.  Come along, hang out, talk bikes, look at maps, and pick up some last minute Adventurethon merchandise.

Presentations:  6:00 pm at Race HQ, The Gorge.

All riders will receive their medallions at Presentations. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for each category will be presented and all finishers will be invited to collect a finishers medallion.

View/Download Map (approximate course) View in Google Maps (approximate course)
Ultra (45km)

ULTRA (long) COURSE – Distance 2 hr-3hr

Date: Saturday 29th May

Location: Race HQ Clarence Gorge

Mandatory Race Briefing: 1:30 pm

Race start: 2:00 pm

Course description (Long course still to be finalised)

bikeThe ULTRA mountain bike course is for the seasoned rider, one who just wants to get out and have a good crack at a great course, or one who just wants to ensure their fun in the hilly countryside. There will be sections of really unique and exciting riding (which makes for heaps of fun).

Skilled riders will find they are able to navigate the course faster and can take A line options for extra fun and some race specific benefit. Beginners can feel confident in that there are B line options for many of the features.

Enduro (22.5km)

ENDURO (medium) COURSE – Distance 50 mins to 1 hr30

Date: Saturday 29th May

Location: Race HQ Clarence Gorge

Mandatory Race Briefing: 1:30 pm

Race start: 2:00 pm

Course description

The area around the Clarence Gorge has kilometres of track with sections of really unique and exciting riding. A loop of our circuit will have you smiling for days after you finish, it really is that much fun; uphills are present but that also means lots of downhill fun.

Skilled riders will find they are able to take the course faster and can take A line options for extra fun and some race specific benefit. Beginners can feel confident in that there are B line options for many of the features.

Taste & Junior (12km)

TASTE & JUNIOR – Distance 

Date: Saturday 29th May

Location: Race HQ Clarence Gorge

Mandatory Race Briefing: 1:30 pm

Race start: 2:00 pm

Course description

If you are new to the sport, have children to who want to get involved, or mountain bike riding isn’t your best leg, but you still want to give it a go then this is for you. This will be a perfect distance to have a bit of fun, and push yourself if you want. You won’t need all of the endurance and technical skill of the ULTRA & ENDURO athletes on this shorter, easier course, in fact it’s a perfect opportunity for mum and dad to have a go with the kids.

Clarence RiverRush

The Clarence Valley event provides a really stunning river paddle. This paddle will be very exciting for first timers in rapids and also safe enough for beginners to just “have a crack” & learn as they go. More proficient (older?) paddlers have opportunities to get ahead at rapids and try to fight off fitter younger paddlers as they fight back on the flats.

You can forget about all the stresses and routines of life and completely lose yourself in the adventure of this paddle. It is quite an isolated / remote / wilderness paddle – so you won’t see any roads until you reach the finish line.

This is the perfect opportunity for an ocean paddler to try their first rapids race.

There are deep pools followed by adrenaline producing shallow gravel races at each of the grade 1 and 2 rapids. This paddle is great even when river levels are low as its mainly the speed of the gravel races that change. In low river levels we sat in a couple of the rapids with no paddling and recorded 12 kph based on the flow of the rapids alone.

A gravel race is one of the least technical features where the river narrows and water shoots down faster without major large rocks or features to avoid. These Gravel races are fun to run because you simply aim the nose down into the moving water (aiming for the bumpiest [read fastest] water surface) and all will be fine. A couple of the rapids have easier slower and less obstructed lines as well as faster but riskier lines which will be marked for your ease come event weekend.

Hot tip! switch out that ocean rudder for something much smaller and preferably a trailing rudder. The Gravel races get around 3 to 4 inches deep in sections so its just smart to avoid the risk and fit a kick up rudder or similar. OR by an Old tk1, or racing k1 you can bash around a bit perhaps fit a light spray skirt to avoid splashes of water getting in. Other options could include a plastic ski like a spirit racing ski, PRS or Fury, or if you want a custom Ski for the Job Grafton Paddle sports has a few tried and true boats that have won events of this nature before.

This course can be completed as an individual or as a double.

Date: Sunday 30th May, 2021

Competitor options: Ultra (long) 20 km; Enduro (medium) 9 km; Taste/Junior 2 km

Registrations: Registration is online only. Registrations close 9:00 pm Thursday 27th May or when sold out.

Race Pack Pickup: Friday 28th May; Location TBA

You must attend in person to collect your race pack as you will need to sign an indemnity form.  You will also need to nominate an emergency contact person (so make sure you have your phone handy if you’re not great at remembering phone numbers). Come along, hang out, talk bikes, paddling, training, nutrition, look at maps, and pick up some last minute Adventurethon merchandise. If you can’t make it to race pack pick up on Friday you can collect your pack from: Ultra start at Lillydale 8:00 am, Enduro start off Clarence Way 8:00 am, Taste/Junior start at Copmanhurst race 9:30 am.

Presentations: 12:00 noon at Rest Point Hotel, Copmanhurst.

All paddlers will receive their medallions at Presentations. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for each category will be presented and all finishers will be invited to collect a finishers medallion.

View/Download Map Viewin Google Maps
Ultra (20km)

ULTRA (long) COURSE – Distance  20 km

(feels like 15-18km depending on flow) 2 hr average (fastest time approx 1hr 26mins Guy Andrews 2017)

Date: Sunday 30th May

Location Start:  Lillydale Bridge, Winegrove Road

Location Finish:  Copmanhurst Riverbank,  Lawrence St Copmanhurst (Just off Grafton -Tabulam Rd)

Mandatory Race Briefing: 7:30 am at Lillydale

Race start: 8:00 am

Race Logistics: Participants must get their own boats to the start line, then ideally return to Race HQ at the finish line at Copmanhurst. We will provide a bus to get you back to the start. Bookings will be required for the bus. Bookings will open here soon so stay tuned.

Course description

Deep pools followed by shallow gravel races make for a rush of adrenaline at each of the grade 1 and 2 rapids. This paddle is great even when river levels are low as its mainly the speed of the gravel races that change. Even in low river levels you will achieve speeds of  12 kph without paddling in the gravel races (paddling speeds of almost 17 kph from the 2018 event on one rapid).

Gravel races are relatively simple to run so provide an ideal place to get started in down river events without major risks to life or boat. A couple of the rapids have easier slower and less obstructed lines as well as faster but riskier lines which will be mentioned for your ease come event weekend.

This is the perfect opportunity for an ocean paddler or flat water paddler to try their first rapids race and a flatwater paddler to get a bit of a thrill. Complete the course as an individual or double.

Enduro (9km)

ENDURO COURSE – Distance  9 km  1 hr

Date: Sunday 30th May

Location Start:  Clarence river Medium Course start TBA

Location Finish:  Copmanhurst Riverbank,  Lawrence St Copmanhurst (Just off Grafton -Tabulam Rd)

Mandatory Race Briefing: 8:00 am at Start line

Race start: 8:30 am

Race Logistics: Participants must get their own boats to the start line, then ideally return to Race HQ at the finish line at Copmanhurst. We will provide a bus to get you back to the start. Bookings will be required for the bus. Bookings will open here soon so stay tuned.

Course description

This is a perfect opportunity for those competitors who love the bike and run legs but not as confident on the paddle to choose the slightly less technical, but no less fun, paddling leg. All paddlers will be able to achieve this leg, with the more skilled paddlers able to complete it faster, using the gravel races to move ahead. Complete the course as an individual or double. (NOTE DO NOT ACCESS THIS SITE FOR TRAINING WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM PRIVATE LAND HOLDER, GATE IS LOCKED & THERE ARE DANGEROUS BULLS THAT WILL CHARGE YOU)

Taste & Junior (2km)

Date: Sunday 30th May

Location Start/ Finish:  Copmanhurst Riverbank,  Lawrence St Copmanhurst (Just off Grafton -Tabulam Rd)

Mandatory Race Briefing: 8:30 am

Race start: 9:00 am

Course description

If you are new to the sport, have children who want to get involved or paddling isn’t your best leg, but you still want to give it a go then this is for you. 2 km is a perfect distance to have a bit of fun, and push yourself, but not require the endurance and technical skill of the ULTRA & ENDURO options. Expect it to take between 15 & 25 minutes for most paddlers.

All forms of kayaks welcomed here from wide sit on plastics to sleek river and ocean racers, there are no rapids in this race so a surf rudder will be fine to use. However keep tabs on the river depths as certain lines are better than others.

Complete the course as an individual or double.

Check this page regularly for up to date Logistics Information
Information Booklet

For all the information you need on the event weekend download the competitor information booklet below

View/Download Competitor Booklet 2021
Format

Adventurethon Demolish has 3 different stages for you to choose from. PADDLE, &/or RUN, &/or RIDE.

The beauty of the Stage Race format is the opportunity to choose JUST 1 discipline. So if you are an avid Mountain biker and can’t paddle, or find it hard to get a team – this is perfect for you.

The Gorge Adventure Run Stage is Saturday (29th May)

The Forest Flow Mountain Bike Stage is Saturday (29th May)

The Clarence River Rush Paddle Stage is Sunday (30th May) morning

You can choose to do JUST 1 Stage (or 2 stages) or complete the ULTIMATE DEMOLISH (which is all 3 stages). It really is up to YOU, and your preferences. There are also multiple distances to choose from in each of the individual stages.

location

All races will be in the Clarence Valley region over the weekend of 29th & 30th May, 2021.

 

How to get to Grafton & the Clarence Valley event

Grafton is located 300km south of Brisbane, 90km from Coffs Harbour and 600km north of Sydney

downloadable maps
Clarence River Rush Paddle
View paddle maps here
The Gorge Adventure Run
View run maps here
Forest Flow MTB
View ride maps here
Equipment checklist

Please be sure to read the entire checklist below as there are mandatory items on the checklist which you will need to make sure you have before race day. There will be mandatory gear checks on course and you will be pulled out of the race if you are missing any mandatory gear.

Let us know if you have any questions. This is the full checklist for those doing all three disciplines, however, if you are doing one or two stages please go through each relevant list to ensure you have what you need.

Mandatory gear checklist
Start location & transitions

Stage 1: Adventure Run – Starts 6:45 am at The Gorge, Heifer Station, Clarence Valley  (45 min drive from Grafton)

Stage 2: Mountain bike – Starts 1:15 pm at The Gorge, Heifer Station, Clarence Valley  (45 min drive from Grafton)

Overnight Camping at The Gorge

Stage 3: Paddle – Starts 9:00 am at Lilydale Bridge, Winegrove Road (20 min from run stage) & Finishes at Copmanhurst (25 min drive from Stage 2).

Accommodation

We like to ensure our competitors always have a comfortable and relaxing home to settle into & at the same time have a fun trip, this event is great in that our home will be a camping area where we can all enjoy each other’s company and remove the distraction of electronic devices, phone calls and facebook notifications ! yeeha !

Friday 23rd November at:

Ultra Paddle Start – Lillydale riverbank 
Copmanhurst riverbank HQ (Rest Point Family Hotel: 59 Grafton St, Copmanhurst)

Saturday 24th November at The Gorge

We recommend camping overnight on Friday 28th and Saturday 29th at The Gorge. This is an awesome camping spot and the atmosphere around the campfire is fantastic. Fees are reasonable and we will have details about booking available soon, so enjoy a special camping area right at the Run stage start/ finish area so we can enjoy some time mingling before and after the event. Next morning it is a short drive to the paddle start lines to drop off your boats then on to the finish line with your vehicles. We will have a bus to bring Ultra and Enduro paddlers back to their respective start lines. You need to book a seat on the bus. Bookings will open shortly.

The Campsite overlooks the river and is on a privately owned Cattle station.

The area has toilets and bins onsite and is BYO toilet paper and everything else (as it’s quite remote).

The Dirt road to access The Gorge requires a little bit of clearance. We took a few vehicles out on our reccy trips and although a VW golf made it all the way to the campsites its hardly the best choice if you have access to a slightly beefier vehicle with more clearance for dirt roads and puddles / should there be rain leading into the event. Sometimes with rain there is a small river crossing which requires a bit of clearance any standard 4wd will easily get through…some sedans also.

Camping trailers/ caravans/ campervans are welcomed on site.

This area is a perfect stop over for those wanting to do the run event and with travel times all sorted and a late start for the MTB the next day you will find it easy to get to the start line of the MTB the next morning.

Pre-book The Gorge
Car hire & Transport

If you need to Hire a car we suggest you consider clearance when driving on dirt roads, as well as having to potentially cross a puddle or 2.

The dirt road to The Gorge requires a little bit of care but we are reliably informed that 2WD vehicles can drive right to the camping area we have been allocated.

Buses

Athletes competing in the Ultra/long and Enduro/Medium Clarence River Rush paddle transport is on offer. Athletes are to drop off boats at starting line and drive to the finish line. Here a bus (MUST BOOK) will pick athletes up and drop them back to start line therefore cars are parked at the final destination.

There are 2 time slots available, TBA (Ultra/Enduro). You will need to book as part of your registration and preference will be given to those without a support crew.

Book your seat
Transporting equipment

You will need to provide your own equipment for each stage of the race.

Kayaks both individual and double are available for hire. Click here and select your kayak, then choose whether to add a paddle and/or pfd.

If you don’t see what you are after in this list, please email Joel at info@adventurethon.com.au along with your particular kayak requirements so we can endeavor to locate an appropriate craft for you.

Activities

Lets face it we all want to cram as much fun stuff into one trip especially when these trips tend to be family together time, catch ups with friends or romantic getaways for the active.

So having a few activities you must have a go at in the area seems like a good idea of which you can pick and choose which if any you want to add to an already awesome weekend. More to follow

  • Fishing in the Gorge for Bass (catch and release only)
  • Bush-walk with Friends / Family
  • Watch the sunset over the Clarence river
  • Wake up with River views

Or you might decide to have a look around and come back on another adventure, perhaps finding some more advanced sections of river further upstream on the Mighty Clarence Canoe and Kayak trail.

Bike & Kayak Hire
Kayak Hire

For INDIVIDUAL kayak Hire options. Select your kayak, then choose whether to add a paddle and/or pfd.

There are also DOUBLE KAYAK options at $80 per kayak.

Book them HERE.

 

If you don’t see what you are after in this list, please email Joel at info@adventurethon.com.au along with your particular kayak requirements so we can begin to facilitate this for you.

Bike Hire

Bike hire is available from Montem Bike Tours. Our friends at Montem, Kristy and Olly, will be happy to get you onto a suitable bike for the event. It is worth having a look around their website because they have some really interesting and exciting tours on offer around the region. Kristy and Olly have very reasonable hire and tour rates otherwise we wouldn’t be recommending them, we like to look after our participants. Parents, it might be a really easy way to get your kids involved to see if they like mountain biking; Parents, it might be a really easy way to get involved yourselves to see what your kids are raving about! MTBing, such a great healthy outdoor family activity.

Kirsty & Olly 0487600839; montembiketours@gmail.com

Want to use your own equipment but travelling by air?

Please email Joel at info@adventurethon.com.au along with your particular requirements so we can assist you in working out logistics of this.

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