AMP Multisport Race
New Stars Shine in NZ National Series
Michael Jacques / 11.11.2004
More than 800 athletes turned out for the annual AMP City of Christchurch Multisport Race. The event doubled as round two of the 2004/05 Sportzhub.com National Multisport series and as defending champions both of this race and of the series Richard Ussher and Kristina Anglem were rushing back from Borneo where they had just finished the Mild Seven Outdoor Quest.
Following the tough five-day sage race with another hard race was always going to be a big ask, so it wasn’t surprising when both athletes were late withdrawals. But what was surprising was that the race lost nothing without them. In fact, if anything it gained because the spotlight shone of several up and comers in the sport.
Without Ussher, all eyes at the Christchurch Cathedral start line were on the multisport debut of Commonwealth Games marathoner Phil Costley. With 24 national titles to his name, Costley is one of New Zealand’s most successful runners. But looking for new goals he has recently taken to multisport with a goal of competing in the Speights Coast to Coast two-day event in February.
The AMP race was his first test in the multisport world, and as expected the Christchurch schoolteacher was out on his own on the 17km run over the Rapaki Track to Lyttleton. But what wasn’t expected was how close local mountain running enthusiast Axel Reiser managed to stay, trailing the 2:13 marathoner by just 90secs as they exchanged running shoes for bikes.
Reiser, also a multisport rookie, then surprised with a strong cycle leg to pass Costley and move into a narrow lead. Race favourite Luke Vaughn also moved through on the cycle leg, passing Martin Lukes to get on the water just 10secs behind Costley. With the first three placegetters starting the final 7km kayak within 30secs, there appeared to be a race on. But then Luke Vaughn illustrated just how far he has progressed since finishing second in the Speights Coast to Coast two-day event earlier this year.
Coached by Neil Gellatly, Vaughn is rated as one of the new breed of top multisporters: an athlete specialising in the sport from an early age. At the AMP event he tore up the river, clocking a faster time even than the top teams to sweep past Costley and then Reiser to open up a 4min 27sec winning margin.
Vaughn stopped the clock in 2hrs 27min 33secs. Behind him Reiser and Costley battled for the minor medals, with Costley unable to make any ground up on the kayak but not losing any either to finish 28secs off the pace in third. Martin Lukes finished off a lonely race for fourth, while Dick Brunton made a welcome return to top level racing with a typically storming kayak leg to move from eighth to fifth.
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