Rapid Ascent

Rapid Ascent Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Rapid Ascent, Sport & recreation, Suite 2, 1-3 Gilbert Street, Torquay.
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Rapid Ascent is Australia’s leading adventure sports event management company, organising off-road & adventure sports events across Australia including mountain-biking, trail running, ultra marathons, adventure races and off-road triathlons.

12/06/2026

Move over Q, these bikes for the Muster are way higher tech!

We’re pleased to announce that founder of , Darren Baum, will be riding the 2026 Shimano Gravel Muster!

BETTER: He’s making, not one, but TWO custom gravel bikes just for the occasion – One for him and one for the head honcho of naming sponsor, Shimano Australia. (Stay tuned for specs and pictures to come!)

Sam and Jez from Rapid Ascent had the pleasure of a guided factory tour yesterday. And after over 2 hours gawking in every nook, cranny and process, their opinion was unanimous...

“THESE ARE SO MUCH MORE THAN CUSTOM BIKES”.

Take the initial 4-5 hour bike purchasing consultation alone...

While you sip on a barista made latte from the high-end machine, every detail about you, the rider, is painstakingly analysed, measured and captured. From riding style, to limb length, to centre of gravity on a bike, to paint preferences, and how you apply power to the pedals (all measured on their infinitely adjustable, sensor-laden bike-fitting jig).

Then, in a mix of art and space-age engineering, all those measurements and data points are applied to the tube shapes, lengths, thicknesses, componentry, wheel size, tyre choice etc etc (they even have the option for HANDMADE bar tape to perfectly match your colour scheme).

The result?

The perfect harmony between man and machine. The optimal riding experience. And (most importantly) the envy of every other cyclist you pass on the trail, gravel or road.

Anyway...

You can see we’re revved up.

Bottom line is: There’s some serious “bike porn” coming to the Muster. Check out the video for clues about what tech Darren and Matt from Shimano will be bringing to the desert!

Of course, for more information about the Muster (entries still available!) – see link in bio.

And for more on Baum, check out

"What the heck is the Jewel in the Crown?"We had a few folk ask us something along those 👆 lines at Race 1 of the Trail ...
11/06/2026

"What the heck is the Jewel in the Crown?"

We had a few folk ask us something along those 👆 lines at Race 1 of the Trail Running Series a few weekends back. (We had some posters up that triggered the conversations).

It made us realise that, despite there already being 38 bedazzled runners (Jewel holders – like Tri Le pictured), we really need to do a better job at talking about what it is and how you can earn one.

So, here's how the Jewel in the Crown came about:

You might have heard about our much-coveted “Triple Crown” award (and one-of-a-kind Patagonia fleece) that’s awarded to runners who complete the Long Courses of all of the “Big 3” Rapid Ascent ultra marathons within 5 years (Margaret River Ultra Marathon, Surf Coast Century and Run Larapinta).

Well…

2 years ago, we launched a new, FOURTH event to the Rapid Ascent trail running stable – The Run Bibbulmun Track Stage Race.

This 3 day epic is set in Great Southern WA and is rapidly becoming a popular "running holiday" for those who love trails, speccy scenery and peaceful afternoons recovering in the sun!

Obviously, this 4th event presented a dilemma:

On one hand, we wanted to make a special acknowledgement for any runner who could complete ALL 4 events.

But, at the same time, we didn't want to move the goal posts on the Triple Crown (an incredible achievement in it's own right) by turning it into the "Quadruple Crown".

Hence the Jewel was born.

The Jewel is a special trophy for those extra-hardy souls who complete all 4 races.
It’s a “cherry on top” if you will…

“A feather in your cap”…

Or more specifically “a jewel” in the prestigious Triple Crown.

To get one, you must complete all 4 races within a 5 year period***

Do this and you will be acknowledged by:
👉 A new Run Bibbulmun pin for your triple crown jacket
👉 A golden name plaque on the Triple Crown shield (all other names are silver)
👉 Your name listed separately on the event websites
👉 Presented with an official Triple Crown Jewel certificate signed by the race directors
👉And… ultra running immortality!

If you’re keen to tackle “Run Bib” this year, we suggest getting in soon.

Numbers will be limited to ~200 and we already have over 100 people locked in.

Get all the details and enter here:
https://bit.ly/4bWqFGv

Or, if you’d like more details about the Jewel in the Crown, go here: https://bit.ly/3QWmRN5

Here’s to the hardy!
The Rapid Ascent Team

P.S. HUGE CONGRATS to the 38 runner already on the Jewel in the Crown Honour Board:
💎Scott Beams
💎Kate Cush
💎Jacqui Tol
💎Sandra Heriot
💎Maria Lissenberg
💎Lonneke Kefalas
💎Shane Antrobus
💎Grant Wallace
💎Shannon Lissenburg
💎Alan Williams
💎Esther Welsh
💎Tristan McCahon
💎Ian Nichol
💎David Clark
💎Victoria Cole
💎Joanna Maidment
💎Carina Hemmers
💎Caroline Overbeek
💎Lorna Bade
💎Cerina Meredith
💎Michael Donovan
💎Hui Harvey
💎Darian Cairns-Cowan
💎Erica Rusbridge
💎Damian Harrison
💎Daniel Bull
💎Tri Le
💎Mark Falkingham
💎Steve Adams
💎Michelle Norton
💎Karena West

Hold my soft flask while I pick my jaw up OFF THE FLOOR! Any passer by at the start of the Surf Coast Century could easi...
10/06/2026

Hold my soft flask while I pick my jaw up OFF THE FLOOR!

Any passer by at the start of the Surf Coast Century could easily confuse it for "just another mass participation event with 2,000 fitness fanatics".

But, scratch a bit deeper, and that same sceptical stranger would find an rich tapestry of moving human stories.

One of our favourite "categories" of these stories that we see wach year is "the step up"...

That is, people who have dipped their toes in the water with a short (er) distance in previous years, and are coming back for "the whole hog" now they've felt the buzz and realise they're stronger than they thought.

Take these legends for example (ALL entered in the 100km solo in 2026):

𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐬: “I did the 50km last year with the boys. It’d be silly not to upgrade to the 100km this year!”

𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐜𝐚 𝐃𝐮𝐭𝐤𝐨𝐰𝐬𝐤: “I supported a friend to do this race 5 years ago and have always wanted to come back and do it myself; so here I go!”

𝐇𝐚𝐢𝐲𝐮𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐠: “Last year I was a volunteer supporting our team member; it was wonderful!”

𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐞: “Ran Leg 3 last year as part of a relay team, and going the whole hog this year!”

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧: “This will be my first ever 100km race. Ever since I completed my first 50km race I knew I needed to go next level.”

And we're sure there are many other "stepper-upper-ers" on the list we've missed.

That's what we love about the "Feel Good Ultra" – Yes, the athletic feat of running 20km/50km/100km is impressive, but the tales you hear on race day are what really send shivers down our spine.

If you want to experience the buzz yourself...

Gather your mates and enter now:
👉 https://bit.ly/surf-coast-century-2026

The (going bigger) Rapid Ascent Team

31/05/2026

Who says you have to choose between cycling and running?!

putting her cyclocross skills to work in a muddy Race 1 at the Trail Running Series this morning (Long Course) 🙌

Surf Coast Century entrant, Duane Harris, might take the prize for the most Hollywood-worthy backstory we’ve read so far...
28/05/2026

Surf Coast Century entrant, Duane Harris, might take the prize for the most Hollywood-worthy backstory we’ve read so far:

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝗽, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿...

"In June 2024 I was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. I went through surgery that significantly reduced my stomach capacity, so fuelling and training for an ultra has been a bit of a science experiment. I'm in a constant process of figuring out what works while still pushing the mileage."

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 + 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲...

"The deeper reason I’m doing this is personal. I grew up through some rough circumstances before later serving in the US Army as an infantryman and deployed on duty serving in Iraq. Those experiences taught me a lot about discipline and resilience, and ultrarunning feels like a natural extension of that mindset - just keep moving forward when things get hard and push yourself to the limits."

𝗠𝗶𝘅 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲...

"I’m also a Pacific Islander, and you don’t see many of us lining up for 100 km trail races. If I can get through the Surf Coast Century, maybe it shows someone else from a similar background that they belong out here too."

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗿𝗮𝗽 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗳𝗲...

"I don’t have a coach haha my wife is my entire crew, team and training support system."

The movie virtually writes itself!

Duane, we’re honoured you’ve chosen the as your Hollywood ending (or new beginning).

If you'd like to join Duane on the start line, all details and entries here:
👉 https://bit.ly/surf-coast-century-2026

14/05/2026

What. A. Weekend!

The Margaret River Ultra always delivers world-class running, eye-bulging vistas and salt-of-the-earth runners. But 2026 dialled all of of those things up to "11".

THANK YOU to all the incredible runners, supporters, volunteers, sponsors and vendors who made this event possible. We're still riding high on the hog and hope you all are too.

Until next year...

Recover well and bask in the post-run glory. You've earned it!

The Rapid Ascent Team

Video thanks to Mat at ImageryOne.

P.S. If you don't want to wait a full 12 months for your next fix of life-affirming trails (why would you?!) check out our other trail events with similar formats and atmospheres to MRU:

Surf Coast Century:
👉 https://surfcoastcentury.rapidascent.com.au

Run Bibbulmun Track Stage Race:
👉 https://runbibbulmun.rapidascent.com.au

Run Tasmania Stage Race:
👉 https://runtasmania.rapidascent.com.au

12/05/2026

: Qantas flight sale to Alice Springs until 11:59pm tonight. Perfect for Gravel Muster/Run Lara. See comments for link:

Address

Suite 2, 1-3 Gilbert Street
Torquay, VIC
3228

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5:30am
Tuesday 9am - 5:30am
Wednesday 9am - 5:30am
Thursday 9am - 5:30am
Friday 9am - 5:30am

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