Winning adventurers

BEN Allen and Dan McNamara combined to win the Kathmandu Adventure Sprint Race at the Royal National Park recently.

The duo completed the treacherous course in 2:57:32, breaking the magical three-hour barrier.

Their task " 10kms of trail running, a 30km mountain bike ride and a 5km kayak " like a version of triathlon for pairs of rugged outdoors types.

Legs were mixed and varied, with obstacles thrown in to make the challenge harder, Allen said.

The Kathmandu is one of the most popular adventure races in Australia with entries selling out very quickly.

Over 200 teams and over 400 competitors competed for the $ 3000 in prizes on offer and the prestige of winning one of Australia's most popular adventure races. With the recent wild weather the tracks were tough, muddy and heavy, making the race all the tougher.

"The course was a lot tougher than it looked, with the rain that we have had over the last couple of days it made for some wet and muddy conditions," Allen said.

"We are stoked to come away with the win, we worked really well together and we stayed focused and determined throughout the whole race.

"For a couple of months we have been training specifically for and eagerly for this race.

"We're a strong team and we're going for gold! With this year's race close to home it was fantastic to see a Wollongong team on the podium."

Allen and McNamara, both students at the University of Wollongong, athletes have competed several times together before in adventure races and have achieved some outstanding results.

Allen is also an accomplished ironman champion while McNamara is an adventure racer.