Team Blogs from the Finish Line

Blackheart.com.au -
Kim here, We've finally finished, and waited until close to 5am this morning to walk into the finish down in Thredbo. It's awesome to be back, showered, fed and to have had a small nap already. Dave and Rob's mum were thoughtful enough to stack the fridge with pies, ice cream and chocolate milk so we're very well lookied after. Last night was a bit of an epic after getting out of the boats and cycling the 65km back to Charlotte's Pass up some more hills. The walk back was okay, but again no views as the fog was thick and it was night of course. The next few days will be a routine of: sleep, eat, sleep, etc (as Rob says - eat till you're sleepy, then sleep till you're hungry). Thanks for everyone's support, the odd foot massage would also be nice!

Blackheart / Salomon
we got in around 9am this moring but didn't blog because we need a sleep and shower. From mid camp I think we had 25 minutes of broken sleep. Arriving in Charlottes Pass at 315am it was a big ask to got out and finish the walk, the weather was set in, foggy and a light dizzle, generally unpleasant conditions, after putting on everything in my bag we set off, 5 hrs later we arrived at HQ. I would just like to take this opportunity to take everyone who has made it possible for us to be here, all our wifes/husbands/partners, sponsors- Blackheart, Salomon, Ay Up, and list goes on... thanks everyone. I am off to attempt to drink 2litres of chocolate milk. Andrew.

Team 36 - Nga Rakau (Fi)
Just came down the chairlift to finish the race! The sun even came out as we climbed Mt Kosciusko this morning,excited to be on our way to the finishline at Threadbo. Leading into the trek was a tough mountain bike ride with cold, foggy weather and seemingly endlass climbing in 'granny gear'. Isak and I were really struggling with sleepmonsters for several hours, although this was broken by spotting the odd kangaroo and wombat! Anyway, we are all happy to be finished and looking forward to some real food, a hot shower and an exceptionally long sleep in!

4TC
Danielle and Grant were joined by Ally for the hike across Kozzie to the finish. It was pretty spectacular, snow everywhere, and lots of people about. We got the chairlift with an hour to spare, whew! We've run into Liam, he's OK except for when he bends his leg. Dave's been ordered to bed, and to drink lots cause he's still not very well but will no doubt recover over the next few days with a decent bed, clean water, rest and real food. So that's the end to XPD4, and we'll be back next year to finish ranked!

Tangerine.
Another long night in the saddles dodging homicidal wombats and climbing (and climbing) more enormous hills had us back at HQ mid afternoon after a hike across Kozi where we got cooked by the sun while walking through the snow thinking we should have felt cold. Best part of the finish was our welcoming committee including Shanyn, Julie and Libby. Jules, Alex and others would have been here work commitments allowing but it wasn't to be. Thanks heaps to everyone for their support following our progress through the race. Heather was not feeling good today, especially through the trek so Julie has taken her in to Jindabyne for a checkup.

team 18 - Austrelaps:
After a wet night kayak (three of us in the one boat) and no Sleep (well, all three of us fell asleep for a few minutes at the end of the kayak leg) we decide to head out on to the next leg without any further sleep all to try and get ahead of team Mowsan, who decided to stop for a sleep while we headed out for the bike leg. It worked even though Mawson was faster on the bike they still couldn't catch our lead.
Chris the powerhouse on wheels managed to tow bleeksie, who was suffering from a very badly inflamed ITB. Bleeksie managed to hobble his way to the finish with a few moments on the bike where the sleepmonsters would visit and the towing became uncontrollable.
Chris, Nathan and Bleeksie are very happy to complete the 2008 XPD, but are sad the their original 4th team member, Libby, wasn't able to be there at the finish as part of the team due to her re-pccuring ITB injury that flared too badly by Midway point and she decided to watch us arriving.

Team 29 - Mawson
tRicky reporting. I forget where I last posted but at this stage I am sitting on the finisher's stage with not much sleep under my belt over the last couple of days. After our rogaine we spent a morning and part afternoon of riding up, up and up on the bikes followed by a lake kayak, which would have gone well except for the fact that we got to the end of it in the dark and for some reason decided it wasn't the end so paddled around for another 1.5 hours. Amazing what sleep deprivation does to you! The cold and wet sent us all over the edge so we stopped for a couple of hours' sleep before heading off on the bike. Poor Noel ended up practically hypothermic for the last bike leg so struggled for the first half before picking up and then there was the final trek up to Kosciusko (with fantastic views and lots of snow) and back to Thredbo. Some silly person at the final transition though had said the chairlift down to Thredbo closed at 4pm so we had to go about 16km in three hours and gunned it to make it in time, before we found out it actually closed at 4:30pm, so a lot of wasted effort. Everyone is in good spirits though and currently at the pub, which is where I am now heading. Talk to everyone in a few day

Right-0 this could be interesting, just back from the second beer to pickup so bandaides for Russ's feet, yeah we've comparing feet in the bar. Such is the life in our team at the moment. As I was the only one that didn't sleep last night could be an interesting one tonight, unsure what 'transition' I am in - is there a bike or kayak next????? Oh yeah WE'VE FINISHED!! Not sure how to compute that so I'm going back to the bar. Cheers NOEL

team 26 - Cyclepath
We're home! We made it in at 7:43 tonight and met up with Cyn and the four of us hugged to the cheers of our excellent support staff and volunteers. It was incredibly emotional for all four of us. Kudos to the team here who then put us up on the finisher podium with four chairs, champaign, and a pizza and made us feel like superstars. They peppered us with questions about the course and our experience. The last blog was just at the start of the kayak - that leg was the hardest in my opinion - we started two hours before dark and found that the lake was 200ft low, making navigation a nightmare. Come dark, we were passing through forests of mostly submerged trees only hoping that were were going in the right direction. After 4 hours, we made a decision to follow some other teams and caucus as we wanted to see where they had been to rule out those directions. Also, let me note that our boat was leaking and we sat in 2-4 inches of water the whole way. Finally, we were exhausted, gave up, and started to head towards shore with the intention to put up the tent and sleep. Then we stumbled onto the transition - amazing luck. More on that story, so ask us when you see us! Next onto a bike that had the most incredible views and was up, up, up!! The final leg was the trek up to the highest point in Australia, Mt. Kosci (there is a longer name, but that's what we named it). Again, we were in awe for 5 hour on the entire trek, just beautiful with the snow, wildflowers poking through, and the views. Those are the facts. David has found a new side of himself in his completion of this amazing journey, an internal strength he didn't know existed. Karl got what he expected from this race, a test to his mind, body, and spirit and again he passed. As for myself, I've never been higher. So much energy coursed through my body over the past two days, I think I scared my teammates. In the end, we met our dreams and goals of finishing, finishing happy, and finishing healthy. Our love to all back home, we miss you. And many, many thanks to the volunteers and staff here at XPD that made this possible.

Team 8 - Caffeinated

Can't write too much, am getting very impatient looks from Karen and Clayton who are very looking forward to the hot showers in the chalet. Last day was great, weather was perfect for our trip to the top of the country. Clocked up around 3000 meters of vertical elevation and with a bit push ( or pull tied everyone together and pulled them up the mountain) managed to get home 8th over the line. We were all very happy to leave the bikes behind, though there were some very good descents to be had on the bike ride.

Off now for showers and beer, all very happy to have finished another XPD! - Muz

Team 33 Securify.co.nz The final update from jerry - we're done, the champagne, pizza, beers etc have started to flow, so the blisters, hate of various sections of the race, wonder why we cam to Aus when all we needed to do was go to the Tararuas to get bad wetaher like that!!! The team is in great condition Dave showed at heart he is an adventure racer, that when the conditions got bad he gets better and better. The final paddle was great fun, typical australian lake, really just a river that could be a lakie if people didn't need water, it rained for 365 days of tha year and it was pre filled. was great fun. My first time paddling a bit of wight water at night. The open fire and sleep (four spooning in a tend for two) on the river side was well worth it. Colin had a great race, had a couple of last hard days when walking - tendanitis thing. But brought out the dour scotsman in him and made light of what was pretty painful. He did great nav on the biks - someone had to make up for my C-Up on the first CP of the Orienteering section of the race. Jo was as she always is incredibly tough, great company and provides the ,ink that a good team needs. Anyway to whanau, mokapuna and Friends thanks for your support. We did spend alot of timeamount of time taking about our parners and friends. Anyway for us its cleaning bikes to get through customs, Recoverying - which will take sometime as I passed on my bug to all team mates - so wee all sound like Barry White except for Jo who sounds like Athera Franklin. Anyway off to bed now - beer just to settle the musceles first and by the time we get back the stories will be much better..........

Team 30 More Invincible with Girls on Top
We've made it home and happy to be here safe and mostly well. Reinhard put on a staunch effort to get through the last trek with a very swollen ankle caused by an inflamed tendon, and Deb's ITB started playing up again coming off Koscuiosko. Since we last wrote we have slept on a bank on the side of Lake Eucumbene - not so warm but we wanted to wait for light as nav was tricky. The bonus was that we only had about 1.5 hours of paddling left when we woke up this morning. The 65km bike to Charlotte's Pass was great - more hills but that means downhills as well. The trek from Charlotte Pass to Thredbo was awesome - snow was scattered everywhere - just beautiful.The view from the top of Kosi was fab. Off to get some shut eye now. Hope you enjoyed following the race :O

Team 19 - Outdoor Australia
So that's XPD. This was a new type of adventure for all of us - no real understanding of what would happen. To get an understanding we suggest - get a box set of wonders of the snowies DVDs and watch them back to back while a friend beats your feet with a mallet. Then go to sleep outside for 2 hours, wake up and repeat. Alternatively, try it for yourself. It was a great experience, an certainly fitted the bill as a challenge. There is no doubt that many of the things we did over the last days we would never have experienced if not for this race. Off to showers and bed. We fel we've earnt it.

Team 29 - MAWSON
Noel. Yes we have finally left the pub! Mainly due to lack of funds and the fact that we should probably get some sleep.
Russell. Actually, we have decided to leave after darts and pool and a number of beers.

Team 11 - Goldfish!!
Crossing the finish line, is it the highlight of the event? Fortunately we arrived at an earthly hour so there were plenty of cheerers to share our excitement. Unfortunately we were too late for cappuccinos and a chairlift down but the walk was fun anyway. So was the final hike up over the top of Australia. We arrived just before sunset. Mardi and Richard stood on top of the trig point to survey a world covered in snow. We shared the last leg with about 5 other teams all with serious intent to get to Thredbo. Unlike Goldfish who went off to enjoy the views from the lookouts, and tried tobogganing the slopes of Kossy. Smartwool socks are a proven plus for dancing through the snow.
Two legs back was the second kayak adventure. We began with a little sunlight left, and a grand scheme to reach the transition at the far end of the lake by 3am. Buzz came for the ride too. How strange to find fast flowing rapids in what the maps showed to be a dam, and trees growing in the lake. Goldfish loved the rapids, but then got confused in the trees. Navigationally challenged when Richard fell asleep, and chilled right through, we stopped for the night. We had three sleeping bags for four people, but plenty of room inside our luxury tent. So we snuggled inside and set up a supper party. Mince pies, christmas cake, and topped off with pringle chips before we fell asleep for a big 5 hours sleep. We awoke with Outdoor Australia standing at the door looking frozen, and enquiring just exactly or even vaguely where they might be. Offers of a pre-warmed tent were overlooked by OA in favour of their emergency blankets. We met Tom out in his safety boat rounding up lost sheep not long before we completed our leg. XPD signs, a landrover and Dennis (or was it Pat) guided us home. Great fire at the transition helped warm us.
Penultimate leg was the last 65km hike-a-bike. Hike a lot and bike a bit. Lots of teams around again, mostly overtaking us as we pushed our 200kg lorry up those interminable hills. We did get past Caffeinated when they took an unintentional detour. They sped by later, tied together to avoid additional mishaps. Mardi let Richard captain the tandem for 2km. The terror factor hit red after that so we went back to safety mode. We hear we're doing better than Phil from Girls on Top: when he pulled out, then paid $650 for his taxi ride home to Canberra. Packman snackman Pete has been experimenting with coffee hits while Mardi has been trying Boost chocolate bars as energy pickups.
Overall we note if you want good weather, stick with the Goldfish. Sunny and fine all the way from Midrace camp around us, while Blackheart and others faced snow-outs, rain and fog. We will be back in 2010. Someone suggested the new toy should be a carbon fibre tandem, and KT26s to replace the volleys.

Team 25 - Muppets
All over red rover. Just arrived at about 12.30 ish, so unfortunately didn't get to see much on top of Kusciosko, but everyone is well - buggered, tired, but well (Mick had some great holluscinations on the way down the mountain). Brent has officially won the blister award. Since last report we have done a monster ride, had a very entertaining paddle which we started in the dark and ended up sleeping along the way as we didn't have a bloody clue where we were (very cozy in the tent - AB had to sleep outside !!!). Then another tough ride with some monster hills and then a lazy wander over. Kosciosko to finish. So a quick summary as we are keen to crash out - a very nice time had by all in some stunning terrain.

Team 31 Sutmap Bean. Sean here (Hi Cath Ol and Cas and Mum Dad and everyone) On the finishers couch at about 1am ish. Wooohoooo! We did it and in a very respectable 9th in the premier mixed (pending short course adjustments). Another hard day on the mountain. 5am start. Non stop until the lounge except for the 2 TAs and a 20 min zizz by the road on the MTB.Finished off the paddle after a cold night huddled by the lake. A few hours in the transition and off on another tough MTB (aka hike a bike). Actually it turned out to be pretty nice. We did more riding than the last MTB and granny gear got a big work out. Beutiful day as we rode from Lake Eucumbine back in to Kosi park and up past Guthega Perisher and the TA at Charlottes Pass Great team effort. Little faff and lots of helping eachother as we went through ups and downs. High country was again stunning. Snow on the ground and more snow on top of Kosi for the last trek. Lightning transiiton and picked up Muppets and Still Thinking About it there. Muppets pulled past us in the last 8 kms of the trek but all that mattered then were the lights of Thredbo, the stunning night sky and avoiding mischief on the icey paths. All in the team very well if a bit tired. Champagne and pizza in the lounge and off for another grotty sleep in the corner for a few hours. Will be on mobile tomorrow morning.

Team 13 - Still thinking about it - Swire Shipping
01.46 26th November 2008 we finally got to sit down and relax. Working backwards (which was the way Yosh finished - another story) due to the late hour we missed out on the accolades we deserved but Goldfish and Sutmap Bean and of course the ever present Annie hailed us as the champions we are with Champagne and cold pizza. This was of course after we had to do a gruelling walk from Mt Kosciuszko, without the benefit of the chair lift from Eagles Nest, but we took that in our stride. The disappointment was that Mt Kosi was asleep (in the Dark) but we did arrive on the range at Charlottes Pass just on Dusk which was very pretty. But this blog will have to finish tomorrow as we just smelt ourselves, and need to clean up and sleep. Cheers for now.

Wednesday 26 November
Team 22
More Training required

At about 4.45am this morning the sun rose over the Australian Alps. They're still covered in snow from the weekend's unseasonal snowfall and being out there to see the sun hit the highest point in Australia was a spectacular experience. It's been a very hard race - the weather and the terrain have both proved challenging. The highlights include two of Australia's highest mountains,some iconic rivers, beautiful countryside and the requisite amount of pushing the bike up hills that seem to be a feature of any Craig Bycroft-designed race.

There are lots of other things to write about - the Pub at Tintalga that organised roast dinner for about 100 people at the drop of a hat when the course had to be put on hold; Echidnas, Wombats and Brumbies in the high plains on the bike leg into Charlottes Pass; the best burger in the world at Tawonga - many more.

The highlight as ever, for me, are the people: Different teams, at different levels, wanting different things but all taking part in a singular adventure. This includes eveyone involved in the race - particularly the volunteers. One pair sat on top on Mt Feathertop in a howling, arctic gale signing people in and out of the checkpoint (one in a tent, one waiting outside). I asked how they knew to be ready for us? They always had one person outside!

The people who are most important to me, of course, are the people in the team, Matt, Andrew and Tim. You are utterly dependent on each other for the duration of the race, and no piece of the puzzle failed to work.

So, its over for another race. We'll be back next time, wherever it is for the same reasons.

Charlie
MTR

Wed 1012h - Team 6 Box Jellyfish (including Team 28 Rudolph)

We finished, we finished !!! We paddled over the Lake yesterday morning.. much faster than we expected which was brilliant ... we then cycled for 65km ... sorry we pushed bikes up hills for at least 45km of the 65km and had a few decent downhills ... at dusk we were pretty conscious of the wildlife thanks to Gregs accident in Tassie ... we saw a fair few wombats which would not have been much fun to hit at any speed. We picked up the lads from Area 51 - they wanted some company (we think they only wanted us in the lead so that we hit the roos and wombats and not them !!) Many hours later with frozen toes and numb lips (you should have seen Adrian trying to give us navigation directions !!) we arrived at Charlotte's Pass ... this was the life - what a great place to put the head down for a few hours ... the plan was to get up really early and see the sun come up as we walked up the valley towards kozzie .. and we actually left on time! So as a congo line of 10 pers (we just couldn't get rid of Area 51 !!!) we walked up to Kozzie - perfect timing we saw the most awesome sunrise and the weather was absolutely brilliant ... definately worth the wait - we felt really sorry for teams that went through this are during the night ... what an absolute waste!! We took the compulsory photos and about 100 shots later we headed down to the ski lift and home !!! we were wandering down the track and who pops out of the woods (snow) but Ali from Girls on Top - climbed all the way up the hill just to track us down ... never seen Sharman so happy (didn't think our company was that bad ???). Down the ski lift (we ran into jason's Helen and the kids ... talk about an excited dad !!) and into the finishers lounge - ye ha !

So what have we learnt ?? Sharman (Jellyfish) will just keep walking no matter how bad the blisters are whilst Greg (Jellyfish) will just keep on walking, Linda (Jellyfish) has a huge pain threshold... ooops we already knew that, Adrian (Jellyfish) is not only our navigation guru but our packhorse as well, Jason (Rudolph) is incredible on the bike (who else rides for 20k with the brakes stuck on !!) Mark (Rudolph) is our dependable all-rounder !! and the hanger-onerers .... Greg (area 51) always manages to get his butt into photos, Justin (area 51) will always have a camera in your face when you least expect and want it, Leon (area 51) makes a tug boat look second rate when he's towing on the bike and Ian (area 51) we've never seen someone get dressed and undressed so often ... made up for it with his riding skills !!! Not information that will change the world .. but the experiences gave us a good laugh !!

Finally - thanks to Craig & Lou ... we really thoroughly dislike you both !! only joking ... we really only dislike you !!! Hello to home ... Tsv, Cns, Ilse of Mann and Brisbane ... see you all soon !!!!

10:55am Team Driftwood (AKA Team Lost Translation/Transition; Team Bad News Bears)...we have finally stopped drifting around the woods, drifting down the river, drifting over mountains and have finally accomplished our goal of FINISHING this race! YEAH!!!!!!!!! We started our final day of racing forgoing sleep after a freezing cold bike up into the Snowy Mountains, and head out to the final trek, hoping to pass some teams while they slept. About 2:00 this morning we cross 1 snow melt fed, ice cold river. Given the snowy territory we are about to enter, we can't afford to have our feet wet. As soon as we put our shoes back on and and are complaining about the cold and pain, Glen walks over and announces we must do it all over again to get to the trail. Augh! We watched an amazing sun rise over Austalia's highest peak (which we ultimately summited). Quickly we continue on our way to the last 2 checkpoints only to realize, after that fact, that one of them had been taken out of the course. So, all of the teams we thought we had passed had already headed into the finishline!?! We were the only team that hit this CP and to have had to cross the freezing cold rivers! Too bad we couldn't get any extra credit!

We have spent the past 7 days sharing our favorite snacks, telling stories, laughing at each others falls (Kevin thought he fell into a snake and had us all laughing hysterically! I've neverheard a human make sure noises!?), discussing the shocking passion with which the Aussies wish to beat us, pushing ourselves mentally and physically and working as a team, taking care of each other when they hit a wall. Each one of us has hit a bad patch and all have stepped forward to help whomever it was at the time get back on track. Kevin, Glen & Brian were all carrying my gear during one of the treks to help give my feet a chance to heal. Brian ran wih my pack to the Kayak transition. Brian had a bit of a rough start on the second bike. Kevin towed him until he could get his race legs back uner him. Glen has had some challenges w/his IT Band and all of us carried parts of his pack until we could get Brian to give him some good drugs. Kevin had a rough patch on the first mountain bike leg in the pouring rain let me push and pull him and his bike up and down the hilly, muddy trails until he was back to whole. Brian has been a tremendous team captian making sure everyone is looked after and is a genetic mutant for how strong he is!? Glen & Kevin did an awesome job of navigating and putting up with Brian & I's non-stop questions (how much longer? where are we going? what box gets what gear? etc etc.

All in all, we have had an amazing time! Can't wait to tell you all the stories! From the team, we miss everyone lots and are thankful for all of your love and support! Literally, I am faling asleep at the computer right now and gotta go...haven't even changed clothes. Hope this makes sense?!? XO ~ Kim

Team Bull of Africa- We finally finished Tuesday night just before 23h00,this was really an amazing race to have finished.The last 3 legs of the race was a 30 km paddle which we did at night and got totally wet in the first 5kms, this meant some serious chill factor side effects. We paddled for 3 hours trying to navigate in the dark with not much success and evetually pitched a tent and slept till day break, 10 hours later. Then came the 65 kms cycle another monster incline this took us 8.5 hours with an hour going to bike problems. Finally the lasy hike in to Thredbo, this was an amazing section I have never seen so much snow before,to honest I HAVE HAD ENOUGH of snow. All in all this was truelly a challenging course and with the weather in the mix , to finish was a victory of its own. I think all that completed this course will feel the same.Thanks to Craig and Lou for putting this event together and of course to all our loved ones at home who love us enough to let us come out and do these crazy things we call fun.Congrats to Blackheart on what seemed from our side to have been a perfect race for them,hopr to see you guys at the Bull next year.

Team 5 - Adrenamen (written by Dunc) - DONE! We glided down the Thredbo ski fields chair lift in the last half an hour, have inhaled a pizza and a glass of finishers' champagne. So it's all over. We had a really strong last few days - the paddle was much speedier than expected, we pulled up for lunch on a sand bank and looked over the maps again and, after having a conversation with a tourist 200 metres away, realised we were literally 300 metres away from the end of the leg. We then jumped on the bike and went through till 2am this morning. Mick didn't sleep before the paddle leg due to Sime's insistence on not pitching a tent inside a marquee! He consequently froze, and was therefore wrecked by the time 2am this morning came around. I happened to have had a triple strength coffee and then a no doze an hour later (around midnight), and having not had a coffee for 4 months before the race I felt like I could have rolled the legs over forever. We'll further explain later some disturbing stories of SImon dry humping Mick during a delirious few hours sleep in the tent on the side of the road. We finished the ride between 5 and 9 this morning and took off straight away to complete a really beautiful hike. UNfortunately we had to share the peak of Kosci with a few hundred school kids, but trudging through snow and seeing some of the best views in the trip was special. It's now a matter of selecting the best of Jinabyne's culinary offerings (probably a massive bag of hot chips), calling our loved ones, and having a few wines. Mick is wrecked - his body just held up in time for the finish. Sime's ankle got better as the race evolved and he was strong. Ads met us at the top of the chairlift today to welcome us back. My knee was great with Nurofen Plus and sleep deprivation, will have to wait and see how it hold up.
Speaking with Mick on the chairlift down there's not quite the sense of satisfaction i'm sure we would feel should we have completed the complete course (as it was planned to be). However we completed all that was set in front of us, and look forward to feeling this accomplishment as it should be. We had a ball - laughter, jokes, and healthy abuse were everpresent. It's great to finish and we'll talk to you all soon!

Team 32 – Expedition 36’ South
Lake Eucumbene to Finish

Thank blazes for that!!! 183 hrs of trying to protect my Custard Cups from raging Wombat Warrior raids!!! I only saved one, but it was worth it. The rest of the food was pretty nasty with the worst being cold Back Country, semi-hydrated and indigestible at 1am, several times.

Our paddle (only one we weren’t short coursed around) was great fun for the first hour as we shot down the Eucumbene River, but then became a mind numbing 7 hour paddle across a half empty lake. Unfortunately the end of the paddle meant starting a 14 hour hike-a-bike from hell, gaining altitude at snails pace and giving it away in a breath. Mike had a nasty body dab just after dark and we stopped for some running repairs to his bleeding leg and everybody Gore-Tex’d up. The midnight nap on the side of the river bank was as comfortable as any freezing sleep on rocky ground gets, and the –5 degrees ride through Perisher to Charlottes Pass at 4am topped it off nicely. Without rest we punched on into the daylight for the final hike up to the highest point in Aus. What a week!

Mike and I experienced something completely different this week, an expedition without team mates screaming at us to keep moving, stop phaffing, and keep racing. XPD 2008 has been an epic race for us none-the-less however as we donkey’d our way across the Australian Alps from Mt Buffalo in Victoria to Mt Kozciousko in New South Wales. Being allowed to navigate the foot stages was the highlight, and seeing Stixy and Wombat finish an Expedition was just amazing.

Angry Man

Wow, feeling bizarre at the end of this epic. No usual body maintenance issues – no blisters, swollen feet or niggles. The body dab on the bike was the result of a front brake line with an air bubble that decided to work at the wrong time. Was certainly lucky to come away with just a few scratches and no mechanicals with the bike.

By not pushing through every transition and resting up we often had the best conditions for legs. It was good to see the lead teams copping the bad weather for a change. Our paddle on Lake Eucumbene was in perfect light and warmed up as we moved along, the hike up to Kozi was just on dawn with an amazing sunrise and we missed the deepest snow.

Being a packhorse isn’t unusual for me but the amount of extra, “just in case stuff” we carried made the packs a lot bigger this time. Big hats off to Matt who also took the load and kept the moral up with his own “special” humour.

Adam, aka Wombat Warrior and Stixy Sarah turned themselves inside out to get through. So much so that they got stronger as the race went along. If was a 20 day race we’d be flying by the finish !

A great experience in some of the most scenic and hostile conditions. Bring on the next one !!

Mike (Ned Kelly)

XPD – what an amazing experience! As a complete rookie the intensity and perpetual motion of a race like the XPD is confronting, challenging and exhausting. But the goal of finishing the course and the strength of good team work kept us all moving forward. Each leg had its own challenges and the random chance of good or bad weather either made things a little easier or a lot harder. Its amazing just how spent you can feel but still have the drive to keep moving forward. The naps that we did take during the race where usually on the side of the road in the wee hours in the freezing cold and only for a couple hours. Its difficult to explain what its like to work through a race like the XPD. If I had to try to sum it up briefly I would say that the XPD is a challenge that meets you head on, sizes you up, strips you bare and then leaves you to carry on. XPD – lived it, loved it – would love to come back for more.

Adam, aka the Wombat.

Tue 9:55pm - The GuRus - We are home! What an awesome race! Both halves of the race were spent neck and neck with Team Outdoor Australia. We could not have anticipated such close racing over an expidition length event. We had 40 minutes to make up after a dismal night paddle (aka "The Big Chill"). We rode solidly and saw OA ascending from Charlottes when we arrived. We has made 20 minutes on them but still had to make up 20 mins, with this being a short leg with no nav involved. We high tailed it out of the TA and literally ran up the trail to kozzy. Our team was cracking under the pressure but we caught Outdoor Australia at Seamans Hut. Given the tight racing over the last week and that we had a slight edge on them in the first half of the race, we decided it would be fitting to cross the line together. It was such a fantastic way to finish what was truly more and expedition than a race... lots of chatter about our respective adventures, standing on top of Australia as the orange hues of a glorious sunset fell across our smiling faces...