ATOHI TESTED BY THE TOUGHEST | REDBULL DEFIANCE

ATOHI TESTED BY THE TOUGHEST

Red Bull Defiance

Ben Allen and Alex Pozzer 2nd Place

ATOHI TESTED BY THE TOUGHEST

Red Bull Defiance

Ben Allen and Alex Pozzer 2nd Place

ATOHI TESTED BY THE TOUGHEST

Red Bull Defiance

Ben Allen and Alex Pozzer 2nd Place

ATOHI TESTED BY THE TOUGHEST

Red Bull Defiance

Ben Allen and Alex Pozzer 2nd Place

BEN & ALEX | 2nd | Redbull defiance

Meet the Team of Grit: Alex and Ben Take the ATOHI D-LUX Kit through the ultimate test as they raced last weekend’s Red Bull Defiance event in Mission Beach, QLD.

The "art to explore" was put to the test through two relentless day of a daunting 150km stretch ahead, encompassing unforgiving terrains - tracks, rivers, and oceans that demanded trail running, mountain biking, rafting, and kayaking.

Smiling their way around, here’s a little more of an insight into the guys who showed us how it can be done…

Photo credit: @adriantuck.photography

Ben Allen Q&A

Tell us a little bit about the Red Bull Defiance? What does it entail?

It’s a 150km 2 day adventure race, involving white water rafting, mountain biking, trail running, kayaking and a mystery discipline to keep things spicy

And tell us about your team?

Alex Pozzer 21 yr old surf/triathlete who has huge potential for success. Definitely one to look out for in future events.. Myself I’ve done this event 4 times and many others like it, having races at an elite level. So together youth and experience set us up for a podium finish.

What was the most challenging event/section of RBD? The logistics involved in getting everything setup and ready. Physically I’m prepared but it’s all the equipment and environmental conditions that you encounter that make it difficult.

Did either of you have a melt down moment?

Alex had a few, but like any warrior he never backed down nor surrendered.

Tell us about your kit choice for RBD?

We both chose to wear the Atohi D-Lux Alpine suit. A versatile lightweight suit that fits perfectly and has multiple pockets for our nutritional needs. Super comfortable and no chafing even after 15hrs of racing!

Any funny stories from the two days of adventure racing?

Alex got tangled up in barb wire whilst running and he had to rip it off and in the process ripped his shoe lace out. So he ran the remaining 10km trail run shoe laceless…

Finally if you could design your ultimate event what would it look like?

Surf swim, XC Mountain Bike, Ocean Ski Paddle and Mountain trail run as an individual event with 50k prize pool.

Alex Pozzer Q&A

Tell us a little bit about the Red Bull Defiance? What does it entail?

Red Bull Defiance is a 2 day adventure which tests your limits in whitewater rafting, mountain biking, trail running and kayaking. This years event presented difficult conditions on day one with muddy tracks making for challenging and technical climbs on the run leg and sections of the bike, while the kayak on day two was shortened due to strong onshore winds… this made for an epic returning paddle to the beach.

And tell us about your team?

The team consisted of veteran off-road triathlete and X-Terra champ, Ben Allen and myself, first time adventure racer transitioning from super sprint tri. We both have backgrounds as clubbies, so this made for a strong kayak leg, while Ben set the pace for the bike and run.

Did either of you have a melt down moment?

For myself, the run legs were the most challenging, particularly the final run leg at the end of an arduous two days. This was both the most strain I’ve faced mentally and physically, with the trailing Red Bull team not far behind and second place on the line.

Tell us about your kit choice for RBD?

The Atohi D-Lux tri suit was the suit of choice for this event… the back and hip pockets were perfect for making nutrition easy to reach and kept it in the suit rather than on the track. The suit itself was free from any restrictions, kept you cool from the humidity and made for a comfortable day in the saddle… and could put up with a serious beating from all the vines and bushes! This was complimented by the Atohi RnR socks which kept my feet blister-free after two long days of hard running and riding.

Finally if you could design your ultimate event what would it look like?

For an off-road race, a perfect one would include plenty of kayaking, swimming, some short fast runs, mtb with some fast, clean descents and anything else which gets the adrenaline going!