Entries close for Anaconda Gold Coast on Monday

For all of those people who are thinking about entering the Gold Coast Anaconda race, now is the time! Entries close on Monday (Aug 14), with any entries lodged/received after next Monday incurring a $30 late fee. The field is shaping up to be a cracker, two of New Zealand's premier Adventure Race athletes, Emily Miazga and Gordon Walker, will be going head-to-head against Australia's best. The women's field in particular is very strong, with any one of about 8 girls (including surf ironwoman Karla Gilbert) capable of winning. We'll be sending out a full colour race program late next week with seedings and full competitor information.

If you are from inter-state and heading up to the Gold Coast for the race, there are kayak trailers going up from Melbourne return for $100 (e-mail John at john@rapidascent.com.au) and Sydney return for $80 (e-mail Dean at dean@oceanpaddler.com )

To those people contemplating doing the Keen Adventure Race, Great Ocean Road, don't forget that a free entry is on offer for winner of the Pairs category at the Gold Coast, this is a great opportunity for training partners to start practising racing together.

Magellan/Highgear Adventure Story Competition

The winner of the Magellan/Highgear Adventure Story Competition for June/July is Christie Sym for her story "Whale of a Time ", Christie walks away with a Highgear heart rate monitor for her troubles.

All stories posted during August will be eligible to win a Magellan Explorist 100 GPS.

Team Profile: Runaway Bay Super Centre team

One of the Corporate Teams in last stages of preparation for the Gold Coast Anaconda Adventure Race is the Runaway Bay Sports Super Centre team. Due to work commitments, the team has not been able to train together and "feel it sporting to go into the event fresh, untrained and ill prepared."

Managing Director Nick Pye swims, plays tennis and soccer, and intends to take his Pratt surf ski out of the garage shortly to see if it still floats after many years of hibernation. (bit of cramming for the Enervit Paddle hey Nick, perhaps the name of your ski is apt?) David Morgan is a level 1 Run Coach at the centre and will be taking on the Jamis MTB leg, riding the trails at Hinze Dam with his dog Sam. Alf Fenton is a gym junkie and member of Southport SLSC's Surf Boat crew and will take on the 2XU swim leg. Rounding out the team and taking on the Keen Run is David Field, a run nut who has completed the Gold Coast Marathon 3 years running.

Their objective, "Finish before Sunday morning"

Kids go Totally Wild about Anaconda Junior Survivor

 With cameras rolling and kids overflowing with energy, thirteen ‘Junior Survivors’ were filmed by Channel 10’s ‘Totally Wild’ kids TV program on Monday in the lead up to the Anaconda Junior Survivor Challenge to be held on the Gold Coast on August 26th.

Throwing their apprehension aside and barrelling straight in at 100 miles an hour is what life as a 7 – 13 year old is all about and these guys and gals put everything into it (geez, if only we could bottle that energy and keep it for our later years!)

Be it the intricate ‘Spiders Web’ or the muddy ‘Subterranean Scramble’, these kids were loving life and new challenges put up in front of them for filming – even if it meant doing 8 camera takes teetering along a balance beam or clambering through a web of string and rope … oh for their enthusiasm!

The Anaconda Junior Survivor Challenge is designed to motivate children to ‘get off the couch’ and show them how much fun they can have in the outdoors. The course includes ten obstacles and challenges built around an approximately 4km long circuit that heads into the bushy tracks of the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, before returning to the beach and the start / finish area in front of the Tugun Surf Life Saving Club. It is achievable by any child willing to give it a go. {Click here for full story.}

Keen Adventure Race, Great Ocean Road entries open - Qld'ers first off the mark!

Entries are now open for the Keen Adventure Race, Great Ocean Road, a 5-day 400km epic test of mind and body in one of the world's most stunning locations.

First team entered is a pair of 40-somethings from Queensland - Greg Toman and Mark "Sharky" Smoothy. Greg is an ex surf ironman and white water paddler and is looking forward to taking on Bass Strait in the challenging ocean kayak legs. Sharky on the other hand is a kayak virgin and comes from a triathlon background, he's been racing for over 20 years straight and could very well be the most experienced triathlete in Australia - you name any major triathlon in the last 20 years anywhere in the world, chances are Sharky has a finisher's medal for it.

Consistent with our key objective of giving back to the athletes, we're handing out $60,000 of cash prizes at the Keen Adventure Race, whilst keeping the entry fee below $1,000 per person. We challenge you to find better value (and a better location for an Adventure Race!) anywhere in the world.

For further information go to www.greatoceanroadrace.com

Team Profile: Ascot Kayak Club All-Stars

Ascot Kayak Club members Darryl Long, Paul Burke, Grant Pepper and Steve Myers are all white-water kayaking enthusiasts and Avon Descent veterans, so what happened when time came to divvy up responsibilities for a 4-person team for the Anaconda Adventure Race at Geographe Bay? Team captain Grant Pepper explains:

"For the 2XU Ocean Swim, Darryl Long's hand was forced, being the only member of the team who did not look like a frog in a blender attempting to swim. Next, the Keen Adventure Run is rumoured to be hard yakka, and with Adventure Racing being a very popular past-time in New Zealand, Kiwi Paul Burke drew the Run. The third leg, the Jamis Mountain Bike leg required one key piece of equipment, a mountain bike.  Lo and behold I was the only one who owns a MTB so I was the automatic choice. Last but not least, Steve Myers was lucky enough to have no other skills, experience or equipment and scored the treasured Enervit Ocean Paddle leg (bas&tard!). We only hope he is in better condition at race end than 2005's Avon Descent finish line. Many still believe he just put on the severe picture of exhaustion, just to get his mug in the paper. Our team is looking forward to the event, but due to being forced to multi-skill, are not expecting to feature on the Leaderboard.."

Editor's note: Many WA paddlers will recognize Darryl Long not for his swimming but for his kayaking ability. Darryl holds the record for fastest time in a single kayak (7hrs 56min 9sec in 1983) and also the fastest double kayak in 1996. Darryl has 14 or is it 15 wins to his name in the classic whitewater race, and last week completed his 25th Avon Descent in a row!

Review of Explorist 500 GPS by John Jacoby

There are now a plethora of various GPS models on the market but I think I have found one that really hits the mark for your serious adventurer or anyone who has a bent for the ultimate gadget.

The eXplorist 500 I tested came complete with "DiscoverAus Street & Tracks Topo" mapping software that provides topographic maps of all of Australia down to a 1:3000 scale. I was initially skeptical of this feature but since using it and testing it in both known and unknown areas I am hooked on this feature which provides excellent detail and accuracy for the user. Contour lines, watercourses, roads, tracks and even walking tracks are all included in this package. It also includes a huge list of other points of interest such as service stations, accommodations, hotels, camping grounds, emergency services, road/street names etc. {Click here for the full review.}

Government Minister in the firing line...

Western Australia's State Environment Minister Mark McGowan will be firing the starting gun on September 24, sending hundreds of competitors on their way in the race of a lifetime - the inaugural Anaconda Adventure Race Geographe Bay.

Mr McGowan, (pictured with Race Director Tom Smitheringale) himself a keen outdoor enthusiast, has accepted our invitation to welcome Anaconda racers and watchers to one of the most stunning and pristine environments on the planet.

The Minister would have been competing himself if it weren't for his run-ravaged knees - something racers post-Anaconda coastal run will understand! {Click here for full story.}

Be Active program

Rapid Ascent is proud to be partnering the National Heart Foundation and its Be Active program in the promotion of the Junior teams scholarship for the Anaconda Adventure Race at Geographe Bay in WA, as well as promotion of the benefits of physical activity generally. Some scary statistics:

• Only 55% of adults in Western Australia perform sufficient physical activity to gain health benefits. This has declined from the two previous surveys.
• Overweight and obesity levels are rising with 48% of all Western Australians in this category.
• Participation in more sedentary pastimes such as computer games and video watching is rising amongst children, along with the percentage of overweight and obese children and teens in the community.

We'll be doing our bit to educate the general public about the benefits of getting into the outdoors and engaging in physical activities, reinforcing the fact that regular physical activity decreases the risk of obesity, diabetes, depression and some cancers.