Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge

How the race was won

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:23:01 +1100

See how team positions changed through the race for the 5-day elite, 5-day enthusiast and 3-day categories in these new race charts.

Webber delighted with this year's Challenge

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:17:27 +1100

Webber delighted with this year's Challenge:

Keeping an eye on the Challenge was high on Mark Webber’s agenda as he travelled the globe following his departure from the event. This is what he thought of this year’s competition…

"Mark Webber wanted to place people outside their comfort zone and get them challenging themselves..."

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:39:00 +1100

““Mark Webber wanted to place people outside their comfort zone and get them challenging themselves and we achieved that. Tasmania is a unique location and an event like this, which can test everyone from elite to enthusiast, just shows what the human body can do, whatever shape it’s in! It’s been great to see everyone develop tremendously as adventure racers over the week and we can’t wait for next year…””

- John Jacoby, Challenge course director

VIDEO: Highlights of the final day

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:17:55 +1100

VIDEO: Highlights of the final day:

The 2011 Challenge reached its conclusion in Hobart on Sunday - here’s all the action of the final day

Pics of the closing ceremony are up now - take a look in the...

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:49:44 +1100

Pics of the closing ceremony are up now - take a look in the gallery…

The event came to a close with a luxurious celebration at the...

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:08:51 +1100

The event came to a close with a luxurious celebration at the Henry Jones Art Hotel last night. Competitors, sponsors, organisers and volunteers all enjoyed fine food and a great party atmosphere as new friends exchanged stories of the week. Competitors received Tasmania-shaped medals for their efforts and trophies were handed out to the top teams in each category.

Official Final Results

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:46:44 +1100

Official Final Results:

The final results of the 2011 Challenge are in and the category podiums are…

Van Diemen Cup - Elite (5-day)

1. Team Iron House - Mark Padgett /Mark Hinder

2. Team Tasmania - Guy Andrews / Darren Clarke / Mark Webber

3. Team Pure Tasmania - Emma Weitnauer / Jarad Kohlar

Van Diemen Cup - Enthusiast (5-day)

1. Team Xtech - Tim Robinson / Dean Hemborrow

2. Team Save the Tasmanian Devils - Adrian Petrie / Sean Mennitz

3. Team Quad Octo - David Moffatt / Lindy Hayward

Ambassador Cup (3-day)

1. Team DWS 11 - Justin Needham / Edward Mallet

2. Team CARMA - Corbet Wilson / Andrew Smith

3. Team DWS 14 - Brendan Walker / Bradley Anderson

Challenger Cup (1-day)

1. Team Tri Adventure Aunties - Jan Leverton / Kim Beckinsale

2. Brian Gripske (individual)

3. Team Renault - Gustave Padiha / Anthony Musson

Hear the views of the top three finishers in clips from the...

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:22:05 +1100

Hear the views of the top three finishers in clips from the post-race interviews

"We’ve done 35 hours of racing this week and I’ve never done more than 24 hours of exercise in a..."

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:44:00 +1100

““We’ve done 35 hours of racing this week and I’ve never done more than 24 hours of exercise in a week! We’ve done all that at race pace, and navigating, so it’s pretty mentally tough. The scenery was amazing and the whole experience was incredible.””

- Mark Hinder, Team Iron House - winners of the 2011 Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge

"We just didn’t want to throw it away today. We made some big mistakes on day three and maybe that..."

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:41:04 +1100

““We just didn’t want to throw it away today. We made some big mistakes on day three and maybe that was a good thing, it made us a bit more focused on getting it right today. At the front we have had to race hard for all five days, so we’re pretty stoked with that.””

- Mark Padgett, Team Iron House - winners of the 2011 Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge

More scenes from the finish as the second and third teams...

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:16:20 +1100

More scenes from the finish as the second and third teams arrive.

The winners arrive at the finish line on Hobart’s...

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:10:26 +1100

The winners arrive at the finish line on Hobart’s waterfront

Team Iron House wins the Challenge

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:03:23 +1100

The top teams have crossed the finish line at the Henry Jones Art Hotel and it’s Team Iron House, of Mark Padgett and Mark Hinder, who have taken victory in this year’s Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge. Team Tasmania’s Guy Andrews and Darren Clarke secured second and Emma Weitnauer and Jarad Kolhar, of Pure Tasmania taking the final podium place.

The provisional top six finishers are…

1. Iron House - 18h42m07s

2. Team Tasmania - 19h35m23s

3. Pure Tasmania - 20h06m17s

4. Renault-Garmin 2 - 20h11m39s

5. Rexona - 21h03m07s

6. Renault Garmin 1 - 21h23m12s

Finish time

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 12:33:13 +1100

Teams are making good progress across the final day. Teams need to be in by 3pm but there is a chance that the top teams could be back here much earlier - even around 2pm.

Race update

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 11:53:45 +1100

An update from the course, as we work out how the lead teams are travelling around Hobart…

Race leaders Team Iron House and third-placed Team Pure Tasmania are travelling together at the moment. They paddled to the Queens Domain and back then biked across the bridge to collect the three checkpoints on the other side of the river. From there, it’s back to Knocklofty and then to south and west Hobart for the remaining five checkpoints.

Second placed Team Tasmania paddled straight across to Rosny and did the three checkpoints over there first. They then paddled back to do the Queens Domain before setting off on the same route as their first and third placed rivals.

There is currently little time difference between the lead three teams.

All the lead teams opted to start on the kayaks - Team Iron...

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 10:14:20 +1100

All the lead teams opted to start on the kayaks - Team Iron House went to the Domain, Team Tasmania set off across the River Derwent to Rosny. From there, it’s anyone’s guess…!

Competitors set off at the start, right outside the Henry Jones...

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 10:11:43 +1100

Competitors set off at the start, right outside the Henry Jones Art Hotel in Hobart

It’s organised chaos as the unique multiple option course sees different teams choosing different disciplines and heading off in different directions. So many strategies - it’s going to be a fascinating day!

Course revealed

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 09:48:17 +1100

The course was handed out to teams at 8:30am, giving them 30 minutes to plan their route before the start. Here’s what some of them thought…

Team Iron House (1^st)

Mark Hinder said: “The route’s pretty easy. You just have to kayak as little as possible and then get as many checkpoints as you can on the bike, but it’s going to be a mass start on the kayak because most people are going to kayak. It’s imperative that we get out quick on the kayak, paddle to the domain, then straight back and not use the boat again after that. I’m a bit nervous because we don’t know exactly what’s going on.”

Team Tasmania (3rd)

Jarad Kohlar: “It looks a lot easier than what I thought it would be today. I think there wil definitely be teams finishing well before 3pm, and local knowledge, knowing Hobart, will be a big advantage. My team-mate Emma’s from Hobart so I’ve given the map to her today because she’s like ‘ah, I know where that is’ and I’ve no idea.”

“Iron House guys are locals too, so they know what’s going on, but second place, Team Tasmania, are both from the mainland and we’re about half an hour behind them overall, so it’s going to be interesting. I think second might be possible, but realistically, if I was a betting man, I’d be putting money on Iron House to win…”

Team Red Bull (7th)

Rick Kelly: “Kayaking first is the best bet because it’s the one thing we don’t like and the weather could go bad as well. I’m a bit nervous, there’s a lot of nav involved, we don’t know the area, and nav hasn’t been our strong point so far. Seems to be a lot of biking. We go good on foot and on the bike, compared to paddling. Mistakes hurt big time today.”

Ryan Sandes: “It may be better to bike across to the other side of the river and just paddle to that one place in the domain. If it’s windy we’ll get smashed and get soaked. I don’t know.”

The final day in Hobart: Nine checkpoints. Six hours. Go get...

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 09:16:05 +1100

The final day in Hobart: Nine checkpoints. Six hours. Go get them all, however you can (except from using a taxi or public transport!). Simple…

VIDEO: Day Five preview

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 01:53:29 +1100

VIDEO: Day Five preview:

This is it. The final day of the 2011 Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge is upon us. It takes part in Hobart, one of the world’s most picturesque cities, and here the F1 driver and adventurer reveals his thoughts about day five.