X-Marathon adventure race

The Next Race for ARWS Oceania is the X-Marathon Adventure Race

Press Release / 26.04.2023

The first X-Marathon was held in 2011 and since then, almost every year Serge and Maria, race directors, have been setting up premier courses for the top Australian teams.

This gruelling challenge used to be accessible only to extreme athletes. This year, however, race organisers made exciting additions to the regular schedule and included more accessible courses. With 4, 12 and 24-hour distances, the event suits anyone from elite athletes to people keen to experience a challenging adventure.

In 2023 the race HQ is Lake Entrance, East Gippsland's central town, one of the popular holiday destinations, the perfect playground for this event. The location provides easy access to a waterway, a spectacular coastline and thrilling mountain bike trails.

Competitors can choose from three courses with lengths of about 120km, 80km or 20km of non-stop multi-sport action, with stages comprising trekking, mountain-biking, kayaking and plenty of navigation, taking competitors to hidden gems across the East Gippsland – it's all kinds of wonderland in one adventure.

Event organisers anticipate the winning time to be around 15 hours for the Full course, 6 hours for the Half and 2 hours for the Mini and all teams to be complete within 24, 12 and 4 hours, respectively. Shortcuts will be available for novice or slower teams, meaning the drama and excitement of adventure racing will be more accessible for all.

The race will feature the famous 90-mile beach, multiple mountain bike parks, historical rail trails, Australia's most extensive inland lakes system, wild national parks and a course designed by organisers with 20-year adventure racing experience from all around the world.

The race is supported by East Gippsland Shire Council, and Mayor Cr Mark Reeves said the influx of visitors from far and wide will provide a welcome boost for the town's economy.

"Hosting the X-Marathon in Lakes Entrance provides an opportunity for us to showcase the area's beautiful natural landscape and the town's unmatched hospitality," Cr Reeves said.

"The waters and trails around Lakes Entrance will provide the ultimate challenge for the X-Marathon competitors and we encourage every athlete to keep exploring the region after the event has finished," he said.

This year is notable with exceptional female participation, with multiple ladies' teams registered for the race. One of the racers, Jan Leverton from the famous Tri Adventure vintage team, said: 

"Adventure Racing certainly takes you to some fabulous places, and this is why I have been involved in this sport for the last 20 years – there's always somewhere and something new to discover…

I have decided to travel to Victoria this year to compete in the X-Marathon adventure racing event, and the main reason is that it's being held in beautiful Lakes Entrance – the town of my birth. Yes, I know a bit about Lakes Entrance because I was born there 63 years ago but only lived there for three years before our family moved to another area of Gippsland.  

This town, which was once just a sleeping little fishing village, is now a thriving tourist town – but I know there are hidden gems that I haven't seen, so this will be my chance to uncover some of the beautiful areas and challenge myself with the course that the Adventure Junkies have set up. This will be the final X-Marathon in East Gippsland, and I am very excited to be part of it."

The logistic planner is published , and the teams are planning their gear now so they can come prepared to the race HQ and jump straight into their route planning when they get the maps.

xmarathon.com.au/downloads/X-Marathon-2023-final-race-information.pdf

The event will have live tracking, and all details will be up on the race Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/adventurejunkie.com.au