The Australasian Multisport Championships will be hosted in Australia this year for the first time.
In 2014, 2015 and 2016 the Australasian Multisport Championship titles will be contested at the Lorne Adventure Race, the premier event of the iconic Lorne Adventure Fest hosted by event managers Rapid Ascent. The 2014 event will be held on the 6th and 7th of December.
The Lorne Adventure Fest is the pre-eminent adventure race in eastern Australia with 2,000+ athletes competing in the three events held over race weekend at Lorne, located just 2.5hrs from Melbourne on the spectacular Great Ocean Road.
For the past three years the title of Australasian Multisport Champion has previously been awarded to the winner of the 3D Rotorua multisport event in New Zealand, under the guidance of Multisport New Zealand.
“It's great to see the Australasian Multisport Championships move to Australia for the next three years,” said Steve Knowles, Vice President Multisport New Zealand.

“The 3D Rotorua has hosted the championships for the past three years, encouraging great racing across the age groups and elites, plus providing a benchmark by which multisporters across Australasia can measure their progress.

“Australian and New Zealand athletes seem to fill the podiums at multisport and adventure races around the world and we hope the Australasian championships will help this trend to continue.

“We must thank Kat and Neil Gellatly from 3D Rotorua for building up the championships and showcasing multisport. Who better to hand over the championships that spans the Tasman to than John Jacoby, former Speight's Coast to Coast champion, and his team at Rapid Ascent,” said Knowles.

“We’re rapt to be hosting the Championships for the next three years,” said John Jacoby, Race Director, Rapid Ascent.
“There is great history of New Zealanders competing at the Lorne Adventure Race, including previous winners Braden Currie and Richard Ussher, and we hope that this title will encourage more kiwis to come across and take on the Aussies.
“The first year of the title being held in Australia coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Lorne Adventure Race so it’s going to be a huge event this year,” he said.
Past winner Richard Ussher from New Zealand will be competing again this year. He won the Lorne Adventure Race in 2008 and 2011, and the Australasian Multisport Championships in 2011 and 2012. No doubt he’ll be fired up to reclaim his titles.
The Lorne Adventure Race is the premier event at the Lorne Adventure Fest. It covers a 55km course featuring a 1.9km ocean swim, 13km paddle, 16km coastal and trail run, 23km mountain bike and a 700km beach run to finish. The overall male and female winners of the Lorne Adventure Race will automatically be crowned the Australasian Multisport Champions, assuming they are a resident of Australia or New Zealand.
Competitors coming across from New Zealand can benefit from half price entry fees, assistance sourcing boats and help managing their race logistics through a special program run by event managers Rapid Ascent. So although it is across ‘the ditch’ it should not be too hard for kiwi competitors to race at the event.

Competitors will be vying for the overall and age group Australasian Multisport Championship titles with New Zealanders having claimed the overall titles for the last 3 years:

· 2013 – Dougal Allan and Simon Maier

· 2012 – Richard Ussher and Elina Ussher

· 2011 – Richard Ussher and Elina Ussher.

Entries for the 2014 Lorne Adventure Fest are now open at www.LorneAdventureFest.com.au