Brits go Coast to Coast

Rob Howard / 18.01.2005

A British team are making a last minute attempt at the new international category in New Zealand’s classic Speight’s Coast to Coast race. They are hoping to find some late sponsorship, and to get some patriotic support from home shores.

The World Team Challenge is a new introduction to the C2C this year, an international competition for teams of 3 over the legendary multi-sport route. There were a couple of postings in the SleepMonsters forum looking for Scottish and Welsh teams last year, but it seems they came to nothing and 3 ex-pats now working in New Zealand have come together to form Team GB.

Andy Beale said, “A month out and there\'s no British team - so we\'ve put one together from the best pome adventure racers/multisporters we could find here at short notice. We wanna go large - be loud! We ain\'t muppets. The kiwi team will win by a country mile - providing they all finish. After that it could be a close run thing from the 9 international teams taking part.”

“It doesn\'t seem right that we do this without some sort of backing from the UK. We\'re not looking for a letter from the Queen - just some links to the UK. We shall have union jacks everywhere. We\'re in a last minute mad dash for some publicity and sponsors. Failing that just some good old best of British would help us along!”

Andy was an ACE Racer who says he got a ‘wake up call’ when he started competing in Kiwi races, and he’s raced Southern Traverse and the Arrow series while he’s been out there. To form Team GB he’ll be joined by Gary MacPherson and Claire Muir. Gary is a 38 year old Scot who has been multi-sport racing for 3 years, and has raced C2C before. So has Claire, in fact that is where she started her racing in New Zealand a year ago, and she says she is a lot fitter for the coming race.