1 September, 2019: Australian professional multi-sport athletes Courtney Atkinson and Lindsay Lawry, from team Red Bull Aus have taken out the inaugural Australian edition of Red Bull Defiance in Mission Beach, QLD completing the X2 male event in 11:50:59.
Courtney and Lindsay along with 42 other teams completed 150km across 6 key stages – rafting, abseiling, running, mountain biking and kayaking in what was described as one of the toughest events ever participated in over the two days.
Red Bull Defiance, an event known for physically destroying even the most elite athletes, lived up to its reputation. “If it weren’t for my team-mate, I wouldn’t have gotten through the run,” Red Bull’s multi-sport athlete Courtney Atkinson said after day one of the event. “He has power legs. It was a team of experience and speed, and speed for sure won out today. It’s not as technical as we thought, so the trail is really runnable, but it’s just really tough terrain and on the mountain bikes it’s really just slow going.”
Team-mate Lindsay Lawry confirmed that “it was really tough going, it was mostly going up-hill and there wasn’t a lot of downhill, we had to dig deep and stay strong and make sure we were doing the little things right.”
Aline Herzog and Bridie Ruff dominated the women’s completing the course in a total of 15:25:41 over the two days.
In the mixed teams, the dynamic duo Sarah and Chris White proudly took out the win in their own backyard. Without any expectations, the pair backed it up after a challenging first day. “The toughest part was punching into headwind on the paddle and backing up on the bike after a grueling first day,” said Chris.
X2 female participants Lisa Dominguez and Daria Kurtov said “There was more uphill than we were expecting on day one and to back it up for day two, our strategy is to just forget about the day before and focus on what’s in-front of you and execute your plan.”
Crossing the finish line, Bondi Lifeguard Daniel McLaughlin shouted, “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”
The highlight over the two days was the spectacular course especially on the second day where the trail explored Dunk Island and around the reef, the blue ocean and crystal clear waters.
As for the unexpected, on the second day teams had to drag a 16kg kettle bell out of the water and on to the shore.
The athletes raced across the stunning depths of Queensland’s rainforests back to its iconic reef. The course delivered a raw, remote and rewarding, challenging both mentally and physically – a bloody tough Aussie adventure.
2019 Red Bull Defiance Mission Beach results:
Men’s X2 Results
1st– Courtney Atkinson and Lindsay Lawry
2nd– Sam Stedman and Luke Smythe
3rd– Matt Coutts and John Carrol
Women’s X2 Results
1st– Aline Herzog and Bridie Ruff
2nd– Lisa Dominguez and Daria Kurtov
3rd– Christina King and Angela Aldridge
Mixed X2 Results
1st– Sarah White and Chris White
2nd– Shelly Bambook and Angus Rodwell
3rd– Hannah Leonard and Mick Chapman
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VNR link – https://bulldrive.redbull.com/fl/R5XtpFCVLE
