Legend Expedition Race - Great Ocean Road
Mountain Designs Wild Women Historic Win at Legend XPD
Rob Howard / 02.03.2024
When the Mountain Designs Wild Women team won the 2024 Legend Expedition Race it was a historic moment in adventure racing history – the first time an all-women’s team had won an Adventure Racing World Series Qualifier, or any major international adventure race.
The team of Kim Beckinsale, Cass Kimlin, Alina Mc Master and Del Lloyd crossed the finish line at Apollo Bay in a time 73 hours 09 minutes and 27 seconds to take the title after completing the 450km course set around the Great Ocean Road and Otway Ranges.
Team MMI - The Band had crossed the line ahead of them in 71:04:53, but carried a 4 hour penalty for two missed checkpoints on the final paddle rogaine stage.
The two teams had a great competition and swapped the lead throughout the race, but the final ‘paddle stage’ was decisive. After the river mouth was dredged the day before the teams arrived the lakes the checkpoints were set on drained, leaving deep mud flats. Mountain Designs Wild Women spent 4 hours pulling, pushing and sliding through the deep, stinking mud to get all of the checkpoints, while MMI – The Band turned back after getting stuck and losing shoes.
The Mountain Design’s Wild Women’s team has been lead for a decade by inspirational team captain Kim Beckinsale and has an incredible 78 years of AR experience between them! (And a combined age of 197.) They have raced Eco-Challenges, XPD’s, Primal Quests, Coast to Coast and AR World Championships over 25 years and at different times been regular competitors in all of the races throughout the history of adventure racing in Australia.
All that experience came together this year to secure their historic win an after finishing, Beckinsale said, “I’m so proud of our team for achieving this result. Alina McMaster Cass Kimlin and Del Lloyd you are strong, smart, tenacious and simply awesome to race with!
"Thanks to Mountain Designs for backing us all the way and to all of our families and friends for their support and encouragement. We can't thank the TA and other event volunteers enough for their time, energy and enthusiasm that they too bring to this legendary event.
"Finally, thanks to Chris Dixon from Wild&Co for once again piecing together a spectacular, but extremely challenging, course for us crazy Wild Women to test ourselves on. The course had everything; ocean paddling, awesome MTB trails, stunning views and so much more.”
For more information on the race see www.wldnco.com and to find out more about the Mountain Designs Wild Women team visit their blog at https://mountaindesignswildwomen.blogspot.com/
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