Godzone Adventure Race
Races Within Races - Every Place Counts at Godzone
Rob Howard / 12.03.2014
What a race for second place at Godzone Adventure as 4 teams who had traded places for the whole race battled for the podium places on the finish line in Kaikoura.
The final stages of the race were a difficult night time trek which was a big navigational challenge for the tired teams, a mountain bike ride along the Kaikoura coast which was equally challenging for the tired navigators and included 850m of climbing, and finally a sea paddle back to the finish line in Kaikoura, with the occasional dolphin pod keeping the kayaks company along the way.
It sounds like the perfect way to finish an expedition adventure race – no tourist challenges for the cameras ... just tough racing right to the finish in some amazing scenery. And given the different nature of the final 3 stages it allowed teams to show their strengths which meant positions changed – some were better navigators, some better riders and some better paddlers, so each had their chance to make their move.
The teams keeping all the race followers glued to their computer screens were R and R Sport Torpedo 7, Absolute Wilderness NZ, Vida de Aventura, Kathmandu XT and Chimpanzee Bar.
With so many demands on the teams in the final stages it was inevitable there were minor navigational mistakes, and these would prove costly in race positions. I am sure team supporters were shouting at their computers if their team went astray. (If you missed it you can reply the teams tracks using the timeline on the live tracking web page.)
As teams approached the final transition it looked like Vida de Aventura and R and R Sport Torpedo 7 would take the podium places but the indomitable Absolute Wilderness team put in a big effort on the finals stages of the ride to catch them and there were 3 teams together on the beach at Omihi Camp setting off on the final stage.
From there R and R Sport Torpedo 7 proved their kayaking prowess and took second place, followed into the finish line 22 minutes later by Absolute Wilderness NZ to complete the podium. Vida de Aventura, who had been second on the final trek, slipped back to 4th, and Kathmandu XT made up the top 5. Chimpanzee Bar are set to take 6th, with Jim Cotter making the final paddle with injured, possibly broken, ribs.
While all this was happening there was another race within a race going on back on the Hurunui River – to beat the Dark Zone. Go 3.0 and Next Generation, who have been having a great battle all race, made it through comfortably, as did Proactive Physio. All 3 of these teams had camped on the river bank the night before, but those behind them had set off together from the TA at the top of the river paddle at first light and needed to put in a good paddle to ensure they were not caught by the Dark Zone for a second time.
Orion Health, Beaufort 9 and Lost and Lonely made it through, but those behind them had to camp out again with U.S. Team Checkpoint Zero stopping a frustrating 5km short of the transition area. This will ensure the top 12 are New Zealand teams.
Going into the 5th day of racing there are still 32 fully ranked teams from the 41 starters and they will all be trying to complete the full course before finishing at Kaikoura.
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