So you’ve seen epic pictures on social of mud-soaked warriors flying down rapids in rafts, or dragging their mountain bikes through the jungle, and you’ve been wondering, ‘what on earth is this about?’ - and look, it’s a fair question.
The 2023 edition of Red Bull Defiance went down recently at South Mission Beach in Far North Queensland. Over 2.5 days the teams of 2 truly defied their limits, battling not just some of Australia’s toughest terrain, but the elements, and the rest of the field.
Beautiful sun-kissed beaches gave way to rocky rapids, dense rainforests, and even a sprinkling of classic Aussie bush, 2 hours south of Cairns.
So what 10 moments defined Red Bull Defiance?
01
The Prologue
While not officially part of the 2-day event, the prologue serves an important purpose - it sets the starting order for the following day’s lead activity - rafting. The field assembles on the soft sand at South Mission Beach for a 1km sand run, followed by a 1km kayak.
Sounds easy enough, right? Well…kinda. Conditions were rough - we’re talking soft, sinking sand on the run, and then some pretty choppy water for the kayak. Add in a little downpour and a lot of teams were probably wondering what they had gotten themselves into.
02
Rafting the Tully River
Teams were bussed out to the stunning Tully Gorge National Park to start Day 1 with an 11km raft along the Tully River in cool conditions.
It’s a Grade 3-4 river, offering a number of white-knuckle moments sprinkled amongst some pretty serious paddling. Upon reaching the shore, competitors had to carry their raft up to the road before entering the first transition zone of Red Bull Defiance - a chance to quickly refuel and refocus before embarking on a very challenging run leg.
03
Trail running Coachable Creek Track
This is the activity that took the biggest toll on quite a few of our teams. A 23km trail run that had around 1,100 metres of elevation gain. While the run starts out on pretty reasonable fire roads along the river, it pretty quickly veers away and starts heading aggressively uphill through dense forest. Oh, and watch out for the leeches.
Legend triathlete Courtney Astkinson, one of the brains behind the event broke down just how quickly conditions can go from tricky to near impossible in the blink of an eye.
“They don’t call it the misty mountains for nothing! Trail runs don’t get much tougher than the 700m or so vertical slippery, muddy, rooty single-track that faced us in 2023. I was the 3rd to 4th person through the track but can only imagine what it was like 50-80 people back! Like a mudslide in parts. Great fun though, and that was just the start of the day!”
04
Mountain Biking Gorrell Trail
If the 1,100m of uphill on the run wasn’t enough, our competitors came out of the second transition zone ready to mountain bike through some equally stunning and harsh terrain. For the next 53km, teams climbed over 1,100m through a thick rainforest that featured a number of technical challenges.
It’s hard to find a flow when you’re constantly on and off the bike, navigating river crossings or slippery rock formations.
Respite from the rainforest comes with a handful of kilometres remaining, as the dense canopy makes way for a more typical farm landscape - many competitors having to negotiate clear passage with a herd of ~100 cows who had made the dirt road their gathering space for the day.
05
The Close of Day One
As if all this wasn’t enough, competitors were greeted with a customary Red Bull Defiance surprise challenge as they approached the finish chute on Day 1 - monkey bars. After more than 7 hours of activity (for most), the sight of 10 rungs of monkey bars must have felt like a sick joke. However, waiting beyond the monkey bars was the finish line, and a chance to rest and recover before a big Day 2.
As the Hunt brothers' team crossed the line first on day 1, Robbie said the pair were satisfied with the work they had put in. “Finish lines always bring a huge sense of relief, and that was certainly the overwhelming feeling. We had said that we wanted the first day to be as hard and filthy as possible. We got our wish!
We were stoked to put together a solid, all-round performance on a very memorable day of racing.”
06
The kayak to Dunk Island
After a good sleep and plenty of recovery carbs, our competitors woke on Sunday morning to choppy seas and the prospect of a long 4km paddle to Dunk Island. And while the fastest teams made landfall in around 40 minutes, some competitors had a tougher time getting their vessel to Dunk; the combination of strong winds and rough seas feeling like it was two steps forward, one step back the entire time.
For their trouble, competitors were rewarded with glimpses of the sun as it battled to burst through the morning cloud. After around an hour, most teams were on Dunk and headed into the thick of it for an 11km trail run.
07
Trail running Dunk Island
While tough, this run was mentioned by many as their highlight of Red Bull Defiance and it’s easy to see why. After an initial brutal climb to get up onto the peak of Dunk Island, competitors run along the ridge and get rewarded with a stunning perspective before eventually enjoying a well-earned downhill section for a total of 10km covered.
The sun had finally gotten out of bed, and the field were one step closer to conquering Red Bull Defiance.
Competitor Tomie Lise confirmed the run on Dunk Island as a highlight, “Dunk Island was amazing. It was a mix of ocean views back to the mainland, jungle, flowing single track and some sand running. I loved every second of it.”
08
Mountain biking Musgravea Track
After a wind assisted paddle back from Dunk Island, competitors transitioned to their bikes for the final time for a fast and furious mountain bike stage through Djiru National Park. The top teams came through in just over an hour, making light work of the 24km stage as the sun started to warm things up.
The mountain bike section ended with 3km of fast road riding as competitors made their way south for a spectacular final leg of Red Bull Defiance.
09
Trail running Kennedy Trail
Competitors swapped mountain bikes for trail shoes for the final 10km of the event, with a challenging but beautiful run through private property near the Kennedy Trail. It’s harsh terrain and very open - by now the sun beating down and competitors feeling the effects of 2 hard days of racing.
After around 4km the run joins the popular Kennedy Trail as it winds around some of the most spectacular coastline in Australia. Competitors swap trail for sand, back to trail, and the back to sand for the final kilometres as they approach the finish.
Finally, after 2 days of racing and more than 10 hours of adventure, teams head off the beach and over the finish line, limits defied.
10
Wrap Up
It’s a tough, daunting event for sure, but there’s a camaraderie amongst competitors that makes it special. Each team will have its strengths; legs that one team finds easier will be harder for another, and vice versa. Red Bull Defiance is a challenge, but it’s a challenge worth taking on and one that might just make you realise how tough you are.
Head to the Red Bull Defiance page to find out who won and check out some incredible images from this years event!
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