Junior Categories
The Freycinet Challenge has always encouraged younger people to participate in the race, with Junior categories being introduced in the teams competition. The age limited has been reduced and the course has been shortened for the Junior category, to inspire younger athletes to join in the fun of multi-sport racing.
Age limits for Juniors: 14-17 years
The Freycinet Challenge has always pushed the limits of all the athletes and it does require a certain level of physical ability to participate in the event. Historically, the Challenge has always been beyond the capabilities of most young people, so the entry age was set to be 16 years, or above. We recognise that there are some younger people who want to take part, so we've reduced the entry age to 14 years and made some changes to the course.
Shorter course for Juniors
To accommodate the younger age group, some of the stages have been shortened to reduce the physical demands for the younger athletes in the Juniors category. The distance has been reduced for the Trail Run stage on day 1 and the Sea Kayak stages on both days, but only for the Juniors. The other athletes still do the full course.
Day 1 Juniors
All the 2-day competitors start on the first day at stage 1.
- Stage 1: Trail Run - 9 kms (see the course below)
- Stage 2: Sea Kayak - 5 kms (1 lap)
- Stage 3: Road Bike - 40 kms
- Stage 4: Mountain Bike - 18 kms
Day 2 Juniors
All the 1-day competitors start from stage 5 on the second day, joining the participants that have already completed stages 1-4.
- Stage 5: Sea Kayak - 5 kms (1 lap)
- Stage 6: Road Bike - 40 kms
- Stage 7: Mountain Bike - 21 kms
- Stage 8: Trail Run - 10 kms (same course for everyone)
New Trail Run Short Course
Stage: 1 (Juniors category only)
Distance: 9.1 kilometres
Elevation Gain: 251 metres
Terrain: Bush tracks, coastal rock hopping, beaches, soft sand
The first leg of the Freycinet Challenge for the Junior athletes starts at the Wineglass Bay carpark, where all the other athletes start. The course takes you up to the Wine Glass Bay Lookout at the top of "the saddle" on the dedicated hiking tracks. At the top you can take in the magnificent view before making your descent back to the Wineglass Bay carpark. From there you will run to the Village Green in Coles Bay via Richardsons Beach.
New Sea Kayak Short Course
The Sea Kayak courses are the same for all athletes in the Freycinet Challenge. The only difference is that the athletes in the Juniors category do 1 lap, whereas all the other athletes do 2 laps.
Stage: 2 & 5 (Juniors category only)
Distance: 5kms - 1 lap
Elevation Gain: 0 metres
Terrain: Open sea
Teams for Boys and Girls
Just like with all the other categories, there are Junior teams for just boys, just girls or a mix of boys and girls, with each category racing in their own competition (e.g. girls against girls, boys against boys or mixed teams against other mixed teams).
4 Person Juniors Female (14-17 years)
4 Person Juniors Male (14-17 years)
4 Person Juniors Mixed (14-17 years)
2 Person Juniors Female (14-17 years)
2 Person Juniors Male (14-17 years)
2 Person Juniors Mixed (14-17 years)
Race Day for Juniors
The Junior athletes will be racing with everyone else, but they'll start separately. On race day, the solo athletes will start in Wave 1, the non-junior teams will start in Wave 2 and finally the teams in the Junior category will start in Wave 3. The start time for Wave 3 will be co-ordinated so the Juniors will be sprinting for the finish line with the other athletes who started before them in Waves 1 & 2. How exciting!