For its first event of the season, the Paddy Pallin Adventure Race Series chose the Central Coast, and Wyong in particular to host the first event of the season. Over 580 participants gathered at the event hub before being bussed out to their respective start location in three separate waves, creating enough space between teams so that they wouldn’t follow each other.
After a start running along the shore from Shelly Beach to The Entrance, Classic Course teams got wet crossing the channel before hopping on their kayaks for a long paddle across Tuggerah Lake to the mouth of the Wyong River. A quick swim across Wyong River led them to their mountain bikes which they rode to Ourimbah State Forest for some foot orienteering and sweet single track riding. An emu made a guest appearance on the tracks but soon realised he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the speed of the mountain bikers and disappeared in the bush; he might have had a better chance of outrunning participants had the teams been on foot!
All teams finished in style at Mantra Kooindah Waters Resort who hosted the event with pool, massage, showers, coffee and food to wait for the final teams to roll in and for presentation with a heaps of prizes for winners and giveaways for others from Paddy Pallin, Fitness First, icebreaker, World Expeditions, Salomon, Sea to Summit, ultraFIT Magazine, AG Outdoor Magazine, GU and City Bike Depot.
Richard “Mounty” Mountstephens, Hugh Stodart and Peter “Prong” Preston from team Dude where is my Apex came out on top of the Classic Course completing all 7 legs in 3:42, including a bonus run around event headquarters. Only 9 teams made the cut-off for this bonus leg including the second team in the male category Team Crank (Matt Shields, Matt de Belin and Jeff Price) and the third male team GHD 2 (Gavin Rayward, Steven Todkill and Matthew Parsons), also winner of the corporate category. The first mixed team ranked 10th overall in 3:59 with Matt Yearsley, Amanda Brown and Jefferson Taylor from AddVenture 1 proving that the training they offer adventure racers (check it out online at www.addventuretraining.com.au) is efficient. Team Just Trippin’ (Tsalina Phang, Luke Su and Rastislav Droppa) were second in 4:06 followed by Old Butt Slow’s Roger Simionato, Kim Stokeld and Graham Johnston a couple of minutes later. The first ladies arrived in 4:20 with team Pete likes M&M’s (Mary Fien, Melissa Thomas and Rosalind Elliot) followed by Kim Austen, Rachel Merton, Susan Login from team 0055 Slap Me! and team first, second, third (Liza Whitfield, Jeanette Dillon and Dot Stockwell) wrapping up that podium in just over 5 hours.
The Novice teams didn’t get to paddle for as long as the Classic teams, but they did get a taste for it in the Wyong River and went to play in Ourimbah on foot and on their bikes. The fastest at this game was team Adventure Dementure (Kit Routledge, Steve Holway, Roger Gall) in 1:55 followed by the second all male team LEISUREGEAR (Leonard Davis, John Rechichi, Anthony Torr) and the first mixed team Joe 2 (Deanne Vowels, Paul Vowels, Richard Metcalf). The third male team was team GMG for Glen Johnson, Matthew Warner and Gerard Smith. Second in the mixed was Rieso Reeco made up of family members Gregor, Jessica and Asher Riese, and third was team HeLP (Karen Ingram, Rod Ingram, Jay Tutt). Team Hell’s Angels with young Sophie Evans, Hannah Grimble and Emma Chadwick won the female category in front of Time to Burn (Lesley Waldon, Lydia Balnave, Sharlene Marland) and Clueless (Ruth Myers, Cathy Coman, Kerry Williams) who proved they were not so clueless after all!
The organisers wish to thank all those who contributed to make this event a success: volunteers (Kerry, Greg, Matt and Sarah Bacon, Luka Montin, Vic, Elissa Erickson, Natalie Russell, Jenny Winterton, and as always, Bob and Drude Townsend and Ian, Nan and Bid Landon-Smith) and dedicated staff (Dave, Steve, Tim, Lovie), sponsors, local surf life saving clubs (organised by Graham), private land holders, State Forest, Central Coast Ourimbah Mountain Bike Club, Central Coast tourism and Wyong Council.
