Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Ten reasons why Geoquest is Australia’s Premier Adventure Race

Cowgirls on hike-a-bike

1.     Geoquest is run by the two most experienced Race Directors in the country. Craig and Louise have been the leaders in this field for many years and are passionate about bringing the world of Adventure Racing to Australia.
2.      Geoquest has maintained its same major sponsor – Mountain Designs since its inception in 2002. Mountain Designs’ commitment to the sport of Adventure Racing in Australia has been second to none through their development of quality products to support a niche market.
3.      The Geoquest Half provides an opportunity for new teams or individuals to experience a shorter version of the full course, as well as allowing older AR athletes to continue to participate in the event. The Geo Half was introduced in 2003 and has now become an official part of the event for Mixed, Men’s and Women’s teams.
4.      Geoquest continues to support the 4 person mixed team as the ‘Premier’ category and offers equal prize value and equal event length to both men and women in both the FULL Course and the HALF.
5.      The location of Geoquest changes every year, not only providing variety for the adventure racers but also stimulating the economy of small coastal towns.
6.      Geoquest is navigationally challenging throughout the entire course. The event directors always find a way of challenging even the most experienced teams every single year, which promotes the art of navigation and sparks an interest to become more adept at this necessary adventure racing skill.
7.      A support crew is an integral part of Geoquest and are in fact a part of ‘the team’. This allows for family and friends who might never consider themselves as competitors to come along and see some pretty awesome sights and be a part of a team. They also add value by being able to provide fresh or hot food on course which in some events is not possible.
8.      Geoquest has an ocean paddle where you can bring your own craft, which ensures that the paddling section of the event required the same amount of skill development and attention as the other major legs of mountain biking and trekking.
9.      Geoquest always has some sort of Mystery Leg that is only revealed a few weeks before the event. This has included the use of rafts or tubes and other permitted accessories to get the team and equipment across a body of water. This certainly adds to the challenge of the event and sets the scene for some creative thinking and ingenuity.
10.   Geoquest promotes the Spirit of Adventure Racing where an environmental ‘less is more’ philosophy is a major part of the experience. Only the privileged ones who sign up for the physical and mental challenge that we call Geoquest would really understand what this is all about! It’s not about money and it’s not about masses!

Geoquest Australia’s Premier Adventure Race……..
Janie & Kim fix a broken chain
Written by Kim Beckinsale and Jan Leverton for ‘Team Mountain Designs’ and ‘Tri Adventure’ Blogs

Kim & Jan first raced Geoquest in 2005 and since then have been at the event as racing or support crew every year except 2010 when we raced in Vanuatu.