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Hilltop Hoods 07 May '13
 Nothing unusual about us hanging out with our event partners, as they are all good friends and sporting colleagues, usually both. Better still, a fair few of them barrack for Hawthorn, which is a pretty good excuse to sneak into Adelaide, watch the Hawks run the Crows ragged, then do more of the same to our SA running neighbours in the Greenbelt 10.
An 11 point win at AAMI Stadium is quite satisfactory, given that it hasn't always been a happy hunting ground, fast times (37 and 42 mins respectively) on a twisted rolling course just as good, and Bradley Hill getting a Rising Star award as icing on the cake.
So with Bradley Hill doing his thing, Ronhill race socks doing their thing, and some stunning M12 'Boston' hoodies in the factory, for the weekend gone, we (me and Luke) are the Hilltop Hoods. Good SA band too.
Far Lap 15 April '13  Never mind Black Caviar and that nonsense about 25 straight. Most of that success came on soft green grass amongst cheering crowds and average horses. Not at all like our own Track thoroughbreds, racing the hard miles in the badlands of Mungo, on our second sporting expedition into this hostile patch of NSW.
We thought we knew the lap distance camp-to-dunes return, from Mungo 1, but the GPS watches of 2010 were poorly calibrated compared to the modern Garmin. 16-18 speculative kms became 24km +, a big test for many of our gang who had yet to breach 20km in any form of running. Nowah and Patrick provided awesome support on the MTB's, passing vehicles offered a lift in the home straight, but as champions do, we put the blinkers on and charged home with little more than asthma and fatigue. Ancient camp fire customs of Grange & lamb chops were observed (by Russell the 'roo), before retiring (like Black Caviar) to a night under the stars.
Mexico 07 March '13 
Choosing an image to associate with this news pieces has been a tough job. Squeezing the Baja Peninsula, a throbbing metropolis, and the Caribbean coast into one picture is simply impossible. With so much cultural, visual, and climatic diversity across a wide and wild land, what photograph could possibly say it all? Fortunately, we have an IMAGE gallery and ADVENTURE page to bring this story to life and perhaps do the place some justice.
Even titling this news piece was hard. How on earth do you fit Mayan, Aztec, and contemporary culture (including coffee with Matt Dillon) into a couple of words. Whales, whale sharks, and manta rays complicate things further. Only one thing says it all. Mexico!
California Dreaming 07 March '13 
Although serving as a conduit to our bigger Mexican adventure, we sure tried hard to maximise our fun stateside before crossing the border into Latin America. California did exactly what we thought it would, turning on gorgeous weather, stunning beaches, and a friendly personality that extended way beyond the stereotypes of TV culture.
A pretty decent 1:21 Surf City Half Marathon got the show on the road, and a magnificent day at San Diego Zoo rounded out our holiday. Either side of that we got a taste of life on an aircraft carrier, lapped up Super Bowl with Yogi the dog, and somehow managed to fingerprint-impersonate a known felon at Houston Airport. Bought a new car too. (California dreaming!).
Going Mad 29 January '13 
With over a minutes lead out of the water (exiting in 5:52), and a solid summer of run training behind her, Maddy Wood was always going to be hard to catch in our third Very Funky Aquathon. The multi-pronged Marina course provides good visual contact with the chasing pack, enabling Maddy to keep an eye on fast hounds Kate Bourchier, Kelly Oz, & Nellie Pollock.
However, employing our favourite race strategy, (get in front and stay there!), Maddy gave up only 30 seconds to the runners on the 4km course, zooming her way to a new race record and consecutive VFA titles. Huge congrats to Maddy, and colossal thanks to the 83 girls that made Australia Day 2013 a blaze of sporting colour.
Shark Tale 02 January '13  No need to tell anyone that we love to run and swim. Any time, any place. Throw in a big blue South Australian sky, a raging sea breeze, and a grand prix aquathon, and we'll happily drive the 400km necessary to make the start line.
Event Strategies have been putting this race on for over two decades now, having changed the format to triple swim/triple run (therefore limiting athlete time spent in deeper water) after a fatal shark attack in 2005 at a nearby beach. The multiple shoe changes, surf swimming, and soft-sand running add enormously to the fun and degree of difficulty normally attributed to a 750m swim & 5.1km run. We love it.
And when all is said and done, we pay tribute to Sam White (race named in his honour), get to enjoy the spoils of an age group victory or two, and test-drive new Mako sunnies with all our Track race buddies. A perfect end to 2012. Safe racing and happy New Year!
Advance Australia 23 December '12 
Running and swimming on Australia Day have been something of a tradition for us over the years. A bit like running around in circles on a Thursday night. Once you start having such fun, it is very hard to stop.
And that's why we created the Very Funky Aquathon. Sooner or later you want to turn all that training into a race, in our mind the best way to have fun any day of the year. It certainly frustrates the men (including the race director) that the girls are the only ones racing on Oz Day, but someone has to hoist the flag, cook the BBQ, and drink the icy cold Crown Lagers. Lads, you are slave for a day. And the truth be known, we simply love cheering for our girls as they zoom around the Dockside Marina complex, the Australian capital for sport and mischief on 26 January.
Wilson Tribe 18 December '12  It's a big number whichever sporting angle you approach from and one that we are justifiably proud off. Running 500 Thursday night Track sessions has brought with it so many great moments, a range of runners diverse in age and ability, weather in all its moods, and a collection of very funny moments. Kids have grown into adults, almost everyone has got faster and stronger, and many have gone on to race PB's in distance and speed. But despite the practical benefits of running fast and efficient, Track always boils down to having fantastic sporting fun with family & friends. That sounds like a good enough reason to keep a show on the road.
And as with every passing year, we award a trophy to someone for a heap of good things, even if we don't know what they are. Congratulations Jon Wilson, winner of the Track 500 trophy. Caps a big week for the Wilson tribe, Jack grappling his way past 40 fighters at MMA and Emma out-drinking us all at the Christmas party. Good work, Wilson tribe.
Sister Act 21 November '12 
Three laps on a Yarra riverfront course, and you'll understand why we liked the inaugural Nissan EveryRun event in Melbourne. Take away the hills and distant buzz of Bridge Rd traffic, add 3km (15km in total) and you could be racing our own Mallee 12 fun run. Sisters, almost.
Like so many of these community events, you are surrounded by friendly athletes eager for a chat, willing volunteers shouting encouragement, and a splendid post-race feast courtesy of the Rotary crew. With coffee on hand, a lovely parkland setting, and some clever timing (just missed the rain!), it made for a great morning.
We are happy and honoured to claim victory in any first-time race, but much happier to have met the nice people behind a well run event. Pencil in this race at Kevin Bartlett Reserve for November 2013. And climb Mt Korong for recovery. We did.
Sticky Wicket 8 November '12  Sticky wicket makes me think of cricket. Cricket makes me think of crickets. And crickets make me think of the best bug on the planet, the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect. I should declare (good cricket word!) some favouritism here, having lived on Lord Howe for three years, surfing, diving, and climbing every day into the ground.
Lord Howe was once home to the stick insect, but the arrival of black rats consigned sticky to the pavilion. Out for a duck. However, the dirty rats didn't count on a small population surviving on Ball's Pyramid (pictured), a bug team at Melbourne Zoo determined to rebuild the population through a captive breeding program, and a creative young lady named Jilli at www.bespokeanimation.com turning Sticky into an animated star! Visit the website, visit the zoo, and watch the movie when it comes out in 2013. A nice spin on an awesome tale.
Happy Snapper 1 November '12 
Sure, it was all about the ITU Worlds, but it would be silly to think we'd miss a chance to meet the locals, take great photos, and enjoy the spectacular natural environment that NZ throws up at every turn. This fisherman was moments from landing a big snapper, oblivious to the heavy swells pounding his rock platform. Just around the corner we'd met seals, terns, and a significant west coast gannet colony. All just an hour from race HQ in Auckland.
We discovered wonderful culture and history in the museum, great food and coffee in around the city, and found old South African friends hanging out in the pub. Throw this over a 3001-strong contingent of fun and friendly international triathletes, and a spectacular race course, and you can see why jumping on the plane home was no easy task. I think we landed another big holiday fish!
T500 11 October '12  Hard to imagine where ten years and 500 Track run sessions have been and gone. Number One Oval certainly accounts for a big part of our mileage and will always be Base Camp, but what about the off-road adventures in Hattah, Vanuatu, Broken Hill, or Wamberra. Then we have the unknown tracks and trails that have spilled randomly off the bitumen, the gorgeous river runs and dastardly dunes, and free-running the urban jungle of our big cities.
Our Track crew has raced all corners of the globe, attracted world-class sports people, welcomed strangers from strange lands, and danced dangerously on the South Africa-Mozambique border. The weather has never stopped us do anything. And we always have fun.
All it took to celebrate our milestone was to gather 61 runners, old and new, and run a collective 500km at 6pm on a hot Thursday night. Thanks to everyone on a job well done. Off we go in pursuit of T1000.
Good Vibrations 19 September '12 
Although Mexico dominates our travel plans in early 2013, it would be reasonable to think that a bit of Californication is on the cards before we head south of the border. We'll ditch the Brady Bunch image for a couple of days, pretend it's the 70's, and give the LAPD something to chase up and down the beach. Scarface versus Starsky & Hutch. We'll probably do Coke.
Once we've done that, we'll switch off the TV (and our colourful imagination), and drift back to reality with 21.1km of racing on the California waterfront. Can't wait to race alongside 20 000 blonde, bikini-clad babes, chasing George Clooney and Anthony Kiedis down the coastal highway, all for the sake of a groovy surfboard medallion and cold beer. Getting some good vibes about The Surf City Half Marathon already. Their email support team are awesome and have provided this great photo.
Wake me when I'm in Mexico!
Mad Pies 18 September '12  They (Magpies) may be going nowhere in the AFL, but the Werrimull Magpies certainly came to play on Millewa League Grand Final day, demolishing a hapless Gol Gol by over 100 points with a hard-running display of four quarter footy. We've had the good fortune to be running around with the boys in the past month, introducing brutal track work into a tough finals campaign. Running drills, speed play, and a billion push-ups fine tuned things either side of ball work and recovery.
And somewhere in amongst the cramps, laughter, and throwing up, the boys developed an appetite for destruction. As early as Tuesday night, you could see a final flag-winning onslaught coming. We'll take no credit for a brilliant grand final performance, but I like Cam Shaft's suggestion that "you taught us to believe in our own fitness". The boys get the Cup. We get some great new friends. Hard to swallow this bit, but... go The Pies!
South Karolina 05 September '12 
We are flying in to San Diego, but after taking care of the Sun City Half Marathon, we'll be heading south and into Mexico before the sun sets on day two of our next big adventure. Lots of work to be done on the Baja Peninsula first, including comparing Mexican pelicans (and beer) with their Murray River counterparts, but the middle part of our journey into Mexico City and surrounding mountains, has got a cultural & adventure buzz about it that has the RWA team a bit excited.
Besides, we get to meet our new friend Karolina Pasionek, who has been 'torturing' us with beautiful images, travel recommendations, and weather reports from El Monstruo (the monster - being Mexico City!). I think the first cerveza is on us. The second one too.
Absolutely Cactus 22 August '12  With the Australian currency persisting above $US1.00, flights into North America at close to a grand return, and the prospect of a Mexican desert/coastline rich in wildlife and marine life, the RWA team has been left with little choice but to jump on United Airlines flight 840 in early 2013. No plan required for this one. We'll just trek, photograph, mountain bike and eat our way through a surely stunning Central American landscape, perhaps maintaining a small focus on some altitude training in the Sierra Nevada mountains up behind San Diego. Could be a heap of fun, with Karen focusing on textiles, while Patrick and I chase road runners and coyotes. When we are completely exhausted (cactus), we'll come home.
Handsome image comes from our friend Jano Mendoza, adventurer, cyclist, and good photographer. Thanks Jano!
Gaua Power 23 July '12 
You might think that 8 days of brutal tropical trekking, nourished by packet food and lollies, would be enough to keep people anchored at Deco Stop (home away from home in Luganville), but if you dangle a volcano and waterfall in front of our friends, they seem to go all loopy, and start grabbing for backpacks and stinky clothes. So for all the pleasure that was on offer at Deco, we flew the little plane up to Gaua and opened up a whole new world of adventure.
Naturally, active Mt Garet, serene and stunning Lake Letas, and the toppling turbulence of Siri Falls grabbed our attention and demanded further exploration, but until we dig deeper into the jungles of beautiful Gaua, we are already in love with the turquoise lagoon, the tilting grass airstrip, and all the fantastic people that shared laughs, soccer, local knowledge, and the back of their truck when our legs got really really tired. Gaua is V13 endorsed!
Double Cross 22 July '12  Having crossed Santo south to north in 2010, it only seemed logical to do the same in a west to east fashion for V12. We knew the mountains well, Santo peak was big and gorgeous, and village life is never less than fascinating fun. However, this simple assessment failed to account for difficult weather, landslides, and the odd narrow track that was a point of separation between great adventure and the bottom of a waterfall!
But despite the fatigue and frightening moments that punctuated every day, we managed to haul a magnificent team of guides and trekkers up and over the range, across countless rivers, and out to Millennium Cave for a mad day of cracks, crevices and canyons. Santo sure knows how to do adventure.
Family and friends patrolled the beaches, and provided warm welcome for us upon return to civilisation. Village communities all through the trip welcomed us in as family, and we found a million reasons to come back and do it all again next year. Bring on V13!
Web Design 16 June '12 
We'll never go close to matching the intricate web design of this Vanuatu orb-weaver, but with two teams in place for V12 action, one crossing Santo in a west-east traverse, the other skating to and fro on the east coast, the lines on our V12 travel map are certainly starting to resemble a spiders web. Throw in an exploratory trip to volcanic Gaua, and we reckon that our 2012 travel adventure is certainly worthy of a design award.
Extended periods of discomfort, hunger, and fatigue are not everyone's idea of a tropical island holiday, but when we come back with images from the top of towering Santo Peak or volcanic Mt Garet, we know you will wish you were there for our annual Vanuatu expedition. Watch out for a stunning image gallery when we arrive home.
All Smiles 15 June '12 
We are not sure what the collective noun is for a load of runners and walkers, but we sure got the visual of things on our 2012 Mallee 12 start line. It would be reasonable to think that 200 runners and 100 walkers turned up bright and early on a winter morning, chasing nothing more than hot coffee and cool fun, but the reality is, we have a damn fine 12km race on a beautiful stretch of Victorian riverfront. Three thousand dollars prize money certainly helps get SA and NSW runners in their cars.
But with race day done and dusted for a sixth year straight, a beautiful weather day yet again, and the overwhelming friendliness of the Mallee sporting community, our premier regional running event was never going to be anything less than a huge success. Thankyou to our event partners, the people that travelled many miles to join us, and every set of legs that made the M12 start line so big in 2012. All smiles at race headquarters.
Pig Power 30 May '12 
Not sure if our recent trip to Hall's Gap was motivated by spiky mountains, alpine air, or the opportunity to taste coffee at the legendary Livefast Cafe, so we did the lot. Or maybe we wanted to be part of another inaugural sporting event like Run the Gap, 11.5km of all-terrain racing to the dam wall and back. Greedy for fun as always.
And while we had our snouts in the Grampians trough, we made sure the local bakery and wine producers were up to scratch (which they were), and I think we did the same with beer and local produce. Five stars all round.
And with our race team so beautifully fuelled, it is no surprise that we got fast times and a bit of podium action out of the gang. Throw in a post-race recovery trek up onto Boronia Peak, and it's hard to imagine having more fun in a weekend away. But I shouldn't have eaten the pork. Results at www.runthegap.com.au
World Class 09 May '12  This photo could easily be a fast-forward image from the world Triathlon Champs in NZ, October 2012. Three very talented young ladies, and one bloke desperately hanging on to triathlon credibility, all four athletes just crazy about fun, travel, and sport. The Komodo Dragon on the t-shirt gives Indonesia representation in obscure fashion too.
Although only Ellie and Mark get to do the race this time, we reckon that Triathlon Australia should fully fund Emi & Mags NZ travel, as none of us would be going without their support, encouragement, and world-class hospitality while we raced in Canberra. Emi is an outstanding bike mechanic, Maggie does gourmet carbo-loading like few others, and together we make a formidable team. One for all, and all for one!
Shoe Zoo 13 April '12 
We haven't yet sanctioned or endorsed a major shoe brand at RWA headquarters (although Mr Saucony should know that I really like my last THREE pairs of Saucony runners) but with 20 000 pairs going onto the scrap heap after our recent Tough Mudder action, now could be a good time to add your fave brand to your share portfolio. Mud, rock, and rubble make for great play, but leave your best running shoes behind for this one. Apply the same logic to your race day garments!
Having said that, Tough Mudder is some of the best fun we've ever had in the sporting arena. A bit like trekking across Vanuatu at high speed. You can read more at our SPORT page. And as for sending these shoes to needy runners in Africa. I'm not buying that for a moment. Anyone that ends up wearing my old shoes would be perfectly entitled to launch international legal proceedings. Nobody needs to be that Tough!
Dirty Minds 14 March '12  Not that anyone would question our credentials for hard play and absorbing physical duress, but some of our crew simply insist on venturing to the very dark side of the sporting moon from time to time. Jon (at right) could be excused on the grounds of insanity, old age, or being entered in Tough Mudder.....David on the other hand has no such excuses, other than being a convicted adventure racer and multi-sporter. The girls and the rest of the boys are in a similar state of dirty disrepair, but this shot gets up close and personal with the sort of people we are honoured to call our friends.
Hard to imagine having more fun in the mud, dunes, and treetops of Perry Sandhills, but we'll keep trying. 2012 already looks like a smutty year!
Rapid Ascent 01 March '12 
It is the nature of our sport to do almost everything with speed and intensity, and we do rather like it that way. But crucially, some times you need to take your foot off the pedal and go the slow road. On our frequent trips to Melbourne we get to stare longingly at the granite monolith that is Mt Korong (364m), just 9km off the highway. It always begs to be climbed, but in our rush to the Big Smoke or home, it is a job that has never been done.
Until last weekend. And some things are worth the wait. Stunning views across the agricultural plains, big boulders for little legs, and that sense of being up and alone that you can only get on a good mountain. It should be said that we did race our way to the top on a 38C afternoon (old habits die hard) and we were on our way to Sandringham for Victorian Triathlon Championships. The best of both worlds.
Green Day 28 February '12  Old school triathlon with exposed torsos, socks-on athletes, and some good natured drafting is perhaps what our sport is all about, or should be about. The heavy hand of officialdom was nowhere to be seen at the inaugural Green Lake Triathlon, just a brilliant sprint distance course, a perfectly organised race, and lots of country hospitality from the wonderful folk of Sea Lake.
Throw in great weather, a stunningly beautiful race environment that featured a demanding, soft-sand run, and you know we'll be back to race this one in 2013. Generous prizes for a community event, and a bright orange water bottle, has us green and orange with envy. Thanks Kellie and the race team!
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Capital Punishment 04 Feb '12 
It's a fair drive to Canberra on the back of our Australia Day aquathon, but pitting ourselves against the finest age group triathletes in the National Sprint Distance Championships is a pretty good excuse to grab the race kit and car keys. With good friends and beautiful weather waiting at the other end, we had little choice but to get the travelling done. And we surely did.
With Ellie racing hard and fast amongst the 16-19 girls, we were always going to come home with a great result, but a top 10 finish for some of our older team members was pretty nice icing on the cake. A trip to the AIS, engaging conversation with coaches and athletes from across the land, and those lovely slick roads made it all worthwhile. Racing through a tunnel was fun too. And it is a long drive home in pouring rain. |
Aqua Jets 03 Feb '12  Fast girls, great costumes, and a bright yellow jet ski were just a few reasons our Mallee Australia Day launched in a blaze of colour and bubbles. We keep on telling ourselves that the Very Funky Aquathon is all about girls having fun, but we reckon the efforts of Maddy, Ellie, & Kel in fighting for podium places suggest otherwise. And then we had the small matter of 17 teams fighting for supremacy with Pumped Up Chicks racing brilliantly to hold off the fast-finishing Mango Smoothies. Seven seconds between gold and silver.
For the hard working boys, and fantastic spectator fleet, it was really just a matter of kicking back with a cold can of Eff (ahem, Crownie) and watching our awesome Mallee girls rip up the 400m swim/4km run course. How Australian is that. And, to cap it off, we have the best event partners in the world. The lucky country indeed! |
Funky Five 18 Jan '12 
It's not that easy finding a groovy sporting image with exactly five funky things in it, but we seem to have nailed it with our colourful Darling River paddlecraft shot, 2010 vintage. The boats are of no consequence to our Australia Day aquathon, but serve as a helpful pointer to five good things our race girls might do on 26 January. Here are your Funky Five.
- Arrive early. We barricade the Marina road entrance at 0830 with bollards, nasty men, and howling Rottweilers.
- Hydrate well in advance. The Marina is a hot environment and the race will have you exposed from start to finish.
- Apply sun screen at home. If you do it at the race you will rub your number off and perhaps miss out on a prize?
- Bring a swim cap if you have one. We have a good stock of Eff caps, but late entries could run us short.
- And finally....phone, Facebook, or email your friends, and encourage them to race or cheer you on 26 January!
Race briefing is at 0843 sharp. Starters gun goes bang at 0900. Good luck girls!! |
Sleepy Hollow 18 Jan '12  I'm pretty sure the RWA team had a day off sport and adventure somewhere in the festive season, but with a Lake Victoria expedition just completed, a Very Funky Aquathon in a few days, and the Australian Triathlon Sprint Champs in Canberra all before the end of January, it does feel like 2012 has been shot out of a cannon. Even the traditional Track summer break lasted a meagre one week.
And that's just the way we like it. Sleepy hollow is okay for some, but with summer in full swing it does seem a shame to waste a single day doing anything but having fun in the great Mallee outdoors. Having said that, we do have a generous stash of Eff and Zilzie Wine sitting on the verandah for our Very Funky girls. I don't think our sponsors will mind if we pinch one from the stash. Flat out, like a lizard drinking. |
Perfect Ten 18 Dec '11 
Ten days in NZ and a perfect ten on the travel scoresheet. Cold and blustery ChCh weather was an absurd excuse to visit the very cool Antarctic Centre, wind & waves turned Kaikoura whale watching into a showride, and everything else was either stunningly beautiful or ridiculously tasty.
We were touched by the quake recovery efforts and resilience of the Canterbury community, found Wellington an awesome place to pull on the running/paddling/climbing boots, and bumped into some Hobbits making a film that we'll all be watching in 2012.
Complex waterways, playful seals, a stunning national museum, and Marlborough sav blanc as far as the eye can see. I think that checks ten wonderful NZ travel boxes. And it barely scratches the surface. The image gallery goes a little deeper. |
Perfect Storm 28 Nov '11  We've found a couple of good reasons to make the voyage across the Tasman over the past decade, including a honeymoon, mountains, wildlife, and the World Aquathon titles. However, in a perfect storm of cheap airfares and ideal timing, who needs a reason to visit our near neighbours in the land of the long white cloud.
The Kiwis do multi-sport better than most, so we'll find time for Escape From Alcatraz Beach Biathlon, but the rest we'll leave in the hands of the Maori Gods. Don't be surprised if the new year image gallery is full of sharks, dolphins, and whales.....perhaps a little snow and ice, or an albatross on the wing. Highly likely you'll also find the RWA team settled in behind a crisp sav blanc and a freshly caught Lake Taupo trout. Back for summer! |
Mungo Rebels 21 Oct '11  With our local constabulary well occupied by the real Rebel bikers, we thought it perfect opportunity to sneak out the back door and make some trouble of our own in the ancient landscapes of Mungo National Park. Armed with running shoes and mountain bikes (not to mention a bottle of Penfolds Grange), we had all the necessary equipment to scare the locals out of their desolate existence.
At every turn we saw kangaroos, emus, pink cockatoos, bearded dragons, and goannas dashing for cover as we rolled through the ancient lake-bed and surrounding dunes. Even the wildflowers pulled back from the tracks as our mean machines rumbled by. But in the end we were so overwhelmed by the big skies, gorgeous sunsets, and delicious wine, that in keeping with our World Heritage-listed campsite, we made like a bunch of old fossils and fused into the sands of time. Next time we'll make some noise! |
New Castle 04 Oct '11  We rolled into town as former 15 year olds and rode out as the New Kings of the North. Built ourselves a nice castle (refer image) amongst the rock and rubble too, and cast an admiring eye over the great men and gorgeous women that roamed the Hill with us in the olden days.
That's our story anyway, and we're sticking to it. Just don't tell Max Eddy, in case he wants his kingdom back and comes and kicks our arses. Technically, a 30 year St Joe's (Broken Hill) High School reunion might fall outside the sporting range of the RWA website, but when you kick the footy with old mates, watch the footy Grand Final with old mates, and relive the U15 premiership days with old mates.....it really is a very sporting tale!
Besides, when you are Kings of Broken Hill, you can do anything you like. What a great place to grow up and a great place to reunite with old friends (and Miss Del Vecchio!). Huge thanks to all the boys and girls that masterminded the 30 year plan. And remember, don't tell Max. He could get mad! |
Sand Man 09 Sep '11  Having enjoyed and endured years of Vanuatu mountain & volcano travel, we decided that V11 would be entirely focused on coastal exploration. Not that we've missed out on the stunning beaches, great fishing, world-class diving, and beautifully warm water over the journey, but for the first time ever, sand and snorkelling became our number one priority.
A clichéd photo of a white sandy beach, a big blue ocean, or on offshore islet dotted with palm trees would probably be an appropriate image here, but we might go instead with Master Patrick running....on a white sandy beach, with a big blue ocean, and an offshore islet. You get the picture. We get another spectacular Vanuatu holiday.
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Operation Hammerhead 26 Jul '11  Traditionally, the jungle-green mountains of Tanna and Santo have been the focus of our Vanuatu adventures, with the coastal strip reserved for recovery and recreation. Not that we haven't managed to fish, surf, dive, and paddle away a great deal of holiday time, but this has mostly come post-climb or trek.
This time, we're flipping the adventure coin to tails......shark tails, to be precise! We know for a fact that a friendly hammerhead shark patrols the waters around Oyster Island, and perhaps if we keep our thoughts a shade of blue, we'll get to spend some quality time with this handsome fellow. V11 is Operation Hammerhead.
And when we are bored with the Blue Holes, sick of catching wahoo, or paddling surf craft to offshore reefs, we might even detour inland for a day or two of mountain play. Assuming we can get off our beach towels. |
Dirty Rats 20 Jun '11  Hard to imagine racing more glamorous & combative than on our M12 stage (think Olympians torching hapless race directors!), but underneath every sporting metropolis lie drains and sewers full of fleet-footed rodents, fighting their own little war, desperate for the big cheese!
For the first time ever, our M4 Rat Racers duelled for prestigious trophies as well as a finishers medal, so when push came to shove, neither Christian or Aston were willing to concede in a brutal finish line battle. We checked the photo, consulted with race officials, and made a tough call. Dead heat! Thankfully, Lauren Fraser put a bit of time into her younger sister Mikaela. But those boys.....dirty rats!! (Nice racing though).
Boring grown-up stuff like results and race reports at the MALLEE 12 page.
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