Mount Gay Tropical Peaks Race - Preview

by Tom Coull on 27 Sep 2000 Central Queensland's top yachts and runners will be joining up this weekend to compete in the Mount Gay Tropical Peaks Race, for two days of hard and fast yacht racing combined with arduous cross-country running on the Whitsunday Islands and in Airlie Beach.

The growth of the race since its debut in 1997 has been phenomenal, according to Kevin Forgarty, the Whitsunday Sailing Club's Rear Commodore Offshore.

"The Mount Gay Tropical Peaks Race is becoming one of Queensland's major sporting events and this year we not only have the most competitive running field we've seen, but also a top fleet of more than 20 yachts, including the big trimaran Avatar, Hammer of Queensland, Utopia, two Sydney 38s and Pianola III," he said.

"We'll also be starting the weekend with a Saturday morning breakfast at the WSC with the Olympics marathon on the big screen, just in case any of the teams need more firing up."

"The race has grown every year, and this year, with WIN Television and HOT FM joining a huge list of spsonsors, it can only get bigger and better."

As well as Mount Gay, WIN Television and HOT FM, the Tropical Peaks series has backing from the Coral Seas Resort, Martinique Holiday Apartments, Club Crocodile Airlie Beach, Magnums, Whitsunday Wanderers, Kingfisher Bay Resort, Hayman Island, Hamilton Island and South Molle Island, and ICOM Marine Communications.

The Mount Gay Tropical Peaks Race is styled on the famous Boag's Three Peaks Race in Tasmania, but whereas the Tasmanian event faces cruel conditions and is a stern endurance test for competitors, the Tropical Peaks Race is designed to show the sports of cross-country running and sailing at their best, in an ideal showcase: the islands, resorts and mainland of the Whitsundays, Australia's premier tourist destination.

The event runs over two days, with four sailing and four running races, on Hayman Island, Hamilton Island, South Molle Island and the final run through Airlie Beach.

The first sailing race is from Airlie Beach to Hayman Island, where the running teams face their hilly eight km run before rejoining their yachts for the second sailing leg, from Hayman to Hamilton Island and their second run of the day.

All competitors stay at Hamilton Island overnight before the Sunday morning race from Hamilton to South Molle Island for the third run, then the yachts sail from South Molle to Airlie Beach, for the final run through the town and a big finish at the WSC.

"Glittering blue water, tropical islands, a big fleet with close and competitive sailing and teams of super-fit athletes running on courses through tropical forests and also the modern, cosmopolitan areas of the islands and Airlie Beach: It's spectacular, exciting and tremendous fun to be involved in," said Whitsunday Sailing Club Commodore John Usher.

"The WSC has a great record of organising major international events, such as the Hobie 16 world titles, the Asia-Pacific Laser Championships and many Australian and State championships, but none is as complex as the Mount Gay Tropical Peaks Race," he said.

"It is a very complicated event to organise as it combines two completely different sports, with four sailing races and four running races, all at different venues. The fact that the race is so successful is thanks not only to the sponsors, but also to the huge amount of work put in by the WSC volunteers.

"Last year's Tropical Peaks was a brilliant success. The 2000 event can only be better."