Kokoda Challenge – I survived.
Posted by: Audrey Post date: July 23rd, 2009
The weekend was off to a pleasant start – our Friday night accommodation at Mermaid Beach was comfortable, the Chinese food for dinner was yummy and the two bottles of red wine went down a treat! We were all up at 4am on Saturday morning, and after a quick breakfast, we were off to Mudgeeraba for the start.
When we got there, Francis and Will headed off to the finish line to drop off Will’s car, while Steve and Cara and I stayed warm in the pub next door to the registration hall. When the boys returned, Will, Cara, Steve and I picked up race numbers and chips from the registration desk, and it was back into the warm pub for a while. We were a bit concerned about the outcome of the weekend when Will got lost in the carpark before we even started. 
The start line was busy. 300 teams of four, with associated family, friends and crew can create quite a racket. After a rendition of the Last Post, and a recital of Laurence Binyon’s familiar verse “They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old”, the guns fired, and the race was on.
The first stretch was fairly straightforward, a fair part was through suburbia and flat parkland, although there was a nice bitumen climb up towards the first checkpoint. The route had changed since last year, with the bitumen climb designed to separate the teams so it wasn’t like a traffic jam at that first checkpoint. We were required to swipe our chips at each checkpoint, and couldn’t move on until we had all our team together.
After that first checkpoint, the trek went virtually straight downhill for a few hundred metres. Because it was steep and narrow, there was still a traffic jam. I unintentionally shaved seconds off my time by skidding a few metres on my backside. At this point, we lost Will again. Steve and I thought he was up ahead, but Cara thought he was behind. We waited a while, but there was no sign of him, so we kept walking, figuring we’d catch up again at Checkpoint 2, which was the first checkpoint where we’d hook up with our crew.
As it was, Will came into the checkpoint around 20 minutes after us. He thought we were behind him, so waited a while for us. Note to self – stay within view of team mates! We had hired a Wicked Camper, with some non risque graphics, for our crew vehicle, and it was brilliant. We had some snacks and drinks, and headed off again.
After checkpoint 2, the good stuff started. Hills, hills, and for something completely different, more hills. It was a good 22km or so before we saw our crew again. Some of the views from the top of the ridges were stunning. You could see all the way to the ocean, which was sparkling in the sun. There was one of the steeper climbs in this stretch, up and over a ridge and through a couple of minor checkpoints, then down to Polly’s Kitchen, checkpoint 5. We had “lunch” at Polly’s at around 4pm, then headed off to the Numinbah Environmental Centre which was the next checkpoint. The hill from Polly’s is renowned for being tough but I think the hill leading to Polly’s is steeper and just as long.
The Environmental Centre is home to two checkpoints, number 6 and 8. My feet started hurting big time on the stretch to the centre, and I was looking forward to getting there, so I could check them out. I have bad feet, and have been almost living at my podiatrist’s office, working on a solution. We arrived at number 6 after dark, and had some hot chicken noodle soup. That’s where I found that the top of my toes had been rubbed on my shoes, and I now had a bleeding ulcer on top of a toe on my left foot. Ouch. I raided their first aid box and dressed it, then performed some radical surgery on my orthotics. This helped a lot, but I think the damage had been done. My toes were swollen, and were bumping on my shoes with every step. Oh well, the Kokoda Challenge is supposed to hurt.
The next stretch was to the Numinbah Hall, checkpoint 7, where we were to again meet our crew for dinner. We crossed 7 creeks on this part of the journey, but thanks to some branches we used as walking poles, for the most part our shoes stayed dry. This checkpoint is in a valley, so it was really cold, and the mist could be seen descending over the hall and the crew vehicles. It was really pretty, the droplets of water that made up the mist were swirling and dancing in our headlights. A local community group were selling hamburgers at this checkpoint, and they were great! Will was starting to feel quite unwell, but a bit of a rest and a foot massage from Laimon really helped, and he felt he could continue.
L – R – Will, me, Cara and Steve
It was a bit of a mental boost to know that we’d gone over half way. Off we went back to the Environmental Centre and checkpoint 8, but before we got there, there was yet another long tiring hill. After leaving the centre, it was off to checkpoints 9 and 10.
The climb up to checkpoint 9 is long and arduous, and along a steep and narrow goat track. It was tricky going in the dark. At this stage, it was 2am on Sunday morning, it was cold, we’d been on the move for 19 hours, and we were tired. Will had started the climb, but unfortunately his nausea had become progressively worse, and it was at this point he decided he wasn’t well enough to continue, and withdrew from the event. Steve, Cara and I plodded on up the hill, through checkpoint 9 and headed up to Sid Duncan Park, to meet our crew at checkpoint 10. To add to our discomfort, it started raining on the walk up to the park, and although it wasn’t heavy, we got quite damp. We arrived at the park around 4am on Sunday.
Sid Duncan Park is at approximately 66km and the highest point on the trail, and it is absolutely freezing, so we were quick to grab some warm food and dry clothes. The rain didn’t last long, and I think the cloud cover stopped it from being as cold as it could be.
Leaving Sid Duncan Park saw us travel down “Hellfire Pass”, an extremely long and steep gravel descent which wasn’t very nice at all for sore and swollen toes. I found it slow going, and it took forever. There was one good point – there’s a real lifting of the spirits when the sun comes up and the day comes alive! When we got to the bottom of Hellfire Pass we went through minor checkpoint 11 then it was quickly up again, climbing Mt Nathan. It’s not a long climb but it’s extremely steep, and when you’re that tired, it’s very hard going indeed. This is around 76km from the start, and we’d been on the move for around 26 hours.
We again met the crew at checkpoint 12, where we had something to eat, and changed into our club singlets for the finish line photos. Cara took her socks off and discovered several massive blisters on both feet. Very painful.
I found this last part of the event very hard. The finish line is almost just around the corner, but there’s a 14km loop around Nerang State Forest to walk first.
Checkpoint 13 is in the Nerang State Forest and only 10km from the finish, but as we’d come to expect, it was at the top of a steep climb. The last 10km was undulating, and along gravel roads, so although it was easier to walk, the fatigue was setting in, and the gentle inclines were really tiring. My feet had somehow found their second wind, and I was comfortable (relatively!) walking this stretch of the course. Cara’s feet were very sore too, so it was just a matter of one foot in front of the other, until we got to the end. We crossed the finish line around 31 hours 55 minutes after starting the event, shortly before 3pm on Sunday. We were presented with certificates and dog tags by two Kokoda veterans, which is a really nice way to finish the event.
I absolutely love the Kokoda Challenge. While I’m out there, I almost hate it, I can’t wait until the pain is over and we’re finished, but no sooner am I done than I start thinking about doing it again. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s long, the sleep deprivation is draining, my feet are agony, and the terrain is so difficult – there is virtually none of this course that is flat. On the flip side of the coin, it’s a beautiful place to walk, the volunteers at the checkpoints are wonderful, it’s great to meet the other competitors and the Kokoda Kids on the trail, and it’s incredibly satisfying to finish something so darned difficult.
Will, you did so well to get to 63km feeling the way you did. I know you said you’d never do it again, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you were out there in the not too distant future. Cara, you rock! There was just no stopping you, and how strong are you to finish the event on those poor feet! Steve, I really enjoyed your company on the trek. To our crew, Francis and Laimon, thank you. We couldn’t have finished without you.
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July 23rd, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Well done – looks like a wonderful way to spend a weekend!
July 25th, 2009 at 6:37 am
Great read- hope the toes have healed. It sounds so daunting- you are all amazing.
February 5th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
Yeah you all did a great job. That event was very long. I am sure those feet are tired and full of bruises. My congratulations on completing the event.