Quest takes on geographical proportions
48 hours of endurance at Jervis Bay

Competitors line the beach at Jervis Bay for the initial sea kayak leg.

Caution – cyclists ahead! A few of the locals create an additional obstacle for these entrants during a mountain bike leg of GeoQuest.

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

By MAJ Fleur Keough

A HANDFUL of military teams fronted up to Jervis Bay on the Queen’s Birthday weekend to test their mettle against the terrain, the clock and the other competitors in the Mountain Designs GeoQuest 48-hour adventure race.

The Jervis Bay area provided plenty of scope for rough paddling, crazy downhill mountain biking, challenging navigation and even abseiling with bikes!

Adventure racing primarily involves trekking, mountain biking, kayaking, navigation and roping skills. It is a continuous competition with competitors choosing their own route, rest and nutrition strategy.

This sport is becoming increasingly popular with military members due to the natural inclination we all have to test ourselves physically and mentally and to work towards achieving team goals.

The sport is team-based and requires all four team members to complete the course together; if one person pulls out, the whole team is out.

Craig Bycroft, an Army Officer based in Canberra, and Louise Foulkes, a Naval Officer, were the race orgainsers for this top-notch 48-hour event that attracted the best adventure racers from all over Australia.

Twenty-eight teams entered the race with 18 teams achieving a ranked finish.

Five military teams entered, which included three Army teams (Mates, K9 and TFG), one Air Force Team (The Jetsons) and a Navy Team (ADFA).

There is nothing predictable about this sport, as each team had a very different perspective to share about its race experience.

For more information check out www.geoquest.com.au.

GeoQuest 2003 course:

Leg 1

27km sea kayak
8km mountain bike
18km beach trek, swim across Sussex Inlet.

Leg 2

5km mountain bike
9km kayak
45km mountain bike and abseil

Leg 3

35-40km trek
9km kayak
5km mountain bike

Leg 4

52km mountain bike

Photos courtesy of Mark Watson,
www.mwphotography.com.au

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