Dan and Eddie size up their plastic craft after placing 10th and 11th in the 2nd running of the BRC 50 on Sunday. Dan on the 4.5 m Racing ski and Eddie on his 4m CTR (hired from BRC12 sponsor- Adventure Equipment) both learnt heaps during the challenging course. You never stop learning when you paddle the Barron at it varying heights but it was obvious that Dan had picked up a few tips when he tacked the Oak rapid at 1.93m (Mareeba Height) 3 weeks ago.

It's over till May 2013 for EDDIE and DAN.

Eddie (BRC50 comp no. 133) knew he was a little oversized for the Spirit CTR, however its’ comfortable turning arc made it the craft of choice for his first BRC50. At 1.77m at Mareeba, the Barron gives you 4 choices 1/3 of the way down Oak. 1. Portage river left- a sensible option for all novices at 1.77 and a compulsory option at levels of 1.88 and above for all novices who have not paddled the rapid.
2. River left on a technical line throughout  with tight boney turns as it empties at the bottom.
3. Middle channel. Large rock to avoid at bottom at 2012 levels. Fastest line for experts.
4. The Tindale chute: River left with a last minute dogleg left. Practiced by Rod Tindale in the inaugural BRC50 and perfected in race with minor damage to glass kayak.

Eddie chose option 2. Rod T was on River rescue duty to retrieve wedged paddle. Eddie is in awe of the white water skills used by Rod to collect his blade intact.

When the releases begin again next month you are sure to see Eddie practising his lines on the Oak.

Eddie(133) as the action begins at bottom of river left path down Oak Forest rapid.

Thumbs up from Eddie at bottom of Oak with bomb proof CTR Spirit Kayak.

Rod Tindale and Joshua sizing up the challenge.

Rod collects paddle

PDF results for BRC 50 here

PDF results for BRC 12 here

Event results online here

BRC 50 “leatherman saves veterans race”

Mates John Crawt and Ty Bensilum were drawn to the second BRC50 to finish under 8 hours and receive the iconic glass paddle. All turned pear shaped for Veteran John when he snapped his kayak blade tackling the mighty Oak Forest rapid.
Limping into checkpoint E at Myola causeway after holding the blade in place for 9 kms John was expecting the compulsory extraction from the race as he was over the 3pm deadline. However, officials quickly assessed up the situation and realised that John’s will and ability to finish were solid. Quick thinking Checkpoint official- Adventure fisherman Garry Smith instantly provided technical advice refined on his many Walsh River journeys and his trusty Leatherman to a thankful John.
The Result- A near new paddle and a dramatic slog to make it to the finnish checkpoint in 7:58:22.

Well done boys- The legend of the BRC50 grows. John Crawt was the oldest BRC50 finisher in 2012.
Exact Paddle repairs details will be published in the near future.

Keith and Jackie whip the Mareeba blokes across Finish line.

Overheard on Channel BRC 19 :Keith ” We have Harry and Chris 100m upstream of the Kuranda bridge, how much time have we got”
Finish line :Lindsey and Natasha ” Just a few minutes – we can see the yellow kayaks and they will make it, we can’t see you- there is a strong head wind”
Keith ” Thanks- we’ve had the whips out since Myola”
Natasha” Well -use the spurs too!”

Prologue: Harry Phillot and Chris Lea, once very fit Mareeba athletes – impress wives and family support crew awaiting at Kuranda beach.
Chris is impressed with the full body workout that 7:59:55 spent in a Melody plastic Canadian canoe has given him. Harry comments that the 55 seconds is the amount of time spent on paddle training- sitting in the canoe on dry land.

Chris and Harry thank Sweeps Paul, Keith and Jackie. They received their BRC50 Glass Paddles at the Presentation evening. They are keen to try out a SPIRIT PRS!

Footnote. BRC50 Risk assessment utilises 2 or more trained canoeists sweeping the river behind the last competitors. TCC and the competitors extend thanks to these volunteers, club and committee paddlers for providing this essential service.

Event results online here

Stories of square dancing, marriage proposals, shameless trail nudity and vegemite covered buttocks along with a list of hazards as long as the Goldfields Trail itself completely removed any doubts runners may have had regarding the Gold Rush being anything but ordinary.

Kirk Morley soaking up the pre run excitement and laughing in the face of the hazards and challenges ahead!

The Goldfields Trail was however on its best behaviour for the 2012 Gold Rush – creeks were clear, regular and pumping, the trail surface was quite dry (for April in Babinda), wait-a-while, stinging tree and snakes were almost completely absent while the leeches were apparently satisfied with the feasts and feet they’d enjoyed earlier in the week. A couple of 23km competitors went so far as to question the ‘toughness’ of the saddle climb although the bruised, broken and busted bodies sprawled helplessly around the presentation area went some way to disprove their claim.

The square dancing, marriage proposals and nudity were all direct results of the newly introduced ‘Marshalls Shout’ – an incentive to help entrants demonstrate their gratitude to the on course marshalls who in turn were invited to nominate the most enthusiastic, fun or humorous runner they encountered on course. Amongst some very entertaining and grateful displays, Matthew Dewar’s mid causeway push ups and Julie Sager’s “joyous and gregarious” nature earned them the first ever marshall’s shout. Kerrod (causeway marshall and marriage proposal recipient) wishes to publicly state his response was a firm ‘no’ and Stru – “checking for leeches” is one of the more creative excuses to get your gear off we’d heard and surely earned you a close second. A big golden thanks to all who made the marshall’s day far more entertaining.

At the pointy end, Cam Hardie (3:43:49) not only led home a quality field to become the 2012 Gold Rush Trail Marathon Champion (Oliver Zambon 2^nd in 3:46:36 and Sam Stedman 3^rd in 3:49:28), but took a minute of the race record (previously 3:44:52) and added the Gold Rush to the list of Adventure Sport NQ events swindled south by Townsville athletes. Steve Cunningham (4:06:46 and 4^th overall) became the only person to complete all three Gold Rush Trail Marathons and again took out the Masters Category (40 to 59 years) while John Nuttal (5:17:08 and 9th overall) of Townsville established the record for the newly formed ‘Legends’ Category (60+) – Legend!  Julie Sager (4:59:40) again ran strongly to become the Female Gold Rush Trail Marathon Champion ahead of Toowong based Tegwen Howell in second.

In the 23km Gold Rush, Tim McGrath (2:06:22) backed up his impressive Speewah Legend Footrace win with a solid victory ahead of Matt Carman (2:13:11) and Struan Lamont (2:14:56) while Adrian Garnett took out the Masters Category in 2:33:00 and placed seventh overall.  In the Females, Susan Crowe shredded 10 minutes off the race record to beat home Jo Carman (2:35:54) and Leela Hancox (2:50:29).

Daniel Robinson stormed home in the 7km (35:29) while Davo Giordimaina (39:25) won the Masters and literally carried a rather weary Alan Elsdon-Bell (39:25) over the line to tie for second overall. Shona Jones (40:52) was just a creek crossing behind them to win the females ahead of Mandy Spry (43:21 and 1^st Masters) and Irene Firestone (43:54). Teagen Rooke led the Juniors home in 45:16 while fellow junior 7k’ers Mikaela Crowe and Olivia Quinn took the opportunity to count creek crossings on their return run and tallied 18 – pretty regular for 3.5km of trail! Could we get someone to do that for the marathon in 2013 please?

All up, an extraordinary day and golden event; sweet trail, cool clear creeks, great numbers, records broken, awesome volunteers, cheerful trail runners, helpful emergency services and the fun, casual atmosphere for which Trail Runs are quickly gaining a reputation.

Oh, and if you’ve read this wondering about the vegemite covered buttocks story, it involves without doubt the most impressive performance of the day….. Marathon competitor Jason Hedges sacrificed his own event to help get a rather crook fellow runner home from around 8kms out. The selfless act added nearly 5 hours to the time Jas was out on course and involved unfortunately taking a seat on a previously cut Stinging Tree. This in turn meant extensive exposure followed by a few hours of solid discomfort (followed by a few weeks of slightly less solid discomfort), yet Jason still managed to run around to find mobile coverage and get valuable communication out, carry two packs and withhold from eating the race food he had remaining in case his new found and greatly appreciative mate recovered to the extent he could stomach anything. The vegemite link was a novel alternative treatment suggestion from a supportive (?) fellow competitor to supplement the waxing already undertaken.  Jason can confirm that the Gold Rush will in fact make your buttocks clench (as warned on the Golden Lager beer label) but as of yet has not been able to confirm the effectiveness of vegemite in the treatment of Stinging Tree or whether the treatment was actually trialled. Whatever went on behind closed doors on Sunday night Jas, we thank you for your selflessness and think you’re an absolute legend. Might even give you free entry in 2013!

Author:  Chris White (good on ya bro).

Hi, my name’s Brad. I’m 22 and on the 1st of January 2012, I departed on a 4000km solo run across Australia. I left Canberra, Australia (The world’s second most southern capital city) and am runningunassisted all the way to the top of Australia (Cape York) near the equator.

Why?

There are two forces driving me. Firstly the innate drive for adventure and to challenge myself is what has me daring to run so far and to such a treacherous place. However, I am not without my sense of purpose, I am also driven to use all this energy and motivation productively. I am also running to the Cape in order to raise funds and awareness for mental health; specifically AFFIRM: The Australian Foundation for Mental Health Research. This is a cause which is close to my heart since growing up with someone in my family who had depression for the greater part of two decades. Ever since finding out about their mental illness and seeing the benefits that evidence based practise has provided in aiding their recovery, I have wanted to do my bit help this cause.

A donation of any size would be greatly appreciated. You can do that right here by clicking on the “Sponsor me” button at the bottom right hand side of the page or you can also donate by going to www.everydayhero.com.au/bradrunsnorth. Or if not, that’s not a worry, you can also just follow me as I meander my way towards agony and enlightenment. I’ll share with you the things which have inspired me throughout my life and the things which I learn on the way.

All Brads Gear!

This year sees CAFNEC celebrate the 11th running of this exciting event.
For 8 days from September 22nd 65 bikers, fully supported, will travel from Innisfail to Cairns, via Ravenshoe, Yourka, Koombooloomba Dam, Wandecla, Tinaroo and Clohesy.
Check out the webpage here for all the info and entry details

It was with a dash of trepidation and a good dose of excitement that Kristin and I entered the inaugural Bustard Express. Not only was this the first edition of this novel, off-road day/night trail race, but it was also the first time that we had competed on the same team in an event.

The heavy rains leading up to the race were not unexpected – this is the Far North after all, and March is arguably the peak of our annual wet season. We had completed an epic reconnaissance run over the course a week before the event – it was wet, very muddy and considering that I had never run a trail race, I was wondering what we had got ourselves into.

Race day vanquished those concerns, as the Tablelands produced a humid but calm and pleasant afternoon, and I think everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Kristin and I entered as a two person “duo” team, and we were suitably impressed by the number of other teams entered – including quite a few “trios” and “quadrupos” – along with a large contingent of brave (and in my opinion barmy) solo runners, who were aiming to run non-stop by themselves for 4 hours in the North Queensland bush. The 4pm start also meant that the last 90 minutes of racing would be completed in the dark, and in the bush dark is very dark. Headlamps and careful foot placement would become vital once the sun set.

The organisers did a good job briefing the competitors and the race started punctually. Each of the first team runners and all the soloists had to complete one opening lap of the 3km “short” course, before being able to nominate successive laps of the short, 7km “medium” or 14km “long” loops. Kristin and I chose a mix of short and medium laps which we decided would enable us to achieve a good balance of speed, overall accumulated distance and recovery. Chatting to runners from the other teams, I discovered that we weren’t alone in strategising. One of the all-male trios that we ran neck and neck with during the first 15km had their game plan finely tuned – they would run only 3km laps in their bid to rack up the most mileage. I was confident that Kristin and I could complete a total of about 50km within the 4 hour time limit. Considering that we each run only 20-25km a week, I admittedly harboured a few doubts about the sanity of such a target, and I knew that we would both be sore afterwards. Nonetheless, we were determined to push hard on every lap, and I felt that Kristin ran particularly well on every one of her runs – sometimes perhaps too well, given that the faster she went, the less recovery time I had!

The afternoon cooled and night set in. Having bought our headlights the day before, we were both novices in the apparent art of night-time trail running, but it’s remarkable how quickly you learn when you have to. For me, the course took on a different complexion – at one point, I remember seeing two shiny eyes peering at me from the scrub next to the trail…no energy gel could have provided more of a boost than those eyes did!

Seeing the lights of the finish zone at the end of each night lap was great – a strange, glowing oasis in an otherwise pitch-black void. Seeing Kristin emerge from the dark on the last lap was special. We were both tired and happy, and I knew we had gone well.

The organisers and volunteers did an excellent job, which is doubly commendable for an event being held for the very first time. Thanks to everyone who helped put the race together (particularly Rob Miller), to the Mareeba Mountain Goats (Steve, Rudy, Megan and Shane – your track is awesome), to all those who assisted and came out to support on race day, and to all the other runners – the teams and the solos – who put the Bustard Express on the map. See you all again next time.

Wes Swindale

One half of Team “Legs” (partnering with Kristin Soda), Bustard Express March 2012.

Even the kids were on board for this one.

First off I would like to thank Rob Miller for organising the Bustard Express, excellent work. I would also like to thank the Mareeba Mountain Goats for allowing us to use their recently formed trails. Can’t wait to get back on them, just as soon as my calves stop hurting!

Coming straight off the back of ‘Speewah Legends’ we nominated for the ‘Bustard Express’, figuring that it would be good for all of us to be able to have a go. Having only heard how good the track is from various uses, mostly mtn. bikers, we were unsure of what it would be like to run on and how technical it would be. There were some mixed emotions at the start of the race for our team; Tayhan had just finished a game of league so was not overly enthusiastic to do the first lap; Kerry and I were keen and ready to go; and Kayla was uncertain of what she was in for. After some discussion on who wanted to run the first lap and a bit of a hiccup in our organisation, I got to run the first lap. I think it was one of the hardest and fastest 3ks I had ever run. Although the short course did not accumulate any altitude, the leaders made up for it in pace. Tayhan and Kayla did very well in racking up laps, giving Kerry and I opportunity to relax and get fired up for the next lap. The ‘Pony express’ layout lent itself exceptionally well to families being able to compete and socialising of all competitors. Luxuries that are not always affordable at trail runs for obvious reasons. The Mareeba Mountain Goats did an excellent job at catering for the hungry competitors; I know we eat several helpings.

Some thought on next year’s Bustard Express that may be of benefit if possible is to have the ‘pit’ area alongside the running course and a little more privacy for the toilet?

Looking forward to next year’s Bustard Express, might even be able to get Tenzing in for a lap.

Kirk Morley – Team T Triple K

An additional 228 great photos are available for viewing here or go to facebook.com/adventuresportnq and view photos.

Saturday, March 24th, will go down in Trail Running history as a memorable day.

The Pony Express concept worked a treat with over 70 competitors and 30 odd spectators and supporters enjoying 4 hours of some of the best running country North Queensland has to offer. The enjoyment was unanimous and the great food supplied by the Mareeba mountain Goats ladies was well received and enjoyed – they sold out.
The Mareeba boys are considering running another Bustard Express in late September, so mark your social calendars. Photos follow – more to come.

Results are available on the results page here.

Apologies for the incorrect placing announcements on the day…..blame it on our tiredness!!

Hopefully due credit has now been restored to the winning teams/individuals. Congratulations to Chris White - individual 49.9KM; Wes Swindale and Kristin Soda from Legs 52.8Km and furthest distance run overall; Isaiah Goncalves, Michael Alba, Mark Alba, Marcus Lea from Ironic Legends 48.00KM and Charlton Best, David Moreno, Dave Wall from To Inspired to be Tired with 51.2KM. A special congratulations to Mal McCullough who completed 15 laps for a total distance of 48KM

Bustard (Wikipedia definition excerpt)) – ‘They walk steadily on strong legs and big toes, pecking for food as they go. Most prefer to run or walk over flying. They have long broad wings with “fingered” wingtips, and striking patterns in flight. Many have interesting mating displays, such as inflating throat sacs or elevating elaborate feathered crests. Bustards are gregarious outside the breeding season, but are very wary and difficult to approach in the open habitats they prefer’.
Well the similarities between competitors in Saturday night’s event and the bird that inspired the race are endless. We saw competitors starting at 4pm ‘steadily on strong legs and big toes’ and yes ‘pecking for food as they go’. The first compulsory lap of 3km set the pace for the event and put the pressure straight back on the time keepers to get it right and get it right NOW. To say the bustards on display at the Little Transfield all preferred to ‘run or walk over flying’ was not quite correct with solo runner Mal McCulloch proving an early crowd favourite and was literally striking everything during flight. The long loop attracted 11 runners on the second lap with Chris White setting the pace through the far marshalling tent with ‘long broad winged’ runner Craig Mann followed closely by the ‘feathered fingered wing tipped’ Oliver Zambon hot on his heels.
Other wildlife seen on course was a few common tree snakes which made for a few Bustard mating calls and a YETI (later identified as blue in his monster singlet).
As for the team categories LEGS (Kristin & Wes) and quad ‘Too inspired to be tired’ knew their plan and were ‘wary and difficult to approach in the open habitats they preferred’ or they just could have known the course. Mareeba team Ironic legends had some ‘interesting mating displays’ but due to being the juvenile of the specie forgot about that nonsense after smelling the good food provided by the mountain goats. Newbies, while punching out some cracking laps, elevated their elaborate feathered crests (deadly headlamp) and did themselves proud. In the end we knew it mustn’t have been breeding season as all runners were gregarious and a good time was had by all. A big thanks to the Mountain Goats for catering and the volunteers Sonya, Michelle, Jo, Mike, Steve and Rocket. Stay tuned for the next one.
Hola
Rob

THE GUY RIDING THE BIKE IN THIS FILM IS ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE! THIS WAS FILMED IN SCOTLAND, AND THE COUNTRYSIDE IN THE BACKGROUND IS WORTH THE WATCH! What imagination, reflexes and skill! This is insane, and the guy is no young kid either…… Plus the added bonus of some great shots of Scotland. Danny’s bike is an extension of his body.