HuttValleyNZ.com Crazyman
World Champion Confirms Class in Crazyman
Michael Jacques / 05.05.2008
For Ussher it was a return to the scene of his first big win. The multi-time world champion kick-started his multisport and adventure racing career with a win in the Crazyman back in 2000. Nowadays the born and bred Wellingtonian calls Nelson home, but he returned again this year to win the annual event for the third year in a row.With an impressive “catch-me-if-you-can� performance, Ussher left a quality line up that included former worlds title runner-up Neil Gellatly and up and top Aussie Jarad Kohlar wondering what they have to do to beat the world number one. The 31 year old took no prisoners from the start, a testing 12k kayak leg into the teeth of a southerly swell across Wellington Harbour to Eastbourne. Surfing into Eastbourne Beach, he had established a two minute lead on a chase pack that included Kohlar, Gellatly and New Plymouth’s Anthony Roebuck.
The leader wasted no time transitioning to the following 18k mountain run over the Eastern Harbour Ranges. Behind him the Australian broke away from Gellatly and Roebuck, but Ussher was revelling in the challenging harbour hills and slippery underfoot conditions and added another three minutes to his lead.
Another person revelling in the conditions was Rotorua firefighter Katrine Lawton. The mountain bike specialist came into the race as an outside bet to challenge defending champion Elina Ussher and world title runner up Fleur Pawsey. On the day Ussher failed to start due to illness, but Lawton put up an impressive performance that had onlookers wondering if she might be the next big thing on the woman’s scene.
In testing conditions Lawton surprised her competition and spectators alike by opening up a three minute lead on Pawsey in the opening kayak leg. But an even bigger surprise was Pawsey failing to fire in her specialist run section, which saw Lawton start her specialist mountain bike section with an unassailable six-minute lead. However the way the winner rode the Hutt Skyline was ironically the most surprising performance of the day. The mountain bike specialist was expected to excel at this discipline, but no one would have imagined a 27-minute winning margin.
Lawton rode across the Lower Hutt Town Hall finish line in 5hrs 19min 31secs. Pawsey followed in 5hrs 56min 39secs, perhaps rueing a busy racing schedule since finishing second at the Coast to Coast world title race in February. See All Event Posts
