Captain’s Crossing - The Gong
Join us in 2025 for our off the beaten track Trail Run Series.
Prepare to get off the beaten track, off-road and on uneven ground. This course is guaranteed to get you panting with an uphill challenge for everyone.
Date: 2025
Course: 6km, 14km and 24km.
Start/Finish: Cnr Pinnacle Septimus & Pinnacle Station Roads
Our uphill event kicks off with a thrilling challenge for all participants. Prepare to hit the ground running as you face a demanding climb at the start.
For those opting for the long course, get ready to venture into the picturesque Mia Mia State Forest, where history meets nature. As you navigate through the trail, you'll pass by a fascinating historic homestead, adding a touch of heritage to your experience.
This trail features a mix of technical sections, including an initial steep climb and a thrilling fast descent. Along the way, you'll encounter enjoyable creek crossings and varied terrain to test your navigation skills and keep the adventure alive.
Mia Mia (Captain's Crossing) is conveniently located a mere 6km away from the iconic Pinnacle Family Hotel, offering a sense of proximity and accessibility. Situated just 45 minutes from Mackay and a short drive to Eungella, it's an ideal location to get off the beaten track.
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The Intermediate - what goes up, must come down!
Starting at the bend on Pinnacle Septimus Road, athletes will head straight up the first 3km of Pinnacle Station Road towards Mia Mia State Forest. Athletes will hit the top of the Crossing, and head straight back down to the start! Water and lollies will be available here.
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A combination of fire road, single trail and creek crossings to test the avid trail runner!
The course starts and finishes the same as the 6km Course, however will continue at the top of the crossing for another 1km prior to popping off into old fire roads and single trail terrain. Rolling downhills and pinchy ups provides small challenges for any style of runner! The course will be clearly marked with pink tape, signage, arrows and caution tape once you veer off Pinnacle Station Road.
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The longest run of the series yet! It is full of ups and downs!
ABOUT THE COURSE
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In order for our events to run as smoothly as possible we ask all athletes to cooperate and stick to our rules and regulations:
No rego, No run! – Please respect our event, we have permissions from landowners, local and state authorities and have insurances to cover our athletes. Please do not jeopardise our licences and insurances by running without a registration.
Timing Chip – Please make sure your timing chip is on your left ankle, this ensures the correct detection of your timing chip by the electronic timing system. The timing chip can not be worn on your wrist or carried in your back pack, this might cause the timing chip to not be picked up by the antenna at the finish line. Please return your timing chip at the end of the run - a fee of $50 will apply to any missing timing chips.
No shortcuts – please stick to the marked track, for safety and fairness reasons. All courses are clearly marked and we have marshals out on the course.
Fitness level – please choose the right distance according to your fitness level! This event is not designed to be walked, especially the 14km & 24km event (accept a little bit of the uphill). Event officials reserve the right to pull competitors out of the race if they are concerned for their well-being.
Obey traffic regulations unless otherwise instructed by an event official
Treat other competitors, officials, volunteers and spectators with respect and courtesy
Dress Code – please wear appropriate clothing and suitable running shoes
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Be mindful that the trails are open for other users outside of the race, including 4WDs, Motor bikes and MTBs
Do not leave any rubbish behind, this is a State Forest and Private Lease Area. What you bring in you must take out
Keep left and give way to runners passing from behind
Don’t approach any wildlife you may come across on the trails, there is scrub cattle in the area
RACE RULES
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Points accumulate across the series and include all 4 events:
ZACH MACH - The River Run (10 May)
Eungella - Rainforest
Finch Hatton - Flow Trails
Captain’s Crossing - The Gong
TBC
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Age groups are as follows (as of your age on 31 December 2023):
Under 16 years
16 to 29 years
30 to 39 years
40 to 49 years
50 to 59 years
60+
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oints are awarded based on the following criteria:
Athletes receive points for each run. Your total score is the sum of all your attended (and finished) races listed above.
The winner of each age category will receive 25 points. Each place will receive 2 less points (ie. 2nd place 23 points, 3rd place 21 points etc.).
Points are calculated separately for men and women
SERIES POINTS
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Sign in and race bib collection starts from 7.00am at the FINISH/START Line located at the corner of Pinnacle Septimus and Pinnacle Station Roads. Race course briefing will be held 5-10min prior to race start. 24km run starts at 8.00am | 14km run starts at 8.15am 6km run starts at 8.20am.
The race start is self seeded and we advise the faster runners to position themselves at the front and slower runners at the back. This will help to prevent bottlenecks along the trail and faster runners becoming stuck behind slower runners.
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Please see below for the mandatory gear requirements for the 14km run.
Mandatory gear must be carried for the duration of the run, event officials reserve the right to refuse a participant to start the race if they do not comply with mandatory gear requirements.
We have marshals on the course and a safety vehicle with additional first aid.
2 x compression bandages
a fully charged phone (there is limited service along the course) Please download the free EMERGENCY+ app on your phone prior to the event
1L of water
Race plate with timing chip displayed
V8 Run Cup (supplied)
We are proud to announce that we are working towards a more sustainable future by providing runners with recyclable run cups. There will not be any disposable run cups at water stations.
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Top 3 Male & Female for each distance are awarded at presentation
Top 3 junior boys and girls (short distance only) are awarded at presentation
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Presentation will be held as soon as the Top 3 runners have finished.
Prizes will be given to the top 3 runners on the day
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Bring sufficient water for the entire duration of your run for what you require.
1L for 24km runners
500ml for 14km runners
Run cup for 6km runners
Each competitor is responsible for their own nutrition requirements.
Water stations will be available on course at the 3km mark; 8km mark; 12.75km mark; 16km mark; 21km mark (approx).
Please note that we are no longer providing disposable cups. However, we are providing recyclable run cups for this event!
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Toilets are NOT available at the START/FINISH Line.
The closest public toilets are located at Gargett Rodeo Grounds.
The course runs through Mia Mia State Forest, please ensure you do not litter along the course and respect the reserve.
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We encourage you to support the local businesses in the area.
The Pinnacle Whistlestop Cafe is open from 7.00am.
Pinnacle Family Hotel will be open from 10.00am.
Water and fruit will be available at the finish line.
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The trails include sections of challenging and remote single track, be sure to exercise caution on these sections.
If you DO NOT FINISH the race you must see an event official. If you do not report to an event official and a search party is sent out, this will be at the competitor’s cost. It may be hot so please take precautions to stay safe in the heat.