Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge
Tasmanian Team Takes Iron Grip on Webber Title
News Release / 10.12.2011
Born and bred Tasmanian Padgett has been joined by Hobart resident Hinder for this five day endurance race, and except for a navigational error on Friday on Bruny island which saw them lose over an hour and briefly the lead, they have clearly been the team to beat.
The fourth day started with a 12-kilometre run and a 35-kilometre mountain bike before competitors faced a grueling ropes course and a dramatic 40 metre abseil from the end of the Tahune Airwalk.
That survived, the 33 teams had another 20 kilometres on the bike with a testing 15-kilometre paddle down the Huon River to the Judbury Recreation Reserve to finish the day.
Padgett knows the final day in Hobart, where each team will need to ascend nine of the surrounding hills will be tough, and that victory might still slip from his grasp
“I’d feel a lot better if it was just a race up to Mt Wellington and back, but its not and there will be a lot of navigation involved, so we just a little bit nervous,� Padgett said.
“Still Mark (Hinder) knows Hobart well and has an idea of which peaks they might be so, we’re just going to have ensure that we are really organized and stay cool.
“On Thursday we really made some big mistakes and we learnt a lot from that. Today we got lost but we managed to sort it out pretty quickly which saved the day for us.�
The Renault-Garmin combination of Frenchman Sylvian Camus and Rene Rovera started the penultimate day just 17 minutes behind Team Iron House and had high hopes of making a charge. But the rugged Tasmanian bush ruined those plans as they got lost on the mountain bike leg and plummeted out of contention.
The big mover for a second day in a row was again Team Tasmania, Mark Webber’s own outfit, now with ironman great Guy Andrews and triathlete Darren Clarke flying the flag.
The pair started in fourth place, but after the demise of the Renault-Garmin team and with Team Pure Tasmania’s Emma Weitnauer and Jarad Kohlar copping a 40-minute penalty for missing a control point, Andrews and Clarke have moved to second.
“It was just amazing out there today,� Andrews said.
“Now we've just got one day to go. It’s not over yet but we’re still a fair way behind.�
AFL legend Glenn Archer survived a second day in the charity race, and like the rest of the field, his focus has now moved to the finish line and the chance to rest his aching body.
The final day is one of tactics, with rewards coming for the team that can get to as many of the nine hills around Hobart as quickly as possible, using only foot or kayak for transport.
The wily old campaigners from Team Tasmania might yet deliver victory to Webber, but in the eyes of most, it will be Team Iron House that takes the Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge title at the Henry Jones Art Hotel finish tomorrow.
<b>OVERALL TOP FOUR<b> – Placings after Day 4(Provisional)

1. Team Iron House
2. Team Tasmania
3. Team Pure Tasmania
4. Renault-Garmin
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