Urban Crag

Section 1: Mudgeeraba to Hinterland Leisure Trail, 3.5km (Cumulative Distance = 3.5km)

It was rather ‘fresh’ outside early on Saturday morning, but the nearly 700 people present were all fairly upbeat about the mammoth task ahead of them.  Luckily the first 3.5km were fairly flat and consisted mostly paved footpath.  We also had a police escort with flashing lights, which is always fun!  The whole section ended up being fairly close to a single file procession (there wasn’t a lot of overtaking – who really wants wet shoes from dewy grass this early on?) and it was impressive watching the huge line of people snake around various bends.  We bounced past checkpoint one without stopping.

Section 2: Hinterland Leisure Trail to Mt Nimmel Lodge Ridgeline, 9km (Cumulative Distance = 12.5km)

Our first bushland section!  This was a relatively comfortable off-road section despite a short, steep uphill and a longer more moderate uphill.  The section boasted a few firsts: Dennis and Jenesse’s first use of the hiking poles for the day, Jenesse’s first knee issue for the day, Mel and my first bushland pee-stop for the day.   We were also passed by Mal Meniga’s (sp) team in this section – and so ended my unofficial quest to beat them!  Nevertheless a clearing at the top of the second ascent afforded a good view of the Gold Coast before we headed back down via a fairly gradual hill towards the first major checkpoint and our support crew.  Matt and John had carried all our supplies (and some recently purchased items at the request of various team members) to the checkpoint and were there, video camera in hand, to welcome us to the checkpoint.  Excellent work guys!

Section 3: Mt Nimmel Lodge  / Tallowwood Rd, 3km (Cumulative Distance = 15.5km)

This section was almost entirely road (both sealed and unsealed), mostly flat, and presented few difficulties except for having to watch for vehicular traffic.  It was fairly uneventful, but also not very taxing (and therefore has to be labelled a "good" section).  We breezed right past the checkpoint without any care (although there was raiding of a lolly jar by some team members).

Section 4: Mudgeeraba State Forest / Austinville Rd, 6km (Cumulative Distance = 21.5km)

After cruising past the checkpoint 3 tables we encountered what would be out first truly energy-sapping incline of the day in the Mudgeeraba State Forest.  From the profile of the course we were given I knew that there was a hill here, but it looked shorter on paper!  This section also boasts one of my least favourite downhill sections, which of course would have nothing to do with the fact that this is the one downhill I fell on (twice) but all was well because the nutella and 100s & 1000s sandwich in my hand (mostly) survived.  All hail the ten second rule!

Later in the day I would discover that this downhill had played havoc with my knees, but for the time being my main concern was to avoid sliding down uncontrollably on the dusty trail.  At one stage Mel and I even followed another team through the bushland alongside the trail in order to hold onto the trees, but once at the bottom it was a simple matter of following Austinville Rd for a few kilometres through welcoming, cool, rainforest surrounds to the checkpoint where we broke for lunch.

Section 5: Mt Nimmel Rd / Hinterland Centenary Trail / Polly’s Country Kitchen, 15km (Cumulative Distance = 36.5km)

Another team had issued us with a warning about the hills from the previous section after they heard we’d not practiced this part of the course.  They also warned us about Fairview Mountain at the start of this section.  To those people (whoever they are) I say "good call".  Fairview Mountain is one of my other least favourite uphills mostly because it, like all the other nasty hills, was long and steep.  But pretty much everyone around us was struggling with the ascent.  After Mel and I made it to the top we had a tiny breather while we waited for Dennis and Jenesse.  While we were waiting we ran into Whitey and the guys from "Everest Sucked" who informed us they’d passed Dennis and Jenesse on the way up.  After they appeared at the top we taunted Whitey for a moment with talk of our support crew finding us takeaway later in the day before his team scampered off and we never saw them again.  Yeah, you might have won this time guys, but don’t worry, we’ll be ready for a rematch!

After the hill it was all fairly cruisy for a while as we followed the ridgeline – there were a few small variations, but it was mostly flat ground until we exited the forest onto Mt Nimmel Rd and began walking down along the bitumen road.  I’m glad it was bitumen; I was having issues with my knees after the earlier downhill work (which was odd – I’ve never had issues in training) and despite the surface being harder on the feet than grass or dirt, I could spend less effort keeping my feet in place and more focus on taking the weight off my knees where possible.  It took me longer to walk down the hill than it did everyone else, but I was able to make up some ground and catch up to my team when it began to flatten off and move back into undulating tracks.

Having not practiced this section I assumed that once we moved off the bitumen road that we’d be fairly close to the checkpoint, but apparently we still had at least 5 km to go. This section was mentally draining for all of us because it just seemed to go on forever, particularly when we reached a checkpoint 4a only to realise there was another 3 km to go.  The last 3 km was through some scenic surrounds and would have made a nice afternoon walk, but all we really wanted was to reach the end.  We all perked up a little after receiving a message from our support crew asking if we’d like coffee and/or sausages (would we ever!), and even another creek crossing (which I attempted barefoot in the freezing, cold water) couldn’t deter us from bounding to the checkpoint and the tens of enthusiastic support crews in the area.  As promised, coffee and sausages were procured and consumed as we rummaged for the night gear we’d need for the next leg.

Section 6: Polly’s Country Kitchen / Numinbah State Forest / Environmental Centre, 7km (Cumulative Distance = 43.5km)

After leaving the checkpoint we stopped for another random bathroom break giving us enough time to realise Jenesse’s torch was fairly dim.  But the crisis was averted after much searching when spare batteries were located.  This leg of our journey consisted of the one of the nastiest sections of the trek, but having practiced it previously it didn’t seem as bad second time around.  Much as we did in practice, we tackled the ascent by stopping to catch our breath on the occasional flat ground.  Something that surprised me was that we were passed by a team that didn’t have torches – it must have been hard to see in the dark as there was no moonlight for assistance, and even with a torch the difference was noticeable.  It was also difficult to find the pink ribbons that marked our way along the course in the darkness, and I found it more helpful to just look for the torchlights of other teams in the area.

Once we reached the top (and admired the lights in the distance) it was time to tackle the downhill.   We took it slowly; this descent was steeper than what we encountered in section 5, I was still having trouble with my knees and the trail was a lot more worn away from all the trekkers than it was during our practice.  We passed another team with one member in a lot more pain than all of us along the way, but eventually all made our own way back to flat ground.    Once at the base of the hill there was only a small distance to cover before we came across the next checkpoint (where I was confused by some glowsticks that looked like an arrow but apparently weren’t) and found our support crew.  Matt and John had setup chairs and had hot water waiting for our soup, noodles and coffee requests.  A job well done!  I also finally gave in and followed Mel’s advice to take something to lessen the knee pain.

Section 7: Environmental Centre / Waterfall Creek, 4.5km (Cumulative Distance = 48km)

As we were preparing to check out of the checkpoint we were asked if we minded travelling with two people from another team (Rodney and JT from "The Lion Park Trekkers") who were on their own.  We decided this would be ok, and we therefore started this section by expanding our team from four to six people.

This section is almost entirely flat, the defining feature being the seven (or was that eight?) creek crossings.  Having practiced this several weeks earlier after some rainfall we were prepared for any hazardous crossings, however with little or no rainfall recently the creek levels had significantly dropped since our last visit and now required next to no effort to cross.  Aside from the one girly-screaming moment as a spider walked across our path, there were few problems in this section and we cruised into checkpoint seven.

Section 8: Waterfall Creek / Environmental Centre, 5.5km (Cumulative Distance = 53.5km)

This section began with a slight disagreement over whether we should break before heading up the short but steep hill, with one side suggesting we take a 10-20 minute break before continuing on and the other maintaining it was too cold to stop.  In the end we stayed long enough for several of our party to visit the bathroom and then kept moving, all six of us making our own way up the hill and resting when needed.  Once we reached the top there was a short downhill section on a slippery, dusty trail before we hurdled a fence and landed on Chester Road.

Our group began to break up a little at this point; Jenesse was experiencing some issues and progressively slowing, Dennis staying with her, and one of our additions, JT, was beginning to feel a little under the weather (having been ill earlier in the week and a combination of the night air and distance travelled not helping).  At intervals Rodney, Mel and I would wait for them and check on their progress, but it was cold and we’d usually try and find a sheltered spot to wait.

About halfway through the section there was a small argument over whether we should all be travelling at the same speed as the person at the back (in this case it was Jenesse).  Given that I’d just spent the a while attempting to be the midpoint between those in front and those at the back (and failing because most of the time I couldn’t see either group) I still stand by my opinion that I was tired, cold, and sick of being told that I wasn’t waiting for those at the back.  (By the way, apologies to Rodney and JT – at no point was I referring to you guys, and you shouldn’t have had to put up with our dummy spitting anyway).  In the end the argument went nowhere and we continued as we had done before – roughly two groups of three meeting up every so often.  My torch batteries were beginning to fail, and the painkillers beginning to wear off so all I wanted was to get back to the checkpoint.  But along the way I spent some time trying to come up with some kind of solution to our pacing issues.

It was around 1.30 am when we finally made it back to the checkpoint (yay – bathroom, coffee, ibuprofen and batteries).  We had another argument based around two questions: is everyone physically and mentally able to finish, and if so, are they going to make it to the line in under 39 hours.  I was feeling a little better on painkillers and was keen to keep moving, feeling that I’d made it halfway and wasn’t prepared to stop now.  Mel seemed to be in pretty good shape – injury free and still somewhat perky despite it being cold and nearly 24 hours since she’d woken up.  Jenesse was in some pain (although also on painkillers) fairly well strapped up and adamant that she could continue.  Dennis seemed confident that he was ok.  Given that we had 42.5 km to travel and just over 18 hours in which to do so, and that it’d taken us around 18 hours so far (travelling fairly quickly at the beginning but progressively slowing down to just over 2km/hr) I do still stand by asking people if they considered it achievable.  But everyone declared themselves up to the task and we checked out of the Environmental Centre a little before 2am after being fitted for some very stylish orange reflective vests.

Section 9: Environmental Centre / Syd Duncan Park, 12.5km (Cumulative Distance = 66km)

This section starts by walking along the main road for about 5 km (in bright orange reflective traffic vests – making covert road-side bathroom breaks an interesting experience).  We proceeded to walk past the gate we were supposed to enter (because "the GPS says it’s around the corner") but backtracked when we realised we’d gone to far (sorry Rodney – you were obviously telling the wrong people that it was the correct gate).  Just beyond the gate was another 4WD trail up a hill, and we stopped at the bottom momentarily as JT was beginning to appear unwell again and Jenesse declared she just couldn’t do it (what happened to the insistence of an hour ago I don’t know).  But eventually we began the ascent: Rodney, Mel and I attempting to walk slowly up the hill, but apparently not slowly enough for everyone else as we continually found ourselves waiting and trying to shelter ourselves from the cold winds blowing over the hill.  I discovered that crouching into a ball reduced my surface area and helped a little.

During this leg JT’s condition began to deteriorate to the point that he was vomiting on the side of the trail (and declaring himself to feel warm despite the conditions).  We suggested sending two people ahead to bring back assistance but he insisted he could finish the section.  Jenesse was also slowing in pace and it began to be difficult to everyone to walk within the same small area.  Nevertheless we all managed to meander along a road, a grassy "avenue", and through someone’s backyard (encountering great views of the Gold Coast in lights) before tackling one last hill and making it to Syd Duncan Park.

Section 10: Syd Duncan Park / Belliss Rd, 7.5km (Cumulative Distance = 73.5km)

We lost three people at the Syd Duncan checkpoint: JT retired from illness (he was still sitting wrapped up in the checkpoint tent when we left) and Dennis and Jenesse pulled out from injuries (and hitched a ride with our support crew).  Just before 7am Rodney, Mel and I scooted quickly out of the checkpoint, eager to warm up and keen to make up some ground.  Not having practiced the infamous Hellfire Pass, I was expecting this section to hurt.  The first few kilometres, however, were along bitumen road and in the first hour after sunrise provided a nice warmup.  Reaching another mini checkpoint we handed back out not-so-stylish reflective jackets and entered the trail for the Hellfire Pass.

Rodney had advised Mel and I that it might be easier to jog parts of the downhill depending on the slope.  He was pretty much spot on with that advice.  The downhill was broken up into 20-50m sections with small "speedbumps" allowing us to both walk and jog the downhill.  Rodney, having practiced this section previously showed little fear in tackling the descent.  Mel and I trailed marginally behind until we had completed most of the downhill.  I have no doubt that this section was much easier for us in daylight than it would have been for the teams just a few hours ahead of us in the dark.  The downhill was most punishing on our toes and soles of our feet, but we could practically see the finish and weren’t prepared to stop now because of some pain.  Rounding a corner we found checkpoint 10 and greeted the people (who were chatting in a circle – obviously not expecting us) by cheering ourselves towards the line.

Section 11: Belliss Rd to Nerang State Forest, 5km (Cumulative Distance = 78.5km)

As far as hills go in the Challenge, Mt Morgan was almost baby-like.  "And," I scoffed, "it can’t be worse than Barney".  While that was true, the ascent was still steep.  It was during the ascent that we encountered (and passed) the first team we’d seen in about six hours.

The descent into checkpoint 11 was a long sloping walk through fields of cows before returning to suburbia and the checkpoint.  The biggest surprise for me was that the checkpoint (the last of the support-crew stops) was full of other teams.  I don’t know where they’d been all night, but apparently we’d made up some ground and it gave us a much-needed burst of energy.

Section 12: Nerang State Forest, 5km (Cumulative Distance = 83.5km)

Having passed through Nerang State Forest once on a practice and once for the mini-Kokoda I knew that we’d make it to the end now that we were here.  Rodney kept insisting it was a boring section, but little could diminish my enthusiasm as we set out as there were other teams within sight – passing one maybe 15 minutes in.  But given that this section was only 5km, it seemed to drag on forever as we’d continually wonder if the mega-hill preceding the last checkpoint was around the next corner.  And it never, ever was (well, obviously it was at some point, but it took forever to get there!).  But eventually we did find the hill, and we made it to the checkpoint (passing yet another team on the way up) where we ate some of the provided fruit before moving on.

Section 13: Nerang State Forest to Finish Line, 12.5km (Cumulative Distance = 96km)

From this checkpoint to the finish the course is reasonably flat (compared to the rest of the terrain) and we were able to settle into a walking pace that didn’t involve too much thought, didn’t completely kill us but allowed us to make up some ground.  Being pretty tired and sore the common thought was that once we finished we’d be able to take off our shoes and sit down.  We began to spot more teams along the way and passed another 5 or so teams as we plodded along.  Plenty of other teams had knee and muscle issues as we’d seen in our own team.

Eventually we began to come across the signs indicating out progress towards the finish line – 8km, 6km, 4km, 2km and 1km – and it seemed to take an absolute eternity between each marker.  Every so often we’d see something in the distance and think it was another marker when it wasn’t.  I also began to see tree stumps out of the corner of my eye and think that they looked like puppies (and occasionally people).  But we finally came to the 1km marker and headed back down the last section of Nerang State Forest and out across the road to the Velodrome.

We’d requested that our support crew use the pom-poms Mel had provided them with, and as we approached the finish line they didn’t disappoint.  Both Matt and John were bouncing around on the side of the road.  I have vague memories of cheering back at them, but my memory is pretty hazy.  I’ve been told I was skipping at the end and I don’t remember that.  I do remember a large bunch of people with cameras (I’m pretty sure most of them were Rodney’s team and support crew), and I remember person at the finish line asking me to try signing something (which proved difficult with swollen fingers!).  The three of us were then presented with our Challenge dog tags and we were finally able to sit down!

Thank Yous

Given that the Challenge was a mammoth undertaking I’d like to congratulate all of my team (Mel, Dennis and Jenesse) for their efforts both during training and over the weekend, and the other teams on the course (including our travelling companions Rodney and JT) for putting up with us!  And a huuuge thanks to our fabulous support crew Matt and John!  And to Monica (who had to withdraw as support crew at the last minute) – thanks for volunteering and for being brave enough to come out on some of our training sessions.

I’d also like to say thanks to everyone who donated money to the Kokoda Challenge Youth Program by sponsoring us to enter this.  We all really appreciated it.

There are plenty of other people I’ve not mentioned specifically – those who came to see us finish, all the people at the checkpoints, everyone who checked we were still alive and able to move on the Monday following – but thank you to you as well.

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