Adventure racing comes to Victoria
The 800km alpine course has just been revealed to the teams who will travel 450km on mountain bikes, 150km in kayaks and 250km on foot, across some of the hilliest terrain in Australia, navigating their way back over the next ten days back to Thredbo, NSW where the race finishes.
In the spirit of true expedition style adventure racing, teams will experience all that the Australian high country has to offer, white water paddling on turbulent rivers fed by melting snow, navigating through alpine forests of snow gums and tall sub-alpine mountain gums visiting historic gold rush towns.
Race participants were also delivered a less than desirable weather forecast with the prediction of cooler temperatures, showers and thunderstorms for the week, which will only add to the intensity of the XPD Challenge.
“The course for this year’s XPD is going to be really hilly, climbing and descending our way across the Australian Alps,” says Rob Preston, Team Captain of Salomon Blackheart.
“The terrain and the bad weather that is predicted is going to make this a really tough race,” says Preston.
Race highlights will include ascending the highest mountains in the country including Mt Bogong (1984m) which is Victoria’s highest peak and Mt Kosciuszko (2228m) which is both New South Wales’ and Australia’s highest mountain.
Favorites, Australian team Salomon Blackheart are expected to finish the race in just over 5 days. “XPD 4th edition will be a race of mammoth proportions,” says Race Director, Craig Bycroft. “Teams will race day and night with little sleep for five to ten days, the clock won’t stop and each day their bodies will expend more energy than they can possibly replace”.
A single leg of this race would be considered by the general public as an expedition in itself, and teams will complete thirteen of these legs consecutively, staying within 100 meters of each other at all times.” says Bycroft.
First and second place in the premier mixed category will automatically qualify for the World Championships and receive an all expenses paid entry. Premier mixed category teams consist of primarily 3 men and one woman. To win the event outright teams must be a mixed team.
Founded in 2004 this is the fourth edition of XPD, which is staged every 18 months in a different destination.
XPD is as much of an expedition as a race. Apart from the prestigious crown, teams race for the experience, comradely and the knowledge that if and when they cross the finish line they will be amongst an elite few who have completed XPD.
XPD Fast Facts
- Competitors burn over 10,000 calories per day but are physically only able to replace half of that amount.
- The average age of a competitor is 35 years of age.
- Most competitors train for 12 – 18 months prior to starting the race.
- Competitor's feet can swell 1 – 2 sizes during the race.
- The halfway point on the course if marked by a “mid camp” where competitors are provided with a hot meal and must stop for 6 hours – this is the only time during the race that they are forced to stop.
The sport of Adventure Racing started in 1989 by a Frenchman in New Zealand and it is now one of the biggest adventure sports in the world.
Back
