Mad May

A massive May has ended with the completion of the third event on the BlackHeart Events May calendar - the Coffs Harbour Sprint Adventure race.

Starting on Coffs Harbour's iconic jetty, competitors got their first real taste of adventure as the first checkpoint was to be found in the water, attached to three very excited volunteers who decided to give the competitors a thorough drenching (and shoe soaking). Shoe's dripping, competitors then ran up to the Beacon Hill lookout before arriving at TA1 via the Coffs Creek boardwalk.

At TA1, teams split up with the first half of the field paddling up Coffs Creek to the Coffs Harbour Showgrounds, while the other half orienteered their way to the showground via the Coffs Creek Walk on the North side of the creek. TA2 saw teams swap disciplines for the return to Park Beach Reserve, and TA3.

Onto the bikes, competitors were faced with a challenging ride through the northern extremities of the city, with visits to Park Beach, Diggers and Macauleys headlands, and the National Marine Science centre, before returning to the centre of the city and a mystery orienteer through the Botanic Gardens.

Only receiving the map at the entrance to the Botanic Gardens, teams were required to identify certain plant species once they arrived at each checkpoint, and write down a question relating to the plants that they found. Did you know that the Ctenanthe Oppenheimiana 'tricolour' is known as the Never Never Plant? The Coffs competitors sure do....... now! Some teams rose to this challenge while some were left looking like stunned deer caught in the high-beam.