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Sunshine Coast - or the not-so-sunny-Sunshine Coast, was again a great course and lots of hard working fun. The mud - extreme, the challenge - enduring,
the stories afterwards - hilarious!!
Entering last year as first timers our team "Marg & Rita" enlisted friends "Pin & Colada" to come and enjoy a great day out.... That's where the fun began.
We lost them at the excited melee of 'ready set go' and wouldn't see them again until slogging it out on the swirling river in the kayaks.
Fifteen minutes after the starter horn, arms linked to wade thru the tunnel of waist deep reeds & swamp water under the four lane highway, I grinned and
silently apologised to our dear friends for saying it wouldn't be too rough. By the approach to the 6th marker, narrowly avoiding a fallen rider in a wide
charcoal sludge puddle (she was ok!), carrying the bikes thru 50 metres of knee deep black clay slush and skirting along side the highway, I winced inwardly
thinking - they'll never forgive us!
On seeing them at the river we shouted congratulations and asked if they were having fun - the wry look we were given as we paddled by didn't near sum up the
adventure they had encountered....
As new comers they made check point 1, then 2 and onto 3...that's were the map reading and navigational precision ended. Running off course a wee way - they
ended up 6km south west on Glass House Mountain Road. Trekking 4k north along Steve Irwin Way they found signs to a Fish Mongers. Door knocking and finding a
couple in the midst of moving house they enlisted the help of the farmer's wife who kindly drove them on the back of her ute 8k to the starting point.
Running then from the Start to the bike drop at CP 5 they sat astride their MTB's two and a half hours after the starter horn had blasted!
In admirable adventure style, they sucked it up, put their half marathon run behind them, wiped the frustrated tear and caked mud from their faces and continued
on to finish the race.
That evening, after a few drinks and a whole lot of tears & sore ribs from laughing and superb jokes about the exploration of 'Burke & Wills' having nearly reached
Australia Zoo on route to Mt Isa - I have got to say; loosing their way, missing several markers and being too late to commence the bike rogaine was disappointing
for them, but, actually finishing after such an arduous start I think is really rather inspirational!
Next year's expedition (this time not to the centre of Australia) will be an even better adventure with hopefully as much grit & of course as much laughter!
"Rita"
Marg & Rita
