Southern Traverse at Hanmer Springs
Rob Howard / 19.06.2007
The 300km three-day event is open to teams of four and teams of two. The four team category competes for the overall Classic Southern Traverse title and the winning team will gain free entry to the 2008 Adventure Racing World Championships in Brazil.
Race Director Geoff Hunt says the initial reconnaissance for the course has been made and he is impressed with the variety of the terrain so close to Hanmer Springs.
"The native bush in the Upper Waiau, the Hanmer pine forests, the bare mountain tops on the Upper Clarence Basin and the rivers in the region are a great backdrop for the race. There is certainly some tough and interesting country out there."
Disciplines include trekking, mountain biking, kayaking and rope skills and there will be a strong focus on navigation and orienteering.
"Orienteering and navigation are becoming increasingly significant in adventure racing and teams who have the best skills in these areas will be the ones to watch."
Initial inquiries from potential competitors both in New Zealand and offshore have been strong and an excellent field incorporating well known adventure racers is expected to enter.
"Entry to the Adventure Racing World Championships is a hotly sought after prize particularly with next year's event scheduled in Brazil," says Hunt. "I think we can expect to see some very good teams competing against each other to take out the title and the chance to go to Brazil."
A two-person team category, involving any mix, is being introduced to allow newcomers to the sport to experience adventure racing.
In Southern Traverse tradition the course will not be released until the eve of the race.
"The course details will be under wraps but our estimation is that the fastest teams will complete it in 30 hours and the final teams will take around 42 hours," says Hunt. "Teams and support crews will meet each night at a camp site where they will stay overnight. But this doesn't mean the competitors won't suffer from the exhaustion and sleep deprivation that is associated with expedition style adventure racing. There will still be plenty of that."
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