U.S. and International Teams Line Up Southern Traverse
22.07.2004
Several American teams are among the international line up registered so far for the 2004 Southern Traverse, to be held on the West Coast of the Southern Alps in November.Three first time entries from USA - OAGear.com, Flight and Cranksport.com - will bring experienced adventure racing competitors to New Zealand for the event.
Race director Geoff Hunt is pleased with the strong international interest. \"It is great to see these teams entering and in most cases it seems to be a kind of mysticism relating to the Southern Traverse which is the attraction.\"
OAGear.com captain James Molaschi says he has wanted to enter the Southern Traverse for some time. \"Two years ago I told myself that only three races mattered in life. The Beast of the East, Raid the North Extreme and Southern Traverse. One to go!\"
Cranksport.com leader Justin Callahan wants to finish an expedition length race “and the Southern Traverse is the one I want.†He claims to have a strong and experienced team which can go all the way to the podium.
Other international teams include ‘Emergency Architects’ from France and the UK team ‘Aberdeen Asset Management’ who competed in 2003 and have indicated they will be returning, along with competitors from Australia, Denmark, Russia and Japan.
The Go Lite/Timberland team, an American and Kiwi mixed team looks impressive. Led by US ski patroller and river guide Billy Mattison the team includes 24-year-old Kiwi Aaron Prince, who made Southern Traverse history in 1996, when at 17 he was the youngest competitor ever to enter and complete the event.
\"In that race he competed with his mother Vivienne Prince in a Canadian team,\" says Geoff. \"But his real coup was three years later at Nelson when he was only 20. That year he competed with the big guns Steve Gurney, Nathan Fa\'avae and Kathy Lynch to win the race. He is an outstanding athlete and holds the record as the highest New Zealand finisher at any World Orienteering Championships.\"
