Teams evolve - people come and go!
Great past contributors to the success of Team Rubicon were:
Colin Kinnison
Brought up in the outdoors by his parents from an early age; family holidays were spent climbing, canyoning, sailing, bushwalking, biking and cross country skiing throughout Australia, New Zealand and America. Colin has since started competing in various adventure races, becoming an Oxfam Trailwalker Legend with the completion of his 5th Trailwalker in 2010. More recently, Colin has been involved in whitewater kayaking, having paddled rivers throughout Australia and New Zealand. He is a keen surfer and participates in a wide range of sports including soccer, netball and canoe polo.
The following is a brief chronological account of his recent outdoor experiences:
- 2001: Back country skiing in Yosemite National Park. Including a multi day ski trip to Ostrander Hut.
- 2002: Canyoning in the Blue Mountains of NSW - Claustral, Kalang, Butter Box, Kanangra Main and Bells Canyons.
- 2003: Climbing in Mt Arapiles and the Grampians - highlight climbs - Skinks, Brolga and Debutant.
- 2004: Climbing throughout the USA - Sierras, Red Rocks and Joshua Tree. Highlights include Cathedral Peak, Charlotte Dome, Royal Arches and North Dome.
- 2005: Walking the South Coast Track in Tasmania.
- 2007: Walking in New Zealand from Makarora to the Hollyford - 30 days including a crossing of Rabbit Pass.
- 2008: Surfing in Hawaii and Oregon. Back country skiing in Yosemite National Park including a multi day ski trip to Aspen Valley.
- 2009: Kayaking throughout the South Island of New Zealand. Classic descents of the Buller, Hokitika and Shotover Rivers.
- 2010: Kayaking Australian Rivers throughout New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania - highlights include the North Esk, Nymboida, Thredbo, Murray and Mitta Rivers.
- 2011: The North Face 100, GeoQuest, AR World Championships - XPD Tasmania.
Ed Garnett
For the past 30 years Ed has engaged in Caving, Climbing, Skiing and Bushwalking activities both in Australia and overseas; often as a member of successful expeditionary teams but also in small parties or as solo undertakings. Now in his 50's, Ed has taken up ultra-marathons with a focus on trail events as a way to keep in shape whilst continuing to enjoy the thrill of pushing personal boundaries. Primarily a climber and skier, in the past couple of years he has participated in some of Australia's toughest trail running events.
The following is a brief chronological account of his outdoor experiences:
- 1980: The Annapurna Circuit - Western Nepal
- 1980: Expedition to the deepest caves in Australia - Tasmanian SW and the discovery of Serendipity Cave.
- 1982: Muller 82 Expedition - member of the successful Australasian Caving Team to bottom Mamo Kananda, -550m in PNG.
- 1983: Alpine ascents in the Mt Cook National Park - NZ, descents of some of the deepest caves in NZ.
- 1985: Mexico 85 Expedition - member of a small caving team to descend the world's 3rd deepest cave system in Southern Mexico.
- 1985: Climbing - Yosemite California - ascents of some of the classic climbs of North America, including the Salathe Wall of El Capitan.
- 1986: Climbing - Yosemite California - ascents of The Nose of El Capitan, Chouinard - Herbert, SE Face of Washington Column and other Yosemite classics.
- 1987: Member of a three man team to attempt a first ascent of the South Face of the Ogre's Thumb in the Karakorum Mountains of Pakistan.
- 1988: Member of a six person Autumn Traverse Team, remarking the 400km route from Mawson Station to Mt Jacqueline in the Prince Charles Mountains - Antarctica.
- 1991: Bushwalking in Tasmania - Frenchman's Cap, Walls of Jerusalem, South Coast Track - parts of the Overland Track.
- 1994: Argentina and Chile - 6 weeks spent exploring the Torres del Paine and Los Glaciers National Parks.
- 2000: Climbing in Yosemite, Tuolumne Meadows and the Needles of Southern California. Many ascents of major routes.
- 2008, 2009, 2010: Woodford - Glenbrook Classic Run - 25km
- 2008: The Bulls Head Challenge - 28km
- 2010: The North Face 100, Bush Capital Marathon - 60 km, GeoQuest
- 2011: Bogong to Mt Hotham Ultra - 60 km, Overland Track Race - 82 km, The North Face 100, GeoQuest, AR World Championship - XPD Tasmania.
Tim Barrett
After years of racing triathlon when he was younger (a good deal younger), Tim turned to Adventure Racing because "sometimes us old blokes can manage to out-navigate those youngsters with too much energy"!
It should be noted that he has never done an Adventure Race and not been lost!! Although he has chalked up one first place.
A mad mountain-biker, ocean-ski paddler and occasional canyoner in the Blue Mountains, Tim lives on the Central Coast with his wife and 2 daughters and works as an Acupuncturist.
Kolya Miller
My first day of running I told my wife - I'm going to be a runner (she said 'whatever'), so I got up at the unknown time of 5am and went for a run (read 'walk'). Then a year later when I ran the Sydney Marathon in 4:04 - my kids and wife were waiting at the finish for me!
I now run to show my kids that dedication, passion, fun and tenacity are more important than winning.
People have often told me that my approach to running is very 'Forest Gump'. I decided to start running (on my sons third birthday - I was overweight and contemplating my life) and have just kept running more and longer ever since!
I train around Lane Cove National Park, and on my local streets. Most of my training is early morning as I want to be around when not at work for the kids. I generally rise between 4:30am and 5am and run for an hour or two three to four times a week - with some longer runs on the weekend.
I really enjoy trails, but also some early morning street running. I've also moved recently to running in Vibram five fingers and love the 'connectedness' I feel to the land when running. Honestly - I feel like it's a whole new experience in running.
I love to run anywhere in the early morning - with the sun slowly rising. Trails north of Sydney and the Blue Mountains as well. I run with some friends occasionally, and also solo.
Ive run Wild Endurance 100k - 5 times, Great North Walk 100k twice, Six Foot Track 4 times, and two marathons, quite a few mud runs, warrior dashes and tough bloke challenges!
In the long term, I want to be an example to my kids - to be fit and healthy, active and to enjoy life through running (amongst my other activities). I also teach them that any race is not about winning - but having the passion, enthusiasm and tenacity to finish!
I'm happily married (and have been for 18 years) to my wife Symone, and we have three kids.
After spending too much time in my early twenties doing the 375ml curls at my local I decided I would get back into my fitness and compete again - in anything I could (except swimming!!). My calendar is now filled with MTB endurance events (4 this year), half marathons and obstacle races – with the pinnacle being XPD this year!
I have also decided that I would take up boxing, and with 12 weeks of training have my first amateur fight. Should be interesting...
As a personal trainer (among other things) and who by all accounts trains like a madman – people ask me what motivates me. It’s not winning a race, it’s not being the biggest/muscliest person in the gym – it's simply challenging your mind and your body to be better, faster, fitter or stronger than you were the day before.
Never compare yourself to someone else, unless you are that one person out of 7billion+ you will never be winner. BUT, if you compare yourself to the person you were the day before and you see improvement – you will always be a winner.
I have also decided that I would take up boxing, and with 12 weeks of training have my first amateur fight. Should be interesting...
As a personal trainer (among other things) and who by all accounts trains like a madman – people ask me what motivates me. It’s not winning a race, it’s not being the biggest/muscliest person in the gym – it's simply challenging your mind and your body to be better, faster, fitter or stronger than you were the day before.
Never compare yourself to someone else, unless you are that one person out of 7billion+ you will never be winner. BUT, if you compare yourself to the person you were the day before and you see improvement – you will always be a winner.
Rajan Thananayagam
Life is an adventure. I really mean it especially coming from Sri Lanka (No. Not a fan of Cricket).
Beach running was my favourite activity when I was a youth along the palm fringed, golden sandy beaches of Colombo (Sri Lanka's commercial capital). Just me and the space in front of me, bare foot landing on soft sand to a rhythm, body moving in grace, listening to the waves breaking, breath taking view of the sun setting, feeling the oneness with everything that transcends tiredness, sense of elation, stillness of world around you - no stop watch, no heart rate monitor, no GPS, no iPods.
I never knew how far I would have run, never knew how long it took as far as there is space in front of me I just ran. It was little more than running - it was a spiritual experience. Interestingly I never ever ran a race competitively or otherwise then.
Fast forward 25 years, I did my first sprint triathlon and a 10km race in 2010 in Sydney and life will never be the same.
4 x ironman finisher, multiple half-ironman races including racing in the inaugural Ironman 70.3 race in South Asia in 2012, a number of half marathon races, Sydney Marathon.
Goal: Kona Hawaii
Next Chapter: ADVENTURE RACING starting with GeoQuest. Goal: XPD in 2015
I'm married to Samantha with 2 kids - daughter, Priteesha and son, Seyon.
