home which shot me into an assertive position for the overall title.
All that was left was a 35km mountain bike that involved a mix of
roads, trails, sand, bushlands, climbs and descents and culminated
in another wonderful finish line experience back in Augusta. I was
having a good battle with another rider when about 25km into the
race he had started to pull slightly ahead. He took a wrong turn
which I spotted but I carried on in the direction I knew was correct.
Once I spotted him behind me towards the finish I knew the only
right thing to do was to pull over and let him take line honours as
he was clearly the strongest of the two of us. It seemed to draw a
few compliments at the finish for sportsmanship which was nice,
but to me it was a simple and logical decision.
I was rewarded for my consistency across the day by being
crowned the overall winner for the Saturday ‘Adventure Warrior’
event. The next and final challenge would be to string the four
sports together in a slightly shorter and non-stop format the
following day in the flagship Adventure Race event. I was feeling
a bit jaded by the four Saturday events, so I was anxious to know
how my body would respond the next day.
As it turned out I had a great race on the Sunday too and
managed to take the overall line honours (beating the teams in the
process). I had ground to make up after the 1km swim and 6km
run but managed to move into the lead on the 15km mountain
bike and held on through the 6km inlet paddle to the finish. It
was a hugely engaging race with plenty of terrain variation and
"Each event was spread out enough
to allow competitors to refuel and
prepare for each event in isolation,
but in a short enough turnaround that
those doing multiple events were kept
busy and focused through the day. "
12 | MULTISPORT MAGAZINE
the challenge of transitioning through four different sports in
less than two hours! The skill levels required for the Sunday event
were noticeably less than the Saturday, which made good sense
as it opened the door to a wider adventure sport audience to be
involved. I loved seeing young school aged kids alongside retired
grandparents and everyone in between getting stuck in. The
support out on course was exceptional and felt really interactive. I
enjoy most finish line experiences but there is something special
about the having a cold beer in the warm West Australian sunshine
and this finish line is extra memorable.
For anyone, particularly my Kiwi friends, looking for an excuse to
explore Western Australia, check out the Augusta Adventure Fest
set to take place on the first weekend of November 2019. Perth
is an easily accessible airport with several direct flights available
from NZ and is only a 3-4-hour drive from Augusta. There is much
to see, do and explore in the townships, beaches and trails that
connect Perth and Augusta and hiring kayaks and/or bikes for the
event is easily achieved too. If anyone fancies the idea of including
these events in their calendar for next year I’d encourage you to
check out the event website:
www.augustaadventurefest.com.au