Support Crews

For the Spring Challenge, having a support crew is not only essential, it’s also a fantastic way to involve family and friends in your adventure.

You can manage with one support crew member, but having two is even better. They form their own little team for the day, following your progress, managing your gear and sharing in the excitement of your Spring Challenge.

What Does a Support Crew Do? Your support crew has three main jobs:

Start Line Drop-off
They will drop your team and the required gear at the designated start area.

Transition Areas
They will meet you at the designated transition areas, where they hand over and collect bikes, hiking gear and any other equipment required for the next stage.

Finish Line
Once their transition duties are complete, they can head to the finish and become your cheer squad!

Hanmer Springs – Nice and Simple!

We believe the Hanmer Springs Spring Challenge has some of the easiest support crew logistics of any Spring Challenge we’ve held!

There are only a small number of transition areas, and the movement of teams and support crews is relatively straightforward.

3-Hour & 6-Hour Teams

There are two transition areas – TA1 and TA2.

Start → TA1: Teams run and raft to TA1, where they collect their bikes.

TA1 → TA2: Teams bike to TA2, drop their bikes, collect their hiking gear and continue on foot.

TA2 → Finish: From TA2, teams hike all the way to the finish line.

9-Hour Teams

The 9-hour course is similar, but there is no TA2 for 9-hour teams.

Start → TA1: Teams run and raft to TA1, where they collect their bikes.

TA1 → TA3: Teams ride to TA3, where they drop their bikes and collect their hiking gear.

TA3 → Finish: From TA3, teams continue on foot to the finish line.

Support Crew Information

Registration: Support crews are encouraged to come to registration with their team. This is a good opportunity to become familiar with the event logistics and make sure everyone understands the plan for race day.

Vehicle: We highly recommend a 4WD vehicle for support crews. Some parking and access areas may be on paddocks or unsealed surfaces, which can become slippery or challenging in wet weather.

No trailers or caravans: Please avoid towing trailers, caravans or other large vehicles. Space at transition areas is limited and turning and parking may be difficult.

No dogs: Please leave dogs at home. Dogs are not permitted at transition areas or event sites.

No smoking: Smoking is not permitted at transition areas or event sites.

Keep it compact: Transition areas can get busy. Please keep your support setup simple and compact, and once your team has departed, pack up and move on promptly.

Follow event instructions: Please follow all event signage, traffic management and instructions from marshals and event staff.

Be self-sufficient: Support crews should bring their own food, water, warm and waterproof clothing, and anything else they may need for a full day outdoors. Hanmer weather can change quickly, so come prepared.

Label your gear: Make sure bikes, bags and other team equipment are clearly labelled and organised before race morning. A well-organised support crew makes for fast, stress-free transitions!