THREE Perth athletes and their Sydney team-mate ran, rode, paddled, abseiled, and navigated for more than 12 hours to claim line honours at the weekend’s 2009 Mountain Designs Great Southern Adventure Race at Denmark.

Team Adam Antium of Richard Haynes, Louise Roberts and Dave Janmaat from Perth and East-coaster Kris Plain showed strength across all disciplines in the Premier Mixed Category.

They crossed the finish line 10 minutes ahead of their nearest competitors, Perth’s Team Woop Woop, (Pete Glorie, Jo Fisher, Jake Hannah and Jon Williamson).

On Sunday, all 39 four-member teams lined up for a second day of racing at 6am to face a windy 5km ocean paddle, followed by 15km of challenging coasteering, scrambling over granite boulders and rocky headlands.

With a tail wind pushing them along, the teams then took on a 5km paddle in the Parry Inlet, a 20km mountain bike ride along rail trails and hilly country roads, a 12km orienteering run through bushland and open farmlands, a 20km mountain bike ride along country roads and trails, a 10km paddle in the Wilson Inlet and finally a 2km team run into central Denmark.

The first men’s team to finish was Perth team Mark of Carnage in Pederick Lane (Andy Lane, John Carney, James Pederick and Mark Oakshott).

Perth team 4 Chicks and a Map (Nathalie Long, Lucy Bowman, Sarah Gillespie and Samantha Burrows) made the finish line almost two hours ahead of their closest rival.

Details of the course were kept secret from competitors until Friday night when racers were provided with course maps, handbooks and details required to navigate between checkpoints.

Teams of four, either single sex or mixed, were required to have at least three people on the course at all times.

Competitors were warned to expect 10-15 hours or racing on Saturday and seven to 12 hours racing on Sunday, but Team Adam Antium recorded 6hr 20min on Saturday and 6hrs on Sunday.

Race director John Jacoby said Adam Antium had risen to the challenge, winning the event through a combination of physical ability, endurance, determination and solid navigational skills.

Jacoby said the course for the two days of non-stop racing was a hit with the teams who particularly enjoyed the abseiling and flying fox components in a weekend of wintry weather conditions.