Event Overview

DATE

22-23rd of April 2023. Your team will start on Saturday and will have 20 hours from the start time to get to the finish line, which may mean they will be walking through to the early hours of Sunday morning. 

DISTANCE

48km kilometres through Imbil State Forest

TIME LIMIT

Teams have 20 hours to complete the 48km course

CUT OFF DATE

FUNDRAISING: Fundraising is due 1 week before the event

TEAM CHANGES: Teams must be finalised by April 9

MINIMUM AGE

48km Kokoda Challenge: turning 13 the year of the event

START TIME AND LOCATION

48km teams will start at 7:30am. The start line will be held at Kenilworth State Community College locacted at 3717 Maleny Kenilworth Rd, Kenilworth.

FINISH LINE LOCATION

Kenilworth State Community College.

TEAM SIZE

Kokoda Challenge Pinnacle: 4 team members

48km:  3 or 4 members

School teams: 5 team members, 4 students and one guardian/teacher/blue card holder

FUNDRAISING MINIMUM

OPEN 48km

$1000 for 4 person teams

$750 for 3 person teams

SCHOOL 48km - $500 

Rules and Regulations

As this is Australia's toughest team endurance event, we do have to implement some rules and regulations to ensure everyone's safety and security. We also need to make sure our event can run smoothly, and this can only be achieved with your help! Please familiarise yourself with the following points:

SUPPORT CREW REGULATIONS

Support crews are to meet their teams ONLY at designated support crew checkpoints. If teams are found meeting their support crews outside of designated areas, the team will be instantly disqualified.

TEAM SIZE

48km teams must have 4 or 3 competitors

All SCHOOL teams must have 4 student competitors, and ONE leader

DROP-OUTS

If a team member needs to drop out at any time, this must be done at a checkpoint. If a member cannot make it to a checkpoint, please call the emergency number on the back of your race bib, and a Kokoda official will come to collect you for a safe extraction from the track, you are not to be collected by your support crew. All team members must wait for the removed member to be extracted safely before continuing the challenge. Teams can continue one man down, but if your team is reduced to a team of 2, then you MUST link up and walk with another team. Teams of 2 will not be allowed to continue.

WALKING AS A TEAM

You must walk as a team, you only walk as fast as your slowest team member. If at any point, your team is found to be walking separately or if you are found to have left a member behind at any point, your team will be instantly disqualified. We are a TEAM endurance event, our events are all about leaving no team member behind, racing ahead to achieve your own personal best does not align with the values of the Spirit of Kokoda.  

ATTENDING EACH CHECKPOINT

You are tracked at every checkpoint to ensure you do not go missing or attempt to take any “shortcuts”. To successfully finish our event, you must go through every checkpoint with your team. You cannot leave the event and resume it at a later time. Any team found taking short cuts will be disqualified.

FUNDRAISING

The minimum fundraising amount must be met by the cutoff date, or your team will not be able to participate in The Kokoda Challenge. The reason our events exist is to raise funds for our Kokoda youth programs, our charity receives no government funding and we would not be able to operate without the donations raised from this event. 

WAIVER FORMS AND PERSONAL DETAILS 

Every team member must complete their online registration and waiver to be able to compete in The Kokoda Challenge. 

MAP AND ELEVATION PROFILE

Your maps are now ready and can be viewed and downloaded through AllTrails via the link below:

48KM MAP

 We'd also like to remind teams that Imbil State Forest is a working forest and there is strictly no training in the forest prior to the event.

You can train in surrounding forests such as the Blackall Ranges, get ideas for training routes in our blog here.

Your Role

ALL SUPPORT CREWS MUST BE REGISTERED WITH US

At least one member from each support crew must register their details with us, this is to ensure we can communicate important information to you and advise of any last minute changes or emergencies. Not everyone in your support crew needs to register, however we do recommend having everyone registered to ensure everyone in your crew has all the correct information!

REGISTER SUPPORT CREW

PREPARATION

REQUIRED GEAR

The 48km course treks across many different types of landscapes. Being based on the South East Coast, the weather can also change at the blink of an eye, so you need to make sure you are prepared for all possible changes in weather or personal circumstance. The items on the below compulsory list are to always be carried by your team. Those on the recommended list are to be carried at your team's choice.

COMPULSORY GEAR FOR EVERY PARTICIPANT IN EVERY EVENT:

• Head torch and spare batteries 
• Ability to carry at least 2 litres of water at all times (water bladder or water bottles)
• If you have a phone, all competitors MUST download the emergency app
• Race bib
• A day backpack
• Reflective safety vest that MUST be worn at night and when crossing roads
• Hat and sunscreen
• A water bladder than can carry at least 1 litre of water at all times (equipped with hydrolytes!)
• A headtorch
• Water shoes for creek crossings (do not cross creeks bare foot)
• Pealess whistle 
• Snacks
• Race bib
• Mobile phone 
• Roll of toilet paper and a shovel (in case you're stuck between checkpoint toilets)
• Personal first aid kit (yes, everyone needs their own! Be sure this carries all essential needs in case you are to get separated form your team at any time)

The following items are not compulsory, but are HIGHLY recommended:

• Walking poles
• Gloves, beanie and thermals (it can drop as low as ZERO degrees on the track, plus wind chill!)
• Waterproof/windproof jacket
• Portable phone charger
• Back up head torch and batteries
• Spare pair of socks
• Small lightweight microfiber towel to dry your feet after creek crossings or before re-strapping
• Blister packs
• Instant heat pads
• Chapstick
• Sunglasses
• Portable phone charger  

TEAM MEMBER TUBS

We suggest that every team member prepare a labelled box, tub or bag with the necessary supplies they may need upon reaching the support crew. To ensure that they have everything they need, they may want to consider including the following items in the tub:

• Spare socks
• Spare clothes
• Warm clothes: beanie, gloves etc for when it gets cold at night
• Hi-vis vest
• Head torch and spare batteries
• Stock up on snacks
• Hydrolytes/electrolyes
• Sunscreen
• Anti-inflammatory, paracetamol or any other medication

Support Crew Meeting

We recommend that support crews meet with their teams prior to the event to discuss the following:

Food

WHAT WILL YOU FEED YOUR TEAM?

You’ll also want to discuss with your team what food they might like to have when they meet you at the support crew checkpoint. Generally support crew will pre-prepare food and warm it up at the support crew checkpoint with small gas cookers. Alternatively, they will purchase food from a local vendor and deliver it to the team. Some food ideas include:

• Soup and bread
• Spaghetti Bolognese or other pasta 
• Stir fry
• Sandwiches

You want to ensure that the food you prepare doesn't contain anything too spicy or anything else that might upset your team's stomach. Food hygiene and safety is also very important. Ensure that you’re keeping all food refrigerated in an esky prior to meeting your team, cook it thoroughly before serving it up and ensure everyone has used hand sanitiser before handling food and eating. We’ve had teams before had to withdraw from the event due to food poisoning as their support crew didn’t store the food properly!

Support Crew Checkpoint information

IF YOU MEET YOUR TEAM OUTSIDE OF THE DESIGNATED SUPPORT CREW
CHECKPOINT'S, YOUR TEAM WILL BE DISQUALIFIED

START LINE: Kenilworth State Community College, 3717 Maleny Kenilworth Rd, Kenilworth

• As many people as you want can attend the start line and cheer partitipants along.
• A local community organisation will be collecting $5 per car to support their local group.
• If your team has not collected their event pack from pre-registration then they must arrive at 6:30am to collect as this contains their race bibs, event t-shirts and your support crew car pass. You cannot enter the support crew car parks without this pass as there is a limit to one car per team due to limited space.
• Once the 48km competitors set off at 7:30 am, support crews will have the opportunity to ask event staff questions. 
• We encourage support crew to visit local businesses whle waiting for their teams. Do not got go to checkpoint 4 straight after your team has left the start line as you will be turned around and asked to come back when they are closer.
• Please advise there are no pets permitted anywhere throughout the start/finish line, course or checkpoints.
• There will be food and drink vendors at the start and finish line.

CP2 SUPPORT CREW CHECKPOINT: Stirling's Crossing Equestrian Complex, DERRIER ROAD, IMBIL

• From the start line, it takes approximately 30 minutes to drive to Stirling's Crossing Equestrian Complex. Please allow extra time for potential traffic and delays with parking. 
• Only one average size support crew car is permitted per team, no trailers or campervans.
• You will need the support crew car pass that was in your team’s event pack to enter this car park as there is a limit to one vehicle per team due to limited space.
• Please do not arrive more than 1 hour before your team arrives. They will walk past a sign that will prompt them to message you to let you know to meet them soon.
• Please follow the directions of our volunteers.
• Please respect this area: do not play loud music, take all rubbish with you, leave your pets at home and respect other day-users.

NOTE: $5 parking per support crew car applies at this checkpoint. Have your support crew bring along some cash as EFTPOS is not accepted, these funds will be donated to the community organisation running the support crew car park and not the Kokoda Youth Foundation. 

FINISH LINE: Kenilworth State Community College, 3717 Maleny Kenilworth Rd, Kenilworth

• As many people as you want can attend the finish line and cheer teams along! We encourage teams to invite family and freinds along to help spread the Kokoda Spirit. 
• A local community organisation will be collecting $5 per car to support their local group.
• Please advise there are no pets permitted anywhere throughout the start/finish line, course or checkpoints.
• Please make sure you cheer all the teams rolling through! They will be handed dog tags as a symbolic token of their Spirit of Kokoda.
• There will be food and drink vendors here, please come along and support the vendors! 
• Vehicles are not permitted to park here overnight.

Communication

TRACKING LINK

Prior to the event, you will be emailed a tracking link, which will show you when your team have checked into each checkpoint along the course. This link will also be pinned to the top of our Facebook page on event weekend, there will also be a QR code at our information tent at the event village and on your team’s race bib.

LOCATING YOUR TEAM BETWEEN CHECKPOINTS

This tracking link will not show your team’s location between checkpoints, if you’re looking to track your team between checkpoints then we would recommend apps such as Find My Friends or Life360. Please remember that reception is unavailable in some areas so you and your team may not always have internet access.

EVENT PACK COLLECTION

Before your team can take on The Kokoda Challenge, they will need to collect their team's event pack. This pack contains the race bibs, official event t-shirts, support crew car pass, plus some goodies from our partners! 

Inside your team's event pack is a support crew car pass, you will need this pass to gain entry into the support crew checkpoint.

Your team can either collect their event pack at pre-registration the day before the event or the morning of the event. We highly recommend collecting the event packs the day before the event to avoid rushing around on event day. Someone can collect the event packs on behalf of the team, they will just need to let the volunteers know at pre-registration when they arrive that they are collecting on a team's behalf. For all the details regarding pre-registration and collecting event packs, please click on the button below: 

BOOK A TIME TO COLLECT

First aid, blisters & strapping

FIRST AID

While there will be first aid and medical professionals stationed at each checkpoint to handle any medical emergencies, it is important to note that minor first aid incidents such as blisters and chafing will need to be addressed by the support crew or the teams themselves.

BLISTERS & CHAFING

It is recommended that teams take proactive measures to manage blisters before they worsen by taping any sore spots before they become too painful. Additionally, some competitors choose to change socks regularly to prevent blisters as moisture build-up can contribute to their formation. However, it is up to the individual to decide what works best for them during training, some people find changing their socks too often can make their blisters worse. Everything should be tried and tested in training and not on event weekend. To reduce the friction between toes that can lead to blisters, we suggest taping your toes or using specially designed toe socks. By taking these preventative measures, teams can ensure a more comfortable and successful journey.

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