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Newsletter #23 (Sunday September 10th, 2006)
 Gold Coast Shines
With the highest quality women’s field ever assembled in Australia, only
30 seconds separated 22-year old Christie Sym from 2nd placed surf ironwoman
legend Karla Gilbert after 5 hours of racing at the Anaconda Adventure Race
Gold Coast on August 26. Australian champion End Whiley Wilson placed 3rd and world
champion Emily Miazga from NZ placed 6th. All of these class athletes will be
lining up for a rematch in 2 weeks’ time in Geographe Bay WA, this race
will be one NOT to miss!
In a stunning display, Guy 
Andrews not only won the Open Male category, he was also first across the line,
beating several all-star relay teams made up of specialist swimmers / kayakers
/ runners / MTB’ers. Australian champion Jody Zerbst was a close 2nd only
3 minutes in arrears, with NZ’s number one ranked athlete Gordon Walker a
distant 3rd.
To read a post-race interview with the winners, click
here
.
Make sure you grab a copy of October’s Triathlon & Multisport magazine
for a full race report.
 Kokoda Conquered
Damon Goerke from Sydney is the winner in the Magellan/Highgear Adventure Story
of the month competition with his story about the Kokoda Challenge. Damon put
his name in the record books last month by becoming the first Aussie ever to
complete the Kokoda Track in under 24 hours.
Damon is no stranger to tough ultra-runs, having completed Victoria’s
iconic Bogong to Hotham Rooftop Run many times, and winning the Wilson’s
Prom 100km run and Oxfam Trailwalker. Last month he faced his biggest ever
challenge by setting out to complete the Kokoda Track in under 24 hours.
To find out what it’s like to cram an arduous 10-day trek into 19.5 hours,
read on.
Junior Survivors all smiles and laughs
... and what a day it was ... 275 kids lined up on Tugun beach for the inaugural
Anaconda Junior Survivor on Saturday August 26th and amidst a large number of
spectators, marshals and superheroes all came back with smiles, laughs and tall 
tales of fun and adventure.
Ranging in age from 4 to 13, all competitors came back as Junior Survivors
having completed the 4km course including 11 different obstacles and challenges
between the Tugun beach and the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.
Click here
for full story ...
 Brent Blackman Race Report
“Who in their right mind could come up with a course like that!” is
the title of novice Adventure Racer Brent Blackman’s race report from
Anaconda Gold Coast.
Like many first-time adventure racers who have come from a triathlon
background, the severity of the terrain and multitude of obstacles provided a
serious challenge for Brent.
To find out whether the torment of his first adventure race spells the end of
his adventure racing career,
read on.
Geographe Bay entries close tonight
Entries close tonight Monday September 11 for the inaugural Anaconda Adventure
Race Geographe Bay. Latest whisper is that the race will take on somewhat of a
tri-nations showdown with some of South Africa’s best adventure racers
likely to make an appearance, giving the top Aussies and Kiwis something to
think about.
EventsCorp King of the Cape Competition Announced
As one of the principal partners of the Anaconda Adventure Race Geographe Bay,
EventsCorp are putting up a cash prize of $500 to the male & female who
have the lowest combined time in the King
of the Cape
26km ocean paddling race on Saturday September 23 and the Anaconda Adventure
Race on Sunday September 24.
EventsCorp is providing a significant amount of support to ensure the long-term
success of the Geographe Bay race and in partnership with Rapid Ascent have a
vision of establishing the Anaconda Adventure Race a major event for Western
Australia.
Anaconda Gold Coast Video
Grant Middleditch and his trusty film crew were on hand to capture all the
thrills and spills of the Anaconda Adventure Race Gold Coast. If you’d
like your own personal copy of Grant’s event video, cost is just $20
including postage. E-mail Grant at
GMIDDLEDITCH@goldcoast.qld.gov.au to order your copy, or call (07) 5578
6932 and leave a message. For a taste of the action, you can download a 30
second highlights video
here. (Warning: 3.6Mb download)
 Kim & Jan's Anaconda Adventure
Kim Beckinsale (also from a triathlon background) was another Queenslander who
competed at Anaconda Gold Coast.
Unlike poor Brent, Kim was all smiles after her race. (Could it be that females
are tougher than males?? We’re seeing an increasing amount of evidence to
suggest this could be true.)
Amongst a star-studded female line-up, Kim missed out on 3rd place by a whisker
after a sprint finish with End Whiley Wilson and is now an Anaconda-convert.
To read her full race report, click
here.
Team Highgear shifts into Anaconda
As Dunsborough readies itself for a heady dose of sporting excellence, Team
Highgear looks set to drop the hammer on Anaconda’s apocalypse.
Engineered for endurance this all-female relay quartet featuring a tremendous
array of head-turning talent, are hot podium prospects to take out the big one
on race day. Click
here for full story ...
Rock, Shock and Two Smokin' Paddles
As Dunsborough readies itself for a heady dose of sporting excellence, Surf Life
Saving WA’s A-list load up to battle it out for the bragging rights and
the chance to take out the inaugural “King of Anaconda” crown that
requires competitors to compete back to back solo in an itinerary that screams
action and heart thumpin fun. Click
here for more details.
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