PREVIOUS RACES
NARRABEEN 2023
Wildside Narrabeen offered a tight 120k for the 24hr race, 60km for the 12hr and 30km for the 6hr with only 2 TAs and a cloverleaf design based out of the Narrabeen Sports Centre. The key difference for this year’s race was that teams had to mark up their map for each leg in TA so there was no pre-planning of routes. Some of the old guard remembered that this was how AR used to be, the newcomers were a little shell shocked as they came to grips with needing to be ‘on point’ for the whole race. This supported the promo with a focus on the smartest team not the fastest. This year’s race had trekking, paddling, archery, climbing, SUPing, coasteering and swimming legs.
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The quickest 6hr team was Tiger Adventure Maniacs who found all CPs and made it to the finish line in 108min. The fastest 12hr team was Belrose Bicycles in a time of 75min crossing the finish line in first place. The 24hr race saw local newbie team Middle Age Advantage lead from the start with old guard Resultz Racing and JPRCA chasing them down. In the end experienced patient racing won the race with Resultz Racing winning with a race time of 22hrs & 16min.
BARRINGTON 2022(3)
Wildside Barrington offered up 175km with extremes of elevation as well as an urban rogaine and white water paddling. The race started at 0800 in the heart of Gloucester, a small country town at the base of the Bucketts range. Race favourite’s Team Thought Sports were first back from Leg 1 and quickly transitioned on to the bike for a 20km ride to TA2 at Rocky Crossing. Leg 3 was where the race really began. This leg was a 32km packraft that started with a hot dusty hilly 5km trek to the paddle start. Teams had to carry all their gear to a remote river location before paddling down the Barrington River. The next leg sent them up in to the mountains of Copeland Tops. A quick 15km mountain bike seemed simple enough of paper but come race day teams had to deal with a hot road reflecting the extreme heat and a continuous climb to the next TA. From here they had a 15km foot rogaine through remanent rainforest with a landscape littered with old mine shafts and the infamous Australian stinging tree. After the rogaine it was on to the final leg of the race a 68km mountain bike through the Tops and back to Gloucester.
Thought Sports led from start to finish to cross the line just after 0200 in a total race time of 18hrs 7min. Second was Tiger Adventure A1 in 21hrs 1min and third, their first time on the podium, Holy Tigermoly in 23hrs 35min. Alongside the main race there was a half and 12hrs course. The first team across the line in the Half course was Team BRFS in 15hrs 48min. The first team in the 12hr race was Tiger Adventure Maniacs, their first ever win, in 7hrs 13min.
CAMDEN HAVEN 2021
After a 2 year forced break Fully Rad adventure racing was finally back. On the weekend 11&12 December a rescheduled Wildside Adventure Race was held in the Camden Haven area of Australia’s east coast, south of Port Macquarie. With the threat of covid lockdowns looming and state borders open just in time, 42 teams from across NSW and Queensland toed the start line in the small coastal town of Dunbogan.
Wildside 2021 was final race of the A1 Australian Adventure Racing Series with top 36hr teams vying for points and the title of Aus Champs on the line. With the support of Port Macquarie Hastings Council, Hammer Nutrition, Amp Human and The Brork Life, alongside local scout groups and Marine Rescue it was time for adventure.
The journey ahead for teams was a mix of trekking, swimming, paddling, mountain biking, rafting and abseiling covering distances of between 40km and 144km’s. The course had very little elevation but a variety of terrain including beaches, forests and estuary lakes, creeks and mangroves. What made this race unique was not only the mix of wet and dry routes but the decision points for teams – decisions regarding checkpoint collection, routes and equipment. The 36hr teams started at 0600 on the Saturday morning and the 8hr and 20hr teams started at midday, all with the goal of returning to the finish line in Dunbogan within time and as a team.
KANGAROO VALLEY 2019
This was always going to be a tough race. The NSW Highlands has such challenging and remote terrain that brutal legs are virtually inescapable. This years course, with its finish line in Kangaroo Valley, did not disappoint, pushing teams in all 3 races but in particular truly testing the 36hr teams as they tackled a grueling 185km course.
The race started at 6am beside Tallowa Dam with an easy 7km paddle to the start of Bundanoon Creek. From here the race really began with a 12km trek up a river gorge and onto top of the escarpment. The fastest team managed these first 2 legs in just under 5hrs, the slowest in 9hrs. Unexpectedly it was this leg that impacted the rest of the race. There was a curfew of 11am at TA1 with teams arriving after this having a reduced number of checkpoints to collect. At the time of setting it was expected that the top teams would be in before then however this was not the case. With only one team, Rogue Adventure, making the curfew, they were effectively the winners, assuming they collected all checkpoints and completed all legs. It was now a race for second with Alpine Avengers, Mont Adventure, Resultz Racing and Tiger Adventure all pushing the pace. After a quick mountain bike rogaine through the forest teams then descended back down into another river gorge for the trek back to their kayaks. Slightly longer than the first trek, this second leg pushed teams hard as day turned into night. Navigating a steep river gorge at night is tough. Arriving back to their kayaks racers then had a 24km paddle down Lake Yarrunga to the next transition area and their bikes. Alpine Avengers and Mont Adventure pushed hard on the trek and paddle arriving one after the other into the transition area. Resultz Racing, Rogue Adventure and Tiger Adventure were not far behind. From here teams were back on their mountain bikes with a 65km leg along the valley then up the escarpment, through the forest, passing the picturesque Fitzroy Falls then descending back down to the finish. However, midway on this leg they had a 15km foot rogaine to contend with in the Meryla State Forest. It was on this leg that Mont secured the lead; pushing hard and navigating well, finishing the rogaine in 5hrs 32min. First across the line in the 36hr race was Mont Adventure crossing just after midday with a total time of 30hrs 25min, Alpine Avengers were second across the line, not long after, and third across the line were Tiger Adventure. Final results however are a little different due to the rogaine cut off times. First overall was Rogue Adventure, second was Mont and third Alpine Avengers. Rounding out the top 5 was Resultz Racing in fourth and Tiger Adventure in fifth. The 24hr race presented teams with an equally tough course with the winners JRPCA.com crossing the line in 22hrs 35min, second place Not fast, Just Furious coming in 2 hours later and third overall another 2 hours after that. The 12hr race was won by Belrose Bicycles, their third Wildside 12hr win, with Over the Hill from New Zealand second and Zarch in third.
MYALL COAST 2018
On the remote Myall Coast teams of 4 or 2 had 10, 25 or 50 hours to navigate through spaces rarely visited overcoming challenges, traversing demanding landscapes, moving from checkpoint to check-point by foot, mountain bike and kayak. Starting on Saturday teams used map, compass together with their own wits and skills to navigate their way over an unmarked route by mountain biking, paddling, trekking, orienteering, trail running, canoeing and of course a few surprises through the spectacular Myall Coast landscape. This race had everything - challenging treks, demanding mountain biking and scenic paddle legs and gave teams a real adventure experience as well as get to know the region. The Myall Coast region, a part of the Great Lakes on Australia’s east coast, was the landscape perfect for adventure with miles of forest tracks and trails, mountainous climbs, massive sand dunes, flowing rivers, wide lakes, endless beaches and a community that is connected to its environment.
The first 10hr team was Belrose Bicycles, first 25hr team was JPRCA and first 50hr team Rogue Adventure.
DIAMOND BEACH SE 2018
The Wildside Adventure Race went back on the North Coast with a special edition race in partnership with Geoquest. The June Long Weekend is well known as an adventure filled weekend and this one was no different with racers from across Australia converging on the Great Lakes Manning Valley region for a heavy dose of adventure. Teams of 4 or 2 had 12 (Rush), 24 (Half) or 48 (Full) hours to navigate through spaces rarely visited and overcome challenges traversing demanding landscapes, moving from checkpoint to checkpoint by foot, mountain bike and kayak. The race started and finished at the beautiful Serenity Diamond Beach and saw teams tackle coasteering, forest track, long paddles on the Manning River and the iconic Big Nellie. The first Rush team was Belrose Bicycles, first Half team was Adventure Junkies and first full team ThoughtSports.​
SNOWY MTNS TO CANBERRA 2017
EXPEDITION EDITION
For the first time expedition racing hit the ACT. 20 teams started at 7am on the shore of Lake Eucumbene, traversing ten legs covering a distance of 400km on a journey back to the finish in Canberra city. The race included flat water paddling, white water paddling, abseiling, mountain biking, pack rafting and trekking in and around the ACT.
Teams raced from the Snowies, past the giant trout in Adaminaby, across Yaouk and into the bottom of the ACT through the Namadgi National Park. Travelling along the Naas River Valley, teams explored the Ororal Valley on the edge of the Bimberi Wilderness, with an abseil off Booroomba Rocks. From there the race headed into Tidbinbilla, across to Cotter Dam and then down to the Murrumbidgee River. Competitors packrafted the river towards the northern edge of the ACT where the race then went urban including a staged traverse of the city of Canberra with a paddle on Lake Burley Griffin and mandatory visits to some famous landmarks before finishing back in Sutton.
Distances were a 55km trek, 107km mountain bike, 50km trek and abseil, 50km mountain bike, 33km pack raft, 10km trek, 45km mountain bike, 14km paddle, 10km urban rogaine (orienteering) and a final 26km mountain bike. ThunderboltAR, a team of three men and one woman from Victoria, crossed the finish line returning to Wildside Headquarters at Ibis Eaglehawk Sutton just after 2am on Thursday 5th October to win. They completed the course in an astounding time of 2 days and 19hrs.
Fastest Legs
Leg 1 - 55km trek - Tiger Adventure Wild Earth - 5hr 30min
Leg 2 - 107 mtnb - Peak Adventure JPRCA - 7hr 26min
Leg 3 - 50km trek - ThunderboltAR - 17hr 38min
Leg 4 - 50km mtnb - Resultz Racing - 5hr 32min
Leg 5 - 33km Pack Raft - Peak Adventure JPRCA - 8hr 14min
Leg 6 - 10km trek - Peak Adventure II - 1hr 47min
Leg 7 - 45km mtnb - Resultz Racing - 2hr 36min
Leg 8 - 14km paddle - ThunderboltAR - 2hr 11min
Leg 9 - Urban roagine - Stromlonauts/Mountain Designs Wild Women - 3hr 31min
Leg 10 - 26km mtnb - Resultz Racing/Mont Adventure Racing - 2hr 17min
BULAHDELAH 2016
Adventure racing made its impact on Bulahdelah as teams from across Australia converged on the small hinterland town to take on the Wildside Adventure Race. With 3 race formats the race attracted new and experienced racers all keen to test themselves on the course. Race briefings were a tense start to the race as the course was revealed and teams started to think through what they had ahead of them. The course took them all to new places with some legs exploring parts of the region that no one had visited in a very long time. The 36hr race started at midnight on Friday night. These teams took on a 27km trek through the Wallingat National park before a 42km mountain bike ride through the Myall Lakes National Park and a 25km paddle from Bombah Point to Bulahdelah. It was a long night for the teams with some teams not arriving in Bulahdelah until after midday on Saturday. Amongst the seasoned adventure racers this time were 4 special forces army teams. These teams definitely pushed racers all night. At 12 on Saturday the 12hr and 24hr teams kicked off starting with a rogaine around Bulahdelah answering historical questions. From there they paddled the Myall river, rode to Violet Hill around the back of Mt Alum, trekked through the bush collecting checkpoints before riding back to Bulahdelah via the Grandis and Wootton and then another paddle down the river. All through the night while ‘normal’ people slept Wildside racers were pushing themselves to their physical and metal limits. The first across the line in the 36hr race was Team AdventureJunkies from Victoria. They raced a near perfect race pushing hard from the front and finished in 30hrs. Team BMX Bandits from Sydney won the 24hr race and Team Belrose Cycles won the 12hr race. Local team Travel Play Live were the first female team across the line in the 12hr and 3rd overall.
WAUCHOPE 2015
The first 12/24hr Wildside explored the mountains and rivers around the timber town of Wauchope. Teams raced like legends tackling big hills, hot days and tough terrain. Well done to Team 17 Husband, wife & 2 fit blokes on winning the T4 24 race and BMX Bandits on winning the T2 category. It was a great race at the front with the lead changing on multiple occasions. In the 12hr race Team 2 The Old & the New came first overall and won the T2 category. Team 3 half Arsed Mongrels won the T4 category. Again the front was tight and it was great to have the team of 2 and a father and son team win.
GREAT LAKES & BARRINGTON 2014
EXPEDITION EDITON
Wildside Adventure Race 2014 was an epic adventure taking teams on an 490k journey starting at the back of Wallis Lake and then looping through the Manning Valley, Gloucester before heading back into the Great Lakes for a 50km coastal paddle/SUP/trek to finish in the township of Forster. Team Mountain designs won the inaugural race crossing the line in the afternoon of day 5. This race tested all teams pushing them to their limits. Highlights include the Ellenborough Falls trek, tubing down the Barrington River and Stand Up Paddle Boarding across Smiths Lake.