The Blackheart.com.au team blitzed the field finishing the expedition in 5 days and 15 hours, crossing the line at 4.55am in Thredbo. Sydney / Canberra team Blackheart Salomon were second across the line, and Canberra Team Tangerine came in third.

XPD covered the most mountainous terrain of any expedition race in Australia with teams gaining over 20,00 meters in elevation throughout the race. "

The course this year was really different, much harder than last year. On every leg of this race, at least one of us had a moment of pain, at some stages it was all 4 of us were in pain". Said Damon Goerke from the winning team Blackheart.com.au

There were 31 teams competing, seven of which were internationals. Teams of four traveled over 800km on foot, mountain bike and kayak in the only Australian qualifier for the World Championships. Team members were to keep within 100metres of each other throughout the entire race and averaged 1 to 3 hours of sleep per night throughout the race.

The race kicked off in the rocky outcrops of Mt Buffalo in the Victorian High Country, with teams navigating their way through the thick fog and rain. The area received over 100mm of rain in 24 hours, playing havoc on the overnight mountain bike leg and the next days 85km Bogong and Feathertop trek legs.

The rain certainly made for a quick kayak down the rushing Kiewa River although the increase in water levels forced teams to walk the first 8km of the kayak, a mental blow for sore tired feet coming off the back of an 85km trek. Then in came the snow, with racers making their way through the high plains on bikes, but the inclement weather saw race organizers put a stop to racing for a 24 hour period while the weather eased.

"It was so cold out on course that we were really worried what we would do if we got a flat or broke a chain. If we had to stop for any length of time we really risked getting hypothermia" said Heather Logie from Tangerine.

Racing commenced again Sunday afternoon and it was a dash for home, a bike through the Upper Murray region, a paddle across the freezing cold Lake Eucumbene and then onto the final mountain bike leg which took teams through the Kosciuszko National Park to Charlotte Pass to the last leg a trek to the top of Mt Kosciuszko into the finish line in Thredbo.

"The high country has a lot of risk involved with the variability of the weather and the terrain. The conditions over the last few days has made for some very challenging racing for the teams" said Craig Bycroft, Event Director. "

Elements like the weather just add to the challenging of expedition adventure racing". Bycroft said.

As the qualifying event for the AR World Championships, Blackheart.com receive a free entry to the World Championships in Portugal in 2009, The Bull of Africa race and the next XPD race. XPD is held at a different location every 18 months.