The In2Adventure Snowy Mountains Multisport Festival Celebrates Ten Years in February 2023
ATHLETES will embrace the month of February in 2023 with the Snowy Mountains welcoming over 2800 athletes and visitors for the Snowies Multisport Festival at Lack Crackenback Resort & Spa.
Celebrating its tenth year, the festival has gone from strength to strength with all event disciplines growing each year, plus attracting entrants from interstate and internationally. During their ten years the festival have also hosted the 2016 ITU World Championships, an acclaim to the world class course on offer.
Event organiser In2Adventure’s Robyn Lazenby said each year they return to the Snowies it’s like a homecoming and family reunion all rolled into one. Such is the rapport between organisers and return participants.
“To witness the event grow from a humble 2-day festival with just over 150 athletes to where it is now, a 6-day festival with over 2,800 visitors is testament to the unique appeal of the Snowy Mountains region, it’s amazing people and businesses and the spectacular landscape and terrain,” said Robyn.
“Personally, it’s so amazing to experience where passion, cooperation and hard work can take you in this life.”
Passion and hard work are certainly requirements for athletes who relish the challenging off-road conditions around the Lake Crackenback Resort event home base.
The most common reaction when athletes arrive at race headquarters are the surrounds, with scenic mountain vistas, the Thredbo River and native fauna and flora ensuring a uniquely Aussie experience. “The racing immerses athletes into the very heart of Australia’s high country,” said Robyn.
The 2023 Snowies Multisport hosts two national series rounds including Trail Run Australia and TreX Cross Triathlon. The TreX X-Tri event will be the first chance for athletes to qualify for the Australian team at the ITU Multisport World Championships to be held in Australia in August 2024.
Snowies MTB Festival
$5000 cash prize pool
The popular Snowies MTB Festival is sanctioned by AusCycling and in 2023 will play host to a Silver National Cup round. Over three days riders have the choice of two challenging distances, The Wild Brumby 114km 5 stage and the 75km 4 stage The Brumby.
Scheduled for one week prior to the AusCycling MTB National Championships in Thredbo, it’s the perfect opportunity to experience the high-country riding plus acclimatise to the altitude in the lead up to the national champs the following week.
Riders will love the varied challenges over multiple stages including descending the full length of the 37km Thredbo Valley Track (TVT), gravity trails at Thredbo, and endurance cross country at Lake Crackenback. The event is also open to teams, with this year offering the Great Team Mate Crate Race.
This mt bike event has seen the best cross country riders in the country compete in previous years and is a real spectacle to watch as they punish their bodies over several days of competition.
Trail Run Australia
$2000 cash prize pool
The Snowy Mountains Trail Run has continued its growth to be one of the biggest events catering to multiple distances. While the endurance runners compete in the 70k Ultra and the 42.2k Marathon on Friday, the popular distances are for the half marathon, 11k and 5k run that appeal immensely to the running enthusiast.
The scenic Lake Crackenback course presents a great test to all competitors, and the start to the race is like no other with the Man from Snowy River theme of rider on horseback leading the field well received by the entrants.
Competitors love this event and the start atmosphere and it is a major talking point at the completion of the run. Runners need to concentrate on the undulating course but can easily swayed to admire the scenery as they cross the Thredbo River via suspension bridges during their journey.
TreX Cross Triathlon
$3000 cash prize pool
Contestants love the challenge of the triathlon starting with a swim in Lake Crackenback, mountain bike ride around the cross-country trails and finishing with an off-road run. With various distances to suit all entrants, including kids and age groups, this action packed day has a great atmosphere.
The swim leg sees many competitors wearing wet suits who then shed their 'skin' for the mountain bike leg around the scenic trails. The off road cycling is demanding and sets up a great run leg where contestants also combat a section of the Little Thredbo River as part of the course.
All events are open to everyone with various categories to suit all ages and levels, including the kids. The kids events have been a staple of the atmosphere for the families who compete in various events across the weekends. Watching the kids compete on their mini course and run to the finish line certainly raises the applause from the crowd.
The 2023 event is supported by the Tourism Snowy Mountains event fund. To register visit the website:
www.in2adventure.com.au
