Three days of torrential rain preceded the inaugural MAX24hour Adventure Race in the picturesque Myall lakes (approx. 3hrs North of Sydney). Race headquarters was located at the Myall Shores Eco Tourism Resort, where Maximum Adventure had negotiated an upgrade to dormitory styled cabins instead of campsites for the 100 competitors and their families. This welcome surprise made everyone very happy as it was still raining when they arrived.

The race course was kept secret until the briefing on Saturday at 10:00am. Until then, all the competitors knew were the different disciplines and the equipment they would need. At the briefing they discovered what the different legs were and where the checkpoints would be. They then had one hour to plan a route, contact maps and pack their gear into two transition boxes to be dropped at strategic locations around the course. Being organised is essential to being ready on time; two teams were not and ended up crossing the start line 30 minutes after everyone else.

"This event is unsupported which means teams have to be ultra organised to ensure they have the right food and equipment at the right place. Getting it wrong can mean the difference between winning and not finishing the race"

The 120km non-stop adventure race designed by Race Director Gary Farebrother consisted of 10 stages including mountain biking, trail running, rope work, kayaking and a 'mystery discipline' involving a boogie board, that would see teams pass through 25 checkpoints before finishing.

The first part of the race was designed around the water to keep the two and four person teams cool during the heat of the day.

Starting at midday with a 10km journey in inflatable kayaks provided by race organisers, a frenzy of paddles broke the tranquil waters as teams charged toward CP1. 2 more CP's and a quick transition where competitors donned flippers and paddled boogie boards 1.5km across Violet Hill passage to Johnson's Beach followed this. Teams then had to run up to 7km with their boogie boards and fins to the last water crossing of the day at Bombah point where they had to swim the channel, which landed them back at headquarters to pick up their bikes and start a 20km ride to Bulahdelah Mountain where the ropes section took place.

Teams first had to ascend to the top, before abseiling 70m down, passing in front of a huge cave mouth before reaching the ground. Spectacular views met the teams who were fast enough to get there in the daylight. A brilliant moon greeted slower teams and the lights of Buladelah Township added to the view from atop the mountain.

Teams then jumped back on their bikes for a further 55km ride, crossing the Pacific Highway, where they were met by the fourth unconventional challenge of the race. Competitors had to crawl through a 30m long storm water pipe with their bike to get across the highway. Eventually everyone made it through, but not without some gentle encouragements from their teammates shoe! One daring adventurer managed to ride the tunnel only to find a somewhat nasty drop at the opposite end.

Reaching transition area three, teams were greeted with a foot navigation section that took up to 6 hours to complete. All team members carried a control card ensuring that the entire team went to every checkpoint "Innovation like this evens out the playing field and is more than welcome" says Matt Bacon from Team Hardtale.com enjoying the challenge. "gone are the days of wrapping slower team members in space blankets like 'roast chicken' on the side of the road for a nap while fitter teammates run into the bush to clear the checkpoints!"

Teams remounted their bikes for a 24km ride to the final transition area at Violet hill. At this point of the race, competitors knew they only had one discipline to go, another kayak leg. However this time there was a 500m Kayak Portage where they had to find a tent and wake the sleeping marshals up during the night! The final stretch was a paddle back to Bombah point and into headquarters before a well deserved BBQ.

First to arrive back to headquarters was the all male pairing of Team Buzz in an incredible 13 hours. With a 1-hour gap between 2nd place taken by Team Mountain Designs (1st in the Premier Mixed Class) and only 2 minutes separating 3rd place Team Millie Nalgene (2nd Premier Mixed). Rounding out the Premier Mixed Class were the GeoWarriors.

The response from racers overall was a tired yet satisfied grin "That was tough, the mud was sticking to our tyres" said Alison Curtin from team Hoot-hers. They won the women's category with an impressive 7th overall. Team Drivers won the 4 person male category, Andy Harmer said, "The diversity in the legs was interesting and all the distances were fair and challenging…the body boarding was cool! ".

The 33 team field included several interstate teams, Geolicious, Geowarriors, Mountain Designs and Asinines all from Queensland, and Team Drivers from the ACT and various competitors from the ACT, Victoria and South Australia as well as a strong NSW contingent.

In order to encourage more people into the longer style adventure races, a team of inexperienced racers were matched with an experienced adventure racer Matt Bacon of Team Hardtale.com. He acted as a kind of big brother taking the four rookies through their paces on the 24hour course. " they worked amazingly as a team, for people who had never met or done a 24hour before, finishing a race as tough as this is awesome" said Matt. "Having an instructor is a great way to approach your first major race and is all part of the Max Adventure package." 'Team in Training' finished in an impressive 22 hours.

Another group of beginners was Team Whichway "For the four team members it was our first venture into a 24 hour race and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves…. it was definitely very satisfying to us all to complete the race & pick up every check point without penalty." Said Ken Mann. They finished 3rd in the men's team of four category.

A big thanks to all our volunteers, without whom we couldn't stage a race like this. Being a volunteer you get to Marshal parts of the course and see the action first hand. It's a great opportunity to learn about adventure racing and see what happens up close and personal! For more information, visit www.maxadventure.com .au