A true Hells Bells experience in a classic Sunshine Coast location

‘Yeah the Chatter’ taking out the win for the second year in a row

This year Mountain Designs Hells Bells delivered on its promise of an epic course creating legendary stories in a paradise like location.

Ninety-eight teams and 256 people arrived at race HQ, in the park at the appropriately named ‘Happy Valley’ – a beautiful beachside park on the Pacific Ocean and across from Bribie Island. Lining up to collect their race packs they were preparing to race either the full ‘Hells Bells’ course, or the shorter ‘Fairy Bells’ course.

Both have a 24 hour time limit, and include runs/treks, paddling and mountain biking to checkpoints in back country and wilderness areas.  Finding these requires good map and compass navigation and there are always a few surprises and twists in the course.

Broken Compass leading the charge

Teams set off in three waves between 11am and 11:15am shortly after the course maps had been handed out.

Teams split between a kayak leg around ‘Pummicestone Passage’ and a beachside trek that took teams over the sand bridge to Bribe Island, along the boardwalks and coastal paths and café strip in Caloundra before collecting their bikes and heading to the hills.

The 30 km ride into the Sunshine Coast hinterland initially took teams through the local mountain bike park, then a maze of suburban streets before crossing under the pacific highway through a tunnel the local mountain bikers call ‘The Portal’.

A series of bonus checkpoints and some challenging minor trails gave teams lots of navigation decisions to make before crossing again under a busy road using a notorious drainage channel that has featured in several adventure races in the past.

Pumicestone Passage looking magnificent

The defending champions, ‘Yeah the Chatter’ took the lead early but always had a strong chase pack including first timers ‘Giddyup’ from Melbourne and ‘Mt Pleasant Rd Brewers’ in the male Category and ‘Mountain Designs Wild Women’ and ‘Broken Compass’ in the female and mixed categories.

As the sun set and teams arrived at ‘Ferny Forest’ for the second trek leg the lead Hells Bells teams caught up to the Fairy Bells teams.

They had ridden there directly, and one of the attractions of the race is that racers on both courses meet up throughout the race.  The Fairy Bells racers shared many stages with the Hells Bells racers, and any teams who were falling behind could opt out of some stages. The end result was that all but 4 teams finished the course in 24 hours, having completed as much as they could.

The car park at Ferny Forest became race central for a while, and as night fell teams marked up their maps with extra checkpoints and set off on a foot orienteering course to pick up the checkpoints in any order. The Hells Bells teams had a 10-12km orienteering stage here and Fairy Bells 3-4kms so the surrounding forest was full of bobbing headlights going in every direction.

‘The Portal’

Leaving Ferny Forest, Hells Bells teams set off on a 40km Mountain Bike ride over one of the classic off-road cycling loops on the Sunshine Coast – up the notorious Brandenburg Road taking teams almost to Maleny before dropping steeply through Dularcha National Park and back towards the coast.

Hells Bells and Fairy Bells teams again met at transition area 3 with a big fire, a welcoming volunteer crew and a box of gear to replenish their supplies. The next leg was a largely off trail navigational challenge to collect 5 checkpoints with very few trails marked on the map.

Ferny Forest trails

One paddle leg, three distinct bodies of water

One of the challenging aspects of designing an adventure racing course is finding unique ways to travel into urban environments while  maintaining a sense of adventure. The second paddling leg certainly delivered on that with teams starting out in the rarely paddled upper reaches of the Mooloolah river. There were then checkpoints in Lake Kawana and finally Currimundi Creek which ment teams needed to choose where they would exit the Mooloola River and enter the lake. This made for a challenging experience with some teams choosing to paddle further, working with the tide and others carrying their kayaks to take short cuts.

The final stretch of the kayak leg took teams to the beach and the incredibly beautiful beachside suburb of Currimundi where cafe goers and morning walkers looked on in amazement as adventure racing teams emerged from the creek and loaded their kayaks.

With only 7kms to go teams used the coastal paths and urban streets to make their way back to the finish line past the morning joggers and cafes.

The first team to finish Fairy Bells was ‘Tiger Adventure Racing Maniacs’ with Monika Lee, Andrew Slattery in a time of 11:57:28.

The first Hells Bells team were the defending champions ‘Yeah the Chatter’ in a time of 15:23:48.

The Mountain Designs Wild Women

The final results for the race were as follows.

HELLS BELLS – FULL COURSE

Mixed

1. Broken Compass

2. Sunny Side Up

3. Red Pandas

Female

1. Mountain Designs Wild Women

2. Never Vanilla

3. Team Caffine

Male

1. Yeah the Chatter

2. Giddyup

3. Mt Pleasant Rd Brewers Aussies!

FAIRY BELLS – HALF COURSE

Mixed

1. Tiger Adventure Racing Maniacs

2. True Bluey

3. Just Having Fun

Female

1. Walkie Talkies

2. SAW 1

3. Drs Doolittle

Male

1. 23 South

2. What Would Goggins Do?

3. Shake and Bake

You can find the full results and review the tracking at www.hellsbells.com.au/live-tracking

The next adventure race from Wild & Co is the newly launched ‘Buckleys 24’ in Victoria followed by ‘Top Dog 24’ in Canberra with details at www.buckleys24.com.au and www.topdog24.com.au

Hells Bells is part of the Adventure Racing World Series Oceania calendar.

Hells Bells Adventure Race Returns to Caloundra This Weekend

The Mountain Designs Hells Bells Adventure Race returns this weekend, based in the coastal resort town of Caloundra, at the southern end of the Sunshine Coast, and its bigger than ever.

The race is the second oldest in the Australian AR calendar (one of the longest running in the world), and the appetite for a gleefully ‘hellish’ 24 hours of non-stop paddling, mountain biking and trekking isn’t diminishing.  In fact the race will be the biggest in the national race calendar this year with 98 teams preparing to test themselves on two courses.

They will be racing the Hells Bells course, a distance of around 120km, or the ‘Fairy Bells’ course, which covers a bit over 70km, both with a time limit of 24 hours.  Teams of 2 or 4 from all over the country will be racing and must stay together for the whole course as they race through the night and navigate to find the remote checkpoints.

Hells Bells began is 2004 and the name came about as the track by AC/DC was on the radio when the original creators, Craig Bycroft and Louise Foulkes of Geocentric Outdoors were scouting the first course.  The rest is adventure racing history; the race winners include many of the great names of Australian racing, the Fairy Bells course was added in 2009 and in 2016 Chris Dixon from outdoor event specialists Wild&Co took the race on and into a new era. 

The race is attracting a new following to take part alongside the established elite teams with years of racing experience behind them.  The youngest racer taking part this coming weekend was not even born when the first Hells Bells race took place!

Hells Bells always takes place on the Sunshine Coast, where there are so many great locations to choose from, and returns this year to Caloundra, which was last used in 2017.  The coastal resort town is a favourite with families and beach lovers for its laid-back vibe and while the racers and their families will enjoy that before and after the race, it will be all action once the start gun goes. 

The surrounding beaches, islands, inland waterways, forest and national parks will feature in a course, designed to test endurance, team work, technical skills and navigation.  Bribie Island and Ocean Beach, Beerburrum State Parks, Dularcha National Park, Mount Beerwah and many other locations are within reach, but teams will not know where they will be going until the course briefing on Saturday morning, just before the race start.

Race Director Chris Dixon promises, “For some, we’re covering familiar territory and some as-yet un-raced ground on the Sunshine Coast.

“For Hells Bells teams there is an ocean paddle to start, lots of fun navigation choices, a big hill with big views over the whole course followed by a big steep descent – so be prepared.

“Fairy Bells teams won’t miss out and are in for a real adventure. The course will feature some of the best mountain bike and running trails on the coast and a flat water kayak at night under the stars that will be an unforgettable experience.

“Speaking of kayaks, all teams should come prepared to carry their kayaks so a set of kayak wheels or straps are highly recommended.”

Last year’s winners, Team ‘Yeah the Chatter’, are back to defend the title and try to retain the John Harvey Memorial Trophy, with the experience of veteran racer Dave Schloss added to the male team of 4.  There are many other strong local teams and pairs and the Mountain Design’s Wild Women team, led by Kim Beckinsale will be contenders as always.

The winners will claim the trophy and a place on the role of honour for this iconic race, and premiere co-ed teams will score ranking points in the Adventure Racing World Series Oceania rankings.  This is race four in the Series and the winners can claim a place in the Oceania Championships.

For all of the teams it’s a chance to get outdoors for the weekend, visit new places in the company of friends and push their own limits.  There will be times when they may say “Hells Bells this is tough”, but on the finish line it will be “Hells Bells that was great!”

The race starts from Happy Valley, Caloundra, at 11.00am and finishes in the same place with teams expected to cross the line from the early hours on Sunday and the course closing at 11.00 Sunday, with presentations held shortly after.

Friends and family will be able to follow the race through the real-time tracking of all teams at https://live.trackmelive.com.au/hellsbells2024/ and there will be live commentary and news on the Hells Bells website at https://www.hellsbells.com.au/ and on social media channels @wldnco.

The race is sponsored by Mountain Designs, and supported by Trail Brew and Squirt Cycling Products, and could not happen without their commitment adventure racing in Australia.

For more information on Wild&Co races, which include 3-6 hour races, 24+ hour challenges and The 6 day Legend Expedition Race see; https://www.wldnco.com/

Hells Bells! Australia’s Favourite 24 Hour Adventure Race Celebrates 2 Decades

Definitely a few CPs in this shot. Cotton Tree by Dillon Hunt, Unsplash

The Hells Bells 24 hour adventure race celebrates 20 years of competition on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland this coming weekend (August 5-6th).

Few adventure races anywhere in the world achieve this longevity and consistency, and the race is one of the keystones of Australian adventure racing.  Over the years most of the greatest Australian adventure racers have taken part and the race has been an introduction to the sport for many.

The race was started in 2004, has had 3 different owners, and has taken place annually, even managing to avoid Covid cancellations. It has had the same headline sponsor for much of its history too and this year Mountain Designs will once again support the race.

Hells Bells always takes place on the Sunshine Coast, and has been as far North as Rainbow Beach, and as far South as Bribie Island.  This year Wild&Co will take the race back to Cotton Tree in the heart of the Sunshine Coast.  It’s a town known for its relaxed atmosphere, easy access to the Maroochy River, pristine rivers and stunning sunsets – all of which racers will likely experience.

Chris Dixon, Wild & Co event director said: “We’re very excited to be heading back to Cotton Tree. It’s the perfect location to start and finish an Adventure Race and gives us access to some of the best trails and waterways the Sunshine Coast has to offer.

“We've got an exciting new course for Hells Bells 2023 and can't wait to show off trails Hells Bells has never been to before and to re-visit some of our favourites.”

Races have been promised big views and big hills, waterfalls and even a viewpoint where teams can get a sunset view of the whole course.

Dixon added, “What I love about this year’s location is that you within a few minutes and a few kilometres you can feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. We’ve got an incredibly beautiful swim/float/paddle to start and some CPs hidden away on Islands and rocky outcrops. Then come a combination of beaches and hinterland trails, some world class mountain biking,  which will potentially feature in the 2032 Olympics, a CP on a small but brutal hill climb and for Hells Bells, an as yet unpaddled waterway that will be incredibly beautiful under a full moon with its narrow twists and turns.”

A Record Entry

This year the race has once again broken its record entry and with close to 300 racers is set to be the biggest 24 hour adventure race ever in Australia. The race starts will be split, with 4 waves of competitors leaving race HQ on Saturday morning between 11.00am and 12.30pm. 

Dixon said, “It’s been exciting to see it grow from 64 people in 2016, when we first took it on, to 240 last year and well over 300 this year, I actually didn’t believe it was possible but it goes to show that with a great race concept and better execution each year we’ve really created something great.

“Every year the stats are the same; 70% of the racers are locals from the region, 20% are from interstate and about 10% are from overseas. It’s really exciting to have people like Vincent Chang from Hong Kong racing again as he first entered in 2020, but when the world shut down he couldn’t make it.

The race is open to pairs and teams of 4, and there are two categories, the full Hells Bells course which is around 120km and Fairy Bells, which is a 70km+ course which teams have the full 24 hours to complete. The Fairy Bells course uses some of the same ground as the Hells Bells course and is designed as a stepping stone to Hells Bells and longer races and is perfect for teams doing their first adventure race. 

All members of the team complete the swim, paddle, trek and mountain bike stages, staying together from start to finish.  Fairy Bells this year has 7 stages, and Hells Bells 9 stages and teams know both races will start with the swim/bodyboard stage.

Dixon says the races are wide open this year, and it’s a chance for some new names to appear in the Hells Bells Hall of Fame.  After 20 years a new generation of racers are starting out in adventure racing at Hells Bells.

Follow the Race

The race will have live tracking so supporters and fans can follow their teams’ progress around the course. 

To follow the race go to https://live.trackmelive.com.au/HB2023/ (live after the race start).

There will also be race updates, photos and videos posted to the Wild&Co Facebook and Instagram pages (@wldnco)

Hells Bells History

Hells Bells was started by Geocentric Outdoors (Craig Bycroft and Louise Foulkes) in 2004 and is Australia’s longest running 24 hour adventure race.

Each year the organisers choose a beautiful location somewhere on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. In the first year over 150 athletes started at the Dayboro Show Grounds catching the train into the CBD to begin the race with an urban rogaine before heading north.

For the first few years there was only a full course option with Fairy Bells being introduced in 2009. The race format hasn’t changed much with race distances and disciplines relatively consistent since the start.

In 2016 Chris Dixon from Wild & Co took over Hells Bells from Sunshine Coast Adventure Racing Legend, David Schloss.

The race is now part of the Adventure Racing World Series Oceania region and race winners get a free place at the Oceania Championship in November.

For more information see;

https://www.hellsbells.com.au/

https://www.wldnco.com/

www.arworldseries.com

Mountain Designs Hells Bells headed to Cotton Tree August 2023!

Cotton Tree, located in the heart of the Sunshine Coast, has been announced as the official start and finish location for the 2023 edition of the Mountain Designs Hells Bells 24hr Adventure Race. 

Date: 5-6 August 2023
Location: Cotton Tree, Qld, Australia
Duration: 24 hour event
Entries: Enter Here
Team size: 2/4 person
Part of the ARWS Oceania Series

Over 400 people including competitors, family and friends from around Australia and the Asia Pacific Region will attend the Mountain Designs Hells Bells 24hr Adventure Race from 5 - 6 August 2023.

The race is held annually on the first weekend in August on the Sunshine Coast. The location of the course is moved each year to a different area to pose exciting new challenges for competitors. 

This year’s location of choice, Cotton Tree, is a 15min drive from the Sunshine Coast Airport and just 70 minutes north of Brisbane. 

Located just north of Brisbane in the heart of the Sunshine Coast, Cotton Tree is known, for it's family-friendly atmosphere, easy access to the Maroochy River, pristine beaches and stunning sunsets.

Chris Dixon, Wild & Co event director says, “We’re very excited to be heading back to Cotton Tree, it's the perfect location to start and finish an Adventure Race. It gives us access to some of the best trails and waterways the Sunshine Coast has to offer.

We've got an exciting new course for Hells Bells 2023 and can't wait to show off trails Hells Bells has never been to before and to re-visit some of our favourites.”

Mountain Designs Hells Bells involves 24hrs of non-stop endurance racing in the major adventure racing disciplines of trekking, mountain biking and kayaking. Mixed gender, Male and Female teams of two or four must navigate their way through an arduous 120+km course that is only revealed to them the day of the race. 

"Fairy Bells" runs simultaneously with Mountain Designs Hells Bells. The Fairy Bells covers just over half the distance but teams have the full 24hrs to complete it. The legs will be challenging but with the additional time available to complete the half course, teams have a greater chance to reach the finish line before time is up. 

The window for registration closes 3 August 2023. Accommodation can be booked through the Visit Sunshine Coast website at: www.visitsunshinecoast.com

For the latest information on the race please visit: www.hellsbells.com.au

The event is made possible thanks to major sponsor, Mountain Designs.

An Epic Mountain Designs Hells Bells 2022 at Kenilworth

3 Points of Contact

This year the annual Mountain Designs Hells Bells 24 hour adventure race was the biggest in its 19 year history, and one of the toughest too.

Ninety teams arrived at the race HQ, set up on the Kenilworth Show Ground by race organisers Wild and Co. and they were preparing to race either the full ‘Hells Bells’ course, or the shorter ‘Fairy Bells’ course.

Both have a 24 hour time limit, and include runs/treks, paddling and mountain biking to checkpoints in back country and wilderness areas.  Finding these requires good map and compass navigation and there are always a few surprises and twists in the course.

All of the teams set off from the Show Ground at 11am, shortly after the course maps had been handed out.

Everyone got wet feet at the start as they had to run across the Mary River to get the first checkpoint; an opening gift from Race Director Chris Dixon!  Then both courses headed towards Kenilworth Bluff, where a summit checkpoint required a lung-busting climb and a rapid descent.

The Hells Bells racers paddled down the Mary River for 13km, and this carried more water than usual, so it was a faster paddle than might have been expected, and there were a few capsizes in the small rapids to add to the fun.

The defending champions in the premier category (for mixed teams of 4), Team 3 Points of Contact, lead after a short bike ride took them to the Bluff, where many of the Fairy Bells teams were already at the top.

They had ridden there directly, and one of the attractions of the race is that racers on both courses meet up throughout the race.  The Fairy Bells racers shared many stages with the Hells Bells racers, and any teams who were falling behind could opt out of some stages. The end result was that all but 7 teams finished the course in 24 hours, having completed as much as they could.

Almost all the rest of the course was set in the Imbil State Forest with teams riding out via dirt roads and trails to find checkpoints on the way to Transition 3 near the junction of Imbil Forest Road and Derrier Road. 

This was race central for a while, and as night fell teams set off on foot orienteering courses to pick up checkpoints in any order.  The Hells Bells teams also had a 20km mountain bike orienteering stage here, so the surrounding forest was full of bobbing headlights going in every direction.

Jan Leverton of Tri Adventure Women

Axe Throwers in the Night

To head back towards Kenilworth both courses had to follow a 25km mountain bike route ‘over Mount Borumba’, taking the infamous Pitsaw Road.  It wasn’t a straightforward ride!

On the way they stopped at checkpoint 10 for a ‘mystery discipline’ and in a first for adventure racing it was ... axe throwing!  The challenge was devised and run by Craig Bycroft and his son, Sam, both dressed in lumberjack shirts of course! 

“It was at the top of big hill, so everyone arrived exhausted and it was a welcome break,” Craig explained. “We could hear the racers’ excitement as they came up the hill and heard the big, Bang! Bang! Bang! as the axes hit the wooden target.  It was the middle of nowhere and there was a lot of speculation on what it might be, but few guessed what it was!”

“Team #23, WMP, were the only team that blitzed it, hitting the bullseyes on all  of their throws straight off, which was incredible.  Everyone else took a little while and some got frustrated, while others just took it as a bit of fun.  There was a fire there and some teams hung around.  We didn’t lose any axes and no one got hurt!”

He added, “The ride was tough and there were quite a few questions about how much further it was and were there any more big hills?”

Majestic Trees in the Imbil State Forest

Pitsaw Punishment

There were, and the ride along Pitsaw Road will be the most memorable stage for most.  The weather didn’t help as rain on Saturday morning turned the trails into a red, muddy quagmire, clogging up the bikes, and forcing teams to push.  There were many weary comments at the finish about it being unrideable.

Jan Leverton, of the Tri Adventure Ladies Team, who were the 3rd team to finish the Fairy Bells course, said, “It was relentless hike-a-bike for quite a few hours and the slippery mud meant many hikes downhill as well.  It was like a pitsaw;  up -down, up-down, up-down, until the final down, which was very steep and slippery. I was glad I didn’t wear my bike shoes!”

After the ride there was a short trek and a final paddle down the Mary River for the Fairy Bells teams to the finish back in Kenilworth. The first team to finish Fairy Bells were ‘Amazing Rejects’ (Stephen Maskiell and Dave Blunden) in 13.16.56.  Tri Adventure Ladies (Jan Leverton and Hayley Kellner) were the first female finishers.  Team Hoodwinked (all male) were the first team of 4 and Team Wwac were the only all female team of 4  to finish the course.

The Hells Bells teams had the same finish but with a tricky extra checkpoint on the paddle stage.  To get CP16 they had to go upstream and were not allowed to carry their kayaks along the bank!

Team Brandon and Gullo + Chatter at Dawn

Repeat Winners

Team ‘Three Points of Contact’ (Gary Sutherland, Clint Falla, Sara Barratt and Russell Stringer), defended their title in 16.45.09, and claimed a place in the ARWS Oceania Championship final at Gold Coast in October.

Sutherland commented on how difficult the navigation was. “We led from the start and kept expecting teams to catch us as the maps were largely inaccurate.  We took extra time and careful route planning once we realised this, but still had more than one go at many checkpoints.”

He added, “The terrain was reasonably physical with 3700m of vert and the quirky axe throwing was a good laugh.  The logistics crew and personnel were spot on and we couldn’t have asked for a better weekend getaway.”

Leverton agreed, “It was a brutal course but stunning at the same time. From riparian land to rainforest and back again!  The event management was faultless and my personal goal now is to upskill on axe-throwing, which was the funniest mystery discipline I have ever done.  It was great to see it happen in our cotton-wool wrapped world!”

Kelsey Harvey & Nathan Munson

Everyone a Winner

All the Tri Adventure teams had a good race.  Team ‘Tri Adventure x Trente AR’ (Oskar Booth and Nick Baker) were quickest on the Hells Bells course, finishing in 16.31.37 and just staying ahead of ‘3 Points of Contact’.   The youth team ‘Tri Adventure Youngies’ (Kelsey Harvey & Nathan Munson) were the 7th mixed team to finish Hells Bells in 21.22.25.

Nathan’s mum, Amie, was racing on the Mountain Designs Wild Women’s team and there was some family rivalry there.  It was close, but the Youngies finished ahead by just 11 minutes!  The Wild Women were the first female team of 4 to finish and the other female team racing, ‘The Dancing Queens’, got to the finish line 3 minutes before the 11am course close time!

Another team pushing the 24 hour deadline were ‘Death and Taxes’, Sandy and Robert Scott.  They were on the winning mixed Fairy Bells team last year, Sandy has been on the reality show SAS Australia, and now the couple wanted to step up to the Hells Bells course for an “extreme date night”.  It was definitely extreme.

“We expected a step up in distance,” said Rob, “but this was a major increase in difficulty compared to last year. This was serious adventure racing!”

The pair took swims on both the paddle stages, and one of their highlights was “the gorgeous forest on the climb to Kenilworth Bluff, and the spectacular view over the valley, and above the clouds”.

Rob summed up their race.  “We shuffled over the finish line at 23 hours and 29 minutes, totally exhausted and overwhelmed. What a mission!

“If adventure racing is the ‘special forces’ of endurance sports, this year’s Hells Bells took no prisoners!  Thank you so much to the volunteers at the TA’s who reassured us, fed us and gave advice in the middle of the night, to the other competitors who gave us a spare torch when one of ours died, and to Chris and the Wild & Co. team for an incredible event.  While the bikes might be in the shed a few days after that, we will definitely be back next year!”

You can find the full results and review the tracking at https://www.hellsbells.com.au/

The next adventure race from Wild & Co is the Terra Nova 24 hour race in Shoalhaven NSW over the weekend of Sept 3/4th. 

https://www.terranova24.com.au/

Hells Bells and Terra Nova are part of the Adventure Racing World Series Oceania calendar and Wild and Co. will organise the ARWS Oceania Championship at Gold Coast from Oct. 22-24th. The race has a $10,000 prize pool and the winners will receive a free place in the Adventure Racing World Championship in South Africa in 2023.

Hells Bells! It’s the biggest 24 Hour Adventure Race yet!

The Mountain Designs Hells Bells adventure race returns this weekend (August 6/7th), and it will be the biggest 24 hour adventure race ever held in Australia.

A total of 90 teams (240 racers) will arrive at Kenilworth Show Grounds, ready to take on 24 hours of trekking, mountain biking, paddling and navigation on the trails and rivers of the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

The course details will remain secret until teams are given their instructions shortly before the start by Race Director Chris Dixon of outdoor events company Wild & Co, but racers know they are in for a hell of a challenge, whichever category they race.

Those on the ‘Hells Bells’ course can expect to race around 120km, and the teams racing the ‘Fairy Bells’ course 80km.  Both teams have 24 hours to finish the course, which is a linear route, finishing back at Race HQ at Kenilworth.

It’s not all about the distance, whether racing as a pair or in teams of 3 or 4, good teamwork is needed as everyone has to stay together and finish together.   All the teams will be navigating in the dark, the slower teams for much longer than the elite racers, and there are the climbs and the weather to cope with.

This year Dixon has promised a slightly shorter course to “make up for the extra elevation” and that will be no surprise to teams who know the area.  The racers have been given a plan of the stages and expected timings, so not everything will come as a surprise. The Hells Bells racers know they will start with a 13km paddle stage ...  they just don’t know where the start is!

Last year’s Hells Bells winners, Team 3 Points of Contact, are back to defend their title.  They race in the premier category, which is for mixed teams of 4, and these teams score points towards the Adventure Racing World Series Oceania rankings.

Last year they finished in 16.06.19 and only the all-male Team ‘Out all Night’ were close to them.  ‘Out all Night’ will be back to challenge them again, but the title holders will also expect a strong challenge from ‘Team Rogue’.  They are one of the country’s top teams, with many expedition races and race wins on their record.

Team Captain Liam St. Pierre said, “We are expecting a tough little race at Hells Bells this year.  There is no flat terrain around the venue, so I am sure there will be some big climbs and a few hike-a-bikes.  Judging by the route planner, there will be a lot of short, sharp stages, so efficient transitions will be the key to a good race.”

It is a race he knows well. “Hells Bells was my first long adventure race, back in 2007, and this will be the 13th edition I’ve raced.” 

Like all good sportsmen he is playing down his team’s chances of another win before the race.  “We are just keeping it pretty casual with our competitive aspirations and focussing on completing the course, minimising mistakes and having a fun time together.”

In the All-Female category last year’s winners, Mountain Designs Wild Women, are also back and will be racing one other all-female team - ‘The Dancing Queens’.

Dixon thinks the racing in the Fairy Bells race will be wide open, and of course, for most teams it will all be about achieving a finish.  A full course finish is the goal for most, but how many will achieve that this year?

Last year the top mixed team of 4 on the Fairy Bells course were ‘Buckleys and None’.  Two of the team, Gary Fahey and Sandy Scott have taken part in the reality TV show, SAS Australia, and strengthened by that experience Scott is back again this year with her husband Rob, this time to race the Hells Bells course.

“We are back for the full course as a team of two and as my husband Rob is a doctor and I’m an accountant, our team name had to be Death and Taxes!”  She said, adding, “We even a team logo this year.” 

“Last year I was lucky enough to be a recruit on the TV show SAS Australia. I was looking for challenges that pushed me mentality as well as physically.  Adventure Racing prepared me to endure the days of low calories, lack of sleep and maintain focus on achieving the goal of making it to the finish.  On SAS Australia within days you feel bonded to people you've only just met through that shared adversity. The same can be said for Adventure Racing.

“I highly recommend AR to anyone wanting to try something new or step out of their comfort zone.  You will find all of the teams willing to support and encourage you.  It's a great community and we are lucky to be a part of it.”

She added, “My husband and I see Hells Bells as an extreme date night!”

You can follow Death and Taxes, and all of the teams, and see where the courses take them, by following the live satellite tracking at https://www.hellsbells.com.au/live-tracking

The races start at 11.00am Saturday and there will be news and commentary on the Wild and Co. Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/wldnco

Hells Bells is the second race in this year’s Adventure Racing World Series Oceania calendar. 

Checkpoints & Challenges at the Mountain Designs Hells Bells Adventure Race in Mooloolaba

Spectacular sunset over the Glass House Mountains

Adventure racing returned to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast last weekend when the Mountain Designs Hells Bells race, the oldest 24 hour event in the country, started and finished in Mooloolaba.

The race attracted a strong local entry after being rescheduled from earlier in the year, with many competitors new to adventure racing among the 53 teams who arrived to tackle either the full or half courses.   When they entered they didn’t know where the courses would go, but they came expecting an overnight adventure, combining paddling, trekking, mountain biking and map and compass navigation. 

The 24 hour ‘Hells Bells’ racers started on the beach, with teams paddling across the bay to the river mouth to start an 11km stage, which took them up river.  A brisk northerly wind sprang up before the start and the racers found themselves paddling out through the surf, with some of them taking an early swim.  

A few teams chose instead to run with their sit-on-top kayaks along the beach to the river mouth rather than set off into the surf – adventure racing is all about teams making choices.  They had to make choices anyway as the checkpoints could be collected either on the opening stage, or left to the end of the race. 

Kim Beckinsale of the experienced Mountain Designs Wild Women team explained, “We moved down the beach a bit for an easier launch, and were up for an ocean paddle to start the race on a fantastic spring weekend for racing. The tide wasn’t good to get the checkpoints at the start of the race, but we didn’t want to leave them to be done at the end and in the dark, so we pressed on to get them all.”

For the teams on the half course ‘Fairy Bells’ course, there was no choice but to get wet at the start as they swam across the river during their opening 7km ‘Urban Paths Trek’ around town, before picking up the kayaks left by the Hells Bells racers for their own river paddle stage.

Both courses then combined some fast mountain biking stages (if you were navigating well and going the right way) and short treks which looped out and back to the transition areas.  Hells Bells was 140km+, taking teams out to the Glass House Mountains and back, while Fairy Bells was 90km+, going out to and around the Ewan Maddock Reservoir.

Navigating to find the best route (and the checkpoints) is an essential part of adventure racing and as teams raced into the night this became much harder with some teams taking detours which lengthened their route and tested their resolve and teamwork.  (Those wanting a shorter route could choose to miss checkpoints and take time penalties as the aim is for teams to achieve as much as they can and get to the finish.)

Even those who had raced Hells Bells and other events in the area before, found themselves in new places and enjoying new views, especially as the fantastic sunset over the Glass House Mountains.

“I loved there were so many small stages, with the four short treks into the hills,” said Beckinsale. “It meant there were lots of transitions, which is all part of racing, and at some we had to mark up the maps for the trek ahead as they were not on our maps, which puts the pressure on and keeps you on your toes!  It is more manageable for the beginners too, as really long stages can be off putting.”

“Chris (Dixon) did a great job with the route and maps. We went a long way and everyone had a good time out there.  For us the sunset silhouette of the Glass House Mountains was superb and then the sunrise on the blue water as we paddled to the finish was spectacular. Like all the teams, we were glad to be out there on such a perfect weekend.”

The Mountain Designs Wild Women were one of the two all-female teams on the Hells Bells course and they were up for the challenge of racing the many all-male teams taking part, taking 4th place overall in a time of 18.58.43. (Only two of the 14 all male teams got ahead of them.)

The premier racing category is always for mixed teams of 4 and team ’3 Points of Contact’ were comfortable winners in this, and the overall winners.  With very experienced racers Gary Sutherland and Russell Stringer in the team, they were probably pre-race favourites, but Sutherland explained, “For me it was great having Laura (Newton) join us as she is a newbie to adventure racing, and to be with my mate Clint (Falla), who is coming back from injury and is quite new to the sport as he’s done 4 races.”

He added, “The race ran smoothly for us. It was a flatter than normal course and took us on a lot of cool trails Russell and I had never been on, and we have been racing in the area for 15 years. Our favourite sections were the running and riding around Mount Beerburrum.”

Their winning time was 16.06.19, well ahead of any other mixed teams, but they were pushed all the way by the all-male team ‘Out all Night’ who finished second overall in 16.30.17.

In the Fairy Bells race the overall winners were Tim Price and Scott Cuthbertson, racing as ‘Team Dodgy Backs and Shakti Mats’. They finished in 8.59.20 after a close contest with the ‘Back Up Team’ and team ‘Mr Wrong and Mr Wright’, also racing as pairs.  The top 4 person mixed team were ‘Buckleys and None’ in 12.12.51, and the best all female team were ‘Tri Adventure Girls’, who finished in 9.55.30, taking 4th overall.

Whichever course they did, and however many checkpoints they got, for all the teams the weekend was about doing the best they could and enjoying the course, the scenery and the Spring weather.  After all the teams had returned to Mooloolaba there was an informal, open air prize giving in the park, attended by many families, who had brought the kids along for a beach day to round off the weekend.

Chris Dixon of Wild & Co, gave out the prizes and said, “It’s great to see the race so well supported, and to have lots of new adventure racers come and give the course a go.  Mooloolaba has been a fantastic race venue for us, teams are buzzing about the course and I know they’ll be back to explore it a bit more at their leisure .. . and maybe to use it for training for their next race!”

For the full results and more information on the race visit www.hellsbells.com.au

The Mountain Designs Hells Bells race is organised by adventure racing event management company Wild & Co. and is part of the Adventure Racing World Series Oceania calendar.

The next race from Wild & Co is Terra Nova in NSW held in April 2022. Find out more at www.terranova24.com.au  

For more information visit www.wldnco.com.au

Mooloolaba will be the start and finish of Mountain Designs Hells Bells 2021!

Famous for it’s family friendly beach, fresh seafood and…. a loo with a killer view, Mooloolaba in the heart of the Sunshine Coast will be the location of Hells Bells 2021!

Mooloolaba is located 60mins north drive north of Brisbane and just 20mins from the Sunshine Coast airport.

Over 400 competitors, and supporters from around south east Queensland and country will attend the Mountain Designs Hells Bells 24hr Adventure Race over the 7-8 August 2021 weekend.

We expect this year to be one of Hells Bells biggest, and with entries open until 4 August teams should get in quick as numbers are limited.

Accommodation can be booked through the discover Mooloolaba website at: discovermooloolaba.com.au

Mountain Designs Hells Bells involves 24hrs of non-stop endurance racing in the major disciplines of trekking, mountain biking and kayaking. Mixed, Male or Female teams of two or four must navigate their way through an arduous 120+km course that is only revealed to them the day of the race. The Mountain Designs Hells Bells is held annually in August on the Sunshine Coast and is Australia’s longest running 24hr Adventure Race. The race is moved each year to a different location between Bribie Island in the South and Rainbow Beach in the North with exciting new challenges for the teams.

The ‘Fairy Bells’ adventure race is run at the same time as the Mountain Designs Hells Bells. It covers only half the distance but teams have the full 24hrs to complete it. The legs will be challenging, but with the additional time available to complete the half course, teams have a greater chance to reach the finish line.

Teams will also score points in the Adventure Racing World Series Oceania rankings, through which teams can qualify for the Regional and World Championships.

The event receives enormous support from its major sponsor Mountain Designs each year.

You can find out all about the race and see the link for the live tracking at: www.hellsbells.com.au

The race is organised by Wild and Co. who run adventure sports competitions throughout the year (www.wldnco.com) and is part of the ARWS Oceania series (arworldseries.com/arws-oceania).