Motu Challenge
Motu Kicks Of New Zealand’s Multisport Series
Michael Jacques / 14.10.2004
The annual Sportzhub.com New Zealand Multisport series starts this weekend, and with a record entry, massive prize purse and star-studded field, the Motu Challenge is putting up it’s hand as New Zealand’s premier multisport race.For nine years the Telecom Local Directories Motu Challenge has been the North Island’s premier multisport race. Designed by Bay of Plenty endurance sport legend Neil Jones, this scenic but savage course takes competitors on a 171 km course of mountain biking, running, road cycling and kayaking through the historic Motu region. And in 2004 a record prize purse has attracted the biggest and deepest field in Motu history.
With almost $27,000 in prize money the race is the richest in New Zealand multisports. With meaningful prize money distributed through all grades, some of the country’s best multisporters are heading for Saturday’s Opotiki start line.
While keen observers of the sport will be watching to see if Auckland’s Gordon Walker can clip Steve Gurney’s course record, it is the women’s race that promises to provide the closest racing. Course record holder Jill Westenra is odds-on favourite; the $3000 first prize apparently enticing the Wellingtonian out of a multisport retirement. But chasing her will be the best female field ever assembled for a multisport race in this country.
Defending Motu champion Joanna Gosse lines up again. In 2003 the Auckland nurse came closer than any other woman to Westenra’s Motu record of 8hrs 33min 30secs. But fast-improving women such as Bridget Leonard and Rachel Cashin will also be looking to get a good start to the national series.
Cashin and Leonard finished second and third in last season’s national series, but the fastest improving women on the scene right now could be Wellingtonian Jan Hales, who won the final race of last season’s series ahead of both Leonard and Cashin.
With 117km of cycling (65km mountain bike and 52km road cycle), the Motu Challenge favours the strong cyclist. Westenra has proven time and again that she is the strongest rider in multisport. 2002 national series winner Pam Hewlett is also strong on the bike and makes a return to the national scene at Motu. But the strongest rider of all will be the surprise entry from pro mountain biker Sadie Parker-Wynyard.
The former national mountain bike champion has chosen a tough race for her multisport debut, but with more than two thirds of the 171km race being on two wheels and the race starting with the 65km mountain bike, Westenra and co. are likely to find themselves chasing the multisport rookie for most of the race.See All Event Posts
