ADFA back for more in GeoQuest 2003

By Team ADFA

Competitors gather at sunrise at Jervis Bay for the start of GeoQuest 2003.

Team ADFA, MIDNs Alan Dickenson, Aaron Tait, Ashley Wallin and Luke Baker at GeoQuest 2003.

For reasons that we still have not been able to uncover yet, Team ADFA found itself back at the starting line of the GeoQuest Adventure Race.

With a different training strategy implemented this year, consisting mainly of eating and sleeping, we were ready for the starting line. With the power of hindsight inspiring all, we began the paddle across Jervis Bay, the area that had been home to us all during our initial six months of officer training.

The novelty of salt water and the ocean quickly died off as we slogged through the second section of the kayak, facing a strong wind and choppy sea.

A short mountain bike and a long beach run had us back at race transition feeling happy, salty, a little sore and excited for the next leg.

Faced by a large uphill climb, the team headed out from the kayaks and slaved our way into the lofty peaks of the Shoalhaven.

Some spectacular views and a hairy abseil met us at the top, at ten to midnight.

The new morning left us feeling fresh and determined, with the realisation that it is sometimes better to go up, than down. Three crashes, twelve sausage sandwiches and 80 kilometres later we found ourselves back at race transition.

Leg Three presented new challenges. Our naval navigation training came into full effect on the third control of the leg, where a six figure coordinate threw us into total confusion.

Two hours later, and still without a third control, we pushed on, minus Ashley Wallin, our star runner, football player and couch potato.

Plagued by self destructing feet and a mysterious urge to remove his strapping tape, he left the team to head back for a well deserved rest... with our supply of vaseline.

Our arrival many hours later at the kayaks was inspirational.

Team captain Luke “Apples” Baker did his best impersonation of an old man with rickets, hallucinating trees with vaseline jars hanging off them, the token New Zealander Aaron “Spudder” Tait, hobbled as if on a sizzling Perth beach on a summer’s day, and the freakishly fit Alan Dickenson ran rings around the both of them, “just to keep
warm.”

Four o’clock in the morning found the remaining three stooges, heading off for the final leg of the race.

After a brief meeting with the monopoly man, numerous sightings of the team land cruiser flying in to pick up the team and the spotting of table settings in the bush (with this rare phenomena quickly becoming a race tradition) we decided a twenty minute sleep was on order.

Revitalised and determined, the plethora of our officer training kicked into gear and we headed towards race transition for the last time at 9 o’clock on the following morning, picking up the newspaper and milk on the way through.

This year’s race was an excellent experience for the four Midshipmen from the Australian Defence Force Academy.
As the youngest entrants for the second year running we approached the race not expecting to win, but to learn as much as we could and hopefully have a good time doing it.

Overall the team found the race to be an enjoyable and rewarding experience, with excellent lessons in teambuilding, determination and leadership.

With any luck, next year’s race will be bigger and better, with even more Defence Force teams joining in and experiencing the exciting and ever emerging sport of adventure racing.

.