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9 February: There are more post race reports and photos to keep you inspired! Jarad Kohlar was in the winning team Hammer Nutrition. For Jarad's take on the event click here.
Karolina Jones at CP45 at the Tuross River crossing has quite an eye. Click here for some awesome shots.
For the official race report click here.
Sunday 3 February: Images of the race by Mark Watson are now up on the web. They are fantastic. Look out for more of them in various magazines including Alpha.
Monday 11:30am: The 2008 Mountain Hardwear Edge of Reality adventure race has finished, and the teams are heading home. The teams agree it was one of the toughest AROC races they've done! Have a safe trip all, and see you next year!
Monday 10:00am: The presentation and prizes will begin in a few minutes...!
Monday 9:21am: The final team has returned - Eleventh Hour (158) is the last team to complete the 50 hour course, minus the rogaine on Hanging Mountain, earning them 14th place overall.
Monday 9:09am: Exactly 50 hours after they set off up the beach, team Tangerine (169) has returned! They came 7th after completing the whole course.
Monday 8:12am: Arriving 1 minute apart were team Yukon Goldfish (180) who rode the whole course on a tandem mountain bike and paddled with a wooden paddle, old-style, and Aussie Animals (153) finishing the whole course in 49 hours 2 minutes composed of power couple Super Celia Thompson and Chris Thompson with team mate Nathan Versey.
Monday 8:04am: Carrying their boats on their shoulders and bare foot, Paul Gruber and Scott Williams ran into HQ at 8.02am to finish the Mountain Hardwear Edge of Reason in 48 hours and 53 minutes. They had to leave their team mate Michael Kolody last night after an injury sustained on the bike leg.
Monday 7:10am: The first all female team the Control Freaks (155) finished the course in exactly 48 hours, crossing the line at 7.09am 2 days after having left Beachcombers Park on Saturday. They only had to skip the leg 10 rogaine on Hanging Mountain, as some other teams before them had to as well to finish within the 50 hours limit.
Monday 7:00am: Keen Torq'ers (163) jogged throught the finish line at 6.57am with SCAR (166) on their heels 2 minutes later. At the same time, the last team Eleventh Hour (158) was passing through TA11 and starting the paddle to the finish.
Monday 4:00am: Jude and Marcus from Down Under have ridden back into HQ. Their team mate Luther is hanging out up at TA10 and will get a lift back with the TA staff in the morning. All are well.
Monday 3:30am: ARNuts have won the mixed category and 3rd overall in 43 hours and 54 minutes. They are tucking into the pasta and already analysing their route choices. Summit Gear Bigfish crossed the line just a few minutes later. They were quite glad that they missed the mountain trek leg.
Monday 2:45am: Melbourne Adventure have crossed the finish line. They are looking exceptionally well and super pleased with how they have gone. They are the first team to finish that were on the shortened course that missed the big mountain trek. They are now at HQ tucking into cheese and ham on toast.
Monday 2.03am: Michael Kolody from team Tali Karng Trackers (168) just arrived back at HQ with a hurt shoulder from a bike fall due to a tree branch that fell just in front of him. His team mates are continuing contrary to what we were reporting earlier. The Easy Goers (177) have withdrawn and are making their way back to HQ.
Monday 1.54am: Dufflecoat Supremes (156) just arrived at HQ and crossed the finish line at 1.43am after 42 hours and 34 minutes of a tough race, including a snake slithering between their legs at CP 39 and Steve Rowlan feeling pretty crook for half the race.
Monday 12.13am: News arrived from team Tali Karng Trackers (168) that Michael took a fall from his bike and will be picked up to get back to HQ, his team mates are not continuing. Right at the same time we also heard news from team Down Under (156) which was also dropping out. A good effort for these 2 teams out for over 40 hours.
Sunday 8.50pm: With around fifty spectators clapping, Team Hammer Nutrition arrived looking suprisingly fresh after 37 hours and 39 minutes of hard racing. They wolfed down the hot pies that were brought to them, gulped down the bottle of champagne and spent a good 45 minutes answering questions of bewildered onlookers. Questions ranged from interested enquiries from fellow novice competitors asking about logistics, preparation and tips, to more basic ones such as this young girl's: "why do you do it?"! They were followed at 9.25pm by the last Edge of Reason team, My Physio Keeps Me Moving (114) closing the field for the 25 Hour course at 38 hours and 16 minutes.
Sunday 7:30pm: If you are wondering about the results.... There are 7 teams on the Edge of Reality course that are on the full course. Teams arriving at TA9 to start the mountain trek after 11am this morning were put onto a shortened trek leg. There were 3 teams that made the short trek cut-off. Teams arriving at TA9 after 3pm this afternoon were not able to do the mountain trek but continue to ride to the final paddle at TA11.
Tangerine and Aussie Animals are the only teams still out on the trek.
Sunday 6:37pm: HammerNutrition have checked into the last TA and are now on the paddle home. We expect them in at the finish around 9pm.
Also, the last team on the Edge of Reason course (My Physio Keeps Me Going) has just reached the rafts at CP45. Just a bit more biking for them after this and they will be on the final paddle home. It will be a race between them and HammerNutrition to the finish line! (Even though they are on different courses).
Sunday 6:10pm: The leading team of HammerNutrition have just reached CP45 - the river crossing where they are using rafts to shuttle their bikes to the other side.
Sunday 6pm: There has been some movement around the course. Of the teams still out on Leg 10 (the full mountain trek), Keen Torq'ers were at CP39 at 4:04pm, Aussie Animals at 4:12pm, Tangerine at 4:43pm. The only team we are still waiting to hear from on the trek is 4TC.
The all girls team (The Hoot-Hers) crossed the finish line in the Edge of Reason course at 3:21pm. They were still looking fresh and lively.
The most recent team to cross the finish line was A Pair of Peters and a Sam coming in 6th place in the Edge of Reason at 5:28pm.
Sunday 5pm: ARNuts are through the big mountain trek and onto the last bike leg. They have moved into 3rd place overall and 1st mixed team.
Sunday 3:10pm: Revised estimated finishing times for current leaders Team Hammer Nutrition (161) approximately 7-8pm tonight.
Sunday 2:44pm: Whilst blissfully paddling the final kayak leg, thinking about the approaching finish, Team Mixed Nuts (113) disturbed a school of fish. Fish started jumping and one decided to jump up and kiss Ria on the cheek before joining the rest of his mates. When confirming the report, Ria replied, "Kissed?? it was more like a b#tchslap!".
Sunday 2:34pm: Teams Mixed Nuts (113), Team Aqua (117) and Ricedaubney.com.au (116) came across the line after the 4th team, despite each team consisting of only 2 team mates due to injuries earlier on.
Sunday 1:38pm: Dufflecoat Supreme (157) were 1 hour behind Hammer Nutrition (161) at CP39, which is two thirds through the trek. Hammer Nutrition finished the mountain trek (leg 10) in 9 hours 53 minutes and they've left for the final bike leg.
Sunday 1:30pm: One of our favourite female teams (Toyboy Racers) have done their 30 hours, and were picked up at TA6 by the Land Rover Defender, very happy with their efforts.
Sunday 12:00pm: We caught up with a couple of teams at the raft section on their way to TA11. When asked how they were feeling we received the following replies: Team Ricedaubney.com.au (116) "So much for our 25hr estimate", Team Aqua (117) "All I can think of is how hungry I am".
Team Mixed Nuts (113) member Chris shared with us this tip...."To find out if a fence is an electric fence, DON'T touch it with your hand". Apparently he found out the hard way.
Sunday 11:53am: Team Driver (106) arrived at HQ and finished the Edge of Reason 1st all male team and 3rd overall. They had to wait a bit at TA11 for their paddles so some adjustments need to be made on their overall time.
Sunday 11:24am: After losing their team mate Josh to multiple injury (including one that required surgery back in Sydney!), Sue and Chris reported losing their "mojo" and retired after TA8. They checked in at HQ.
Sunday 11:05am: Team Hammer Nutrition (161) just texted that they passed through CP 39 after close to 7 hours of rogaining.
Sunday 11:01am: All teams are through TA7 except for ToyBoy Racers (122) and Team Bigfish/Summit Gear (172).
Sunday 10:21am: Team Dirty Torquers (105) finished 2nd in the Edge of Reason in 27 hours and 4 minutes.
Sunday 9:20am: A nice touch from team 119, team Kachiki, who came to thank the organisers for a fun race even though they had to pull out because of chaffing after TA5.
Sunday 9:11am: And they're in!!! With dozens of spectators waiting for them at the finish line and a heaps of kids riding with them for the last hundred metres, team Lucy and Cisco Fan Club (121) finished the Mountain Hardwear Edge of Reason 25 Hour in 26 hours and 2 minutes, first mixed team and first overall! The explanation of the name of the team came from James' daughter Lucy and Libby's dog Cisco! They were all looking forward to a nice shower and enjoyed the course which proved to be challenging as far as navigation was concerned, even for veteran orienteer David Baldwin! Oh, and this amazing athlete got hip surgery only 2 months ago and still managed to finish first with his team, how about that for resilience?!
Sunday 8:58am: HQ is awake and buzzing with anticipation as team 121, Lucy and Cisco Fan Club are expected any time back at the finish line to win the Mountain Hardwear Edge of Reason 25 Hour! In the mean time, team 179, Well Prepared who had spent the night at HQ before making their decision to continue or not, called it quits and will be celebrating the winners' arrival shortly! So Well Prepared will have to brush up on their preparation for their next event to hope to stay on the Edge of Reality next year!
Sunday 7:20am: Teams ARNuts (152) and Keen Torq'ers (163) got to TA9 together at 7.20am: will they keep on traveling together or go back out on their own now that the night is over? They are both competing for 1st place in the mixed category and are only 1 minute apart now!
Sunday 7:18am: Matt Koerber from team Adrenalin Adventure TerraX just reported the reason for his team pulling out as a knee tendinitis. Other teams making their way back to HQ to pull out: Loose Cannons (112) as one of their members had a plane to catch this afternoon (!), team Knuckles (175) who couldn't keep on going without Seb, and Team Kona (176).
Sunday 7:10am: First team in the Edge of Reason 25 Hour to ride into TA11: team The Lucy and Cisco Fan Club (121)!!! They will now be starting the last paddling leg and are expected at the finish line in less than 1 hour's time.
Sunday 6:24am: News that came from the TAs overnight were of tired but good-spirited competitors. Nigel and Beth from team Choose Life just rode back into HQ while Nigel's cousin Michael had gotten a ride back earlier. Both were happy with their race (their first!) and looking forward to a shower and a sleep!
Sunday 6:05am: A lot of teams are still out there making their way to TA6, 7 or 8. The ones that didn't make it through the night and have retired to the relative comfort of their tents are: team Griffins (109), team Wassup (124), the Angry Dragons (120), Ice Drogans (111), Adrenalin Adventure TerraX (151), and team Choose Life (103). Some teams also lost some members but are still going strong representing their team's colors on the course: Two hares and a tortoise (178), Team Bigfish/Summit Gear (172) and team Did we win? (104).
Sunday 4:13am: A Good Samaritain story coming back to HQ. Simon Tuan & Damian West from team Griffins (109) were riding back from TA6 where Chris Smith was waiting for a ride back to HQ. With only 1km to go on the bike, the pair literally nearly ran into a local sleeping on the road after having partied a little too hard it seems! They woke her up and brought her home before finally heading to bed: impressive job on those blokes' part!
Sunday 4:00am: HammerNutrition arrived at TA9 at Hanging Mountain at 3:26am to start the huge mountain trek in first place. They have just left the TA after preparing themselves for the 17km trek which is expected to take about 7 hours to complete.
Sunday 1.10am: Mark Roberts from team Bigfish/Summit Gear (172) fell off his bike and got a concussion. He is getting picked up as we type and his team mates, Gazza and David will decide whether or not they will go on. More news to come...
Saturday 11.21pm: A phone call to HQ from Anthony from Team Frogsie (173) brought news of team mate Steve being severely dehydrated. Both remaining team members were asking for a ride from their support team from the Narooma Pony Club. They are pulling out of the race at this point.
Saturday 10.49pm: First team through TA8 is Hammer Nutrition (161)!
Saturday 10.40pm: There seems to be the beginning of an explanation for the slipping of Dufflecoat Supremes (157) on Leg 7: Steve or Wayne lost the sole of one of his shoes and had to duck tape what was left of it when he left for the paddle on Leg 8!
Saturday 10.32pm: It is with great sadness that we are reporting the news that Team BAM (171) has withdrawn from the race at TA5 and won't be continuing on to TA6. They had done a great job on the paddling leg this year and hopefully will give it another try in 2009! All teams have now checked in at TA5.
Saturday 10.04pm: Team Kachiki (119) just announced that they were withdrawing at TA5, as team Well Prepared (179) decided to catch some sleep at HQ before heading back out tomorrow.
Saturday 9.29pm: Also reported from TA5 are 3 more continuing on without one of their members: Ricedaubney.com (116), Team Aqua (117), and team Knuckles (175) with Seb not feeling good enough after taking a break from his dehydration condition. A good night's sleep and some more water should do the trick hopefully.
Saturday 9.06pm: Only 2 more teams are expected at TA5. 2 more teams withdrew: Two Gals and a Grumpy Old Man (123) - no word on whether it was one of the 2 gals or the old man that decided to give the rest of the race a miss! And the second team to call it quits was Team Green (118) which proved a little too green indeed for this challenge, we hope they will come back next year to give it another go!
Saturday 6.23pm: Nye from team Alpha Omega (170) who wasn't feeling too good after getting dehydrated on the rogaining leg has pulled out and let his team go on without him. Team Coasting Turtles (154) also left for the bike leg without one of their team mates. Team Fugitives on the Run (107) has withdrawn at TA 5.
Saturday 5.40pm: Hammer Nutrition (team 161) reported at TA6. Dufflecoat Supremes (157) were following them 11 minutes later. At this point, teams went through the Kiehl's Rope Challenge in this order: Dufflecoat Supremes, Hammer Nutrition, Ar Nuts, Keen Torq'ers, The Lucy and Cisco Fan Club. Libby and James (team 121) both ran over a big black snake on their bikes on their way to the rope course and the poor snake got scared off!
Saturday 4.42pm: Another competitor suffering from the heat and from dehydration arrived at TA 5: Seb from Team Knuckles (175). His team mates got him a soda and a popsickle from the Beachcombers' Park's shop. A refreshing treat that should put him back on his feet!
Saturday 4.21pm: Susan, Heather and Sara from the Control Freaks are the first female team in at TA5 and blitzed through the rogaining leg (4th fastest team altogether!). Right before them, at 4.07 pm, Super Celia and her team Aussie Animals (153) had rocked in at TA5, ranked 4th in the mixed category.
Saturday 4.39pm: Leaderboard updated: all teams through TA4. The three leading teams (Dufflecoat Supremes, Hammer Nutrition, AR Nuts) are at the Kiehl's Rope Challenge.
Saturday 3.13pm: Team Alpha Omega (170) had to miss some check points on the rogaining leg as Nye, one of their team mates, was suffering from heat exhaustion/dehydration and was starting to not make a lot of sense (something that happens quite often according to him!)! They got some support form Team Kachiki (119) who helped them place a phone call to HQ. Alpha Omega got picked up to get back to HQ and get Nye under a cold shower! They will probably get going later on.
Saturday 3.02pm: First mixed team in at TA5 and 3rd overall is AR Nuts (team 152): good job for Selina, Mark and Alex!
Saturday 2.28pm: Hammer Nutrition (team 161) passed through TA5 in second position so far.
Saturday 2.22pm: News just came in that Keen Torq'ers (team 163) and Hammer Nutrition (team 161) will both be penalised for not coasteering on Leg 1 and will serve their time at TA11.
Saturday 2.10pm: Dufflecoat Suppreme (team 157) just finished the rogaining leg and checked in at TA5 as the last team Choose Life (team 103) checked in at TA4 at 1.50pm. Lightning speed for these guys!
Saturday 1.55pm: Nathalie Conway from Team Frogsie (173) hurt her shoulder this morning going out in the surf and had to pull out at TA4. Steven and Ant will be going on without her.
Saturday 1.48pm: Peter Marshall from Mixed Nuts (team 113) had to pull out at TA4 due to an ankle injury suffered some weeks ago that wasn't properly healed. The rest of his team is going on.
Saturday 1.22pm: The first teams to rock in at TA4 were reported showering with their bikes! Now that's a lot of Tender and Loving Care for your favorite 2-wheels! As time went by and others teams came to check in, some competitors were cursing the soft sand biking and happy to take a break and a quick bite to eat before heading out to the rogainging section.
Saturday 12.34pm: Josh Beck from GuRu's (team 160) had to pull out due to injury at TA4. It turns out that the "minor injury" reported earlier was a badly rolled ankle and a severely cut hand. Anna "Doc" Rogers is currently treating her hubbie at headquarters. The rest of the team, Sue and Chris, are sad to lose their mate, but are continuing.
Saturday 10.50am: A bit of a harmless scare for Ice Drogan (team 111) who lost their race instructions on the coasteering leg. One of the many volunteers out on the rocky headlands found it and returned it just in time for the team to keep on going!
Saturday 10:30am: Hammer Nutrition (team 161) arrives at TA4!
Saturday 9:56am: GuRu's (team 160) has just left TA2 after treatment of a minor injury. New results available here.
Saturday 9:51am: Shark sighted off TA2 by a couple of teams - the rescue boat is keeping watch! ToyBoy Racers (team 122) made it out to be a massive hammer head that followed them for 5km. Others reported a smaller fish!
Saturday 9:39am: Team 163 is in the lead, arriving at TA3 ahead of teams 115 and 169.
Saturday 8:58am: Team 161 has arrived at TA2, closely followed by teams 157, 153 and 152.
Saturday 7:45am: Team 161 and others arrived at TA1, and are now heading north to TA2. They'll be heading across the lake, over the sand bar, and out into the surf. It's a beautiful morning for a paddle!
Saturday 7:09am: The sun is up, and they're off!!! All the teams disappeared to the north from Beachcombers Holiday Park, heading for Tuross Heads and the first transition - into kayaks.
Friday 6:30pm: Teams have received their maps and a briefing from Tom - they're excited about the course they'll be embarking on tomorrow morning! All teams have had their photo taken, and we'll be putting these up tomorrow morning, along with their profiles. The race kicks off at 7am sharp (Alina is in charge!)
Friday 10am: Registration has opened and teams are making their way through the gear checks, first aid tests, navigation exercises and paddling skills. As part of this process we will be getting photos of each team and posting it here with a little bit of information.
