Southern Traverse
Course Unveiled for West Coast of the Southern Alps
Jenny McLeod - Southern Traverse / 13.11.2004
\"On a scale of ten this race would feature at eight,\" says Race Director Geoff Hunt after revealing the course details at media and competitor briefings in Hokitika today. He added this definitely puts it at the tough end of Southern Traverse racing.
\"We don’t deliberately make it hard, it’s just the type of country we are operating in. Obviously the weather will play a big role and with rain forecast over the next couple of days it will provide some interesting challenges.\"
Twenty six teams with athletes representing USA, Australia, UK, Holland, Japan, Sweden, Denmark and New Zealand are now gathered in Hokitika for the start of the race in the centre of the town at 9.00am tomorrow.
The Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright will officially start the race, and the first leg will see competitors make a cycle tour of Hokitika, before setting off on the first 56km mountain bike leg.
For the next five days or so teams will trek for 93 kms, paddle 112 kms, mountain bike for 203kms and end with a 22km beach walk to the finish line back in Hokitika. The fastest teams are expected to cross the line in the early hours of Friday morning.
Teams that do not make it to the start of a mountain trekking stage on Alexander Range by Thursday (November 18) by 8.30a.m will be diverted to the shorter adventure course. All teams have to be off the course by 5.00pm on Saturday (November 21).
On all paddle sections competitors are not allowed on the water between 9.00pm and 6.00am and penalties will be applied to any teams who do not comply.
Mr Hunt says alternate plans are in place if the heavy rain which is forecast eventuates. \"We have weather options for the Ahaura and Taramakau river sections which we will put in place if we have to.\"
Team Bridgedale Socks which is defending its 2003 title is under no illusions about the difficulty of the course. \"If Geoff Hunt says its going to be challenging it means it’s going to be bloody hard,\" says team captain Murray Thomas.
Thomas has competed in every Southern Traverse to date and his long time team mate Bill Godsall of Cromwell describes the course as ‘particularly gnarly.’ \"Experience is going to play a huge part in this race,\" he says.
Captain of the American/New Zealand team Go Lite Timberland Billy Mattison agrees it will not be easy. \"It’s really just what we expected but the weather alone will make it challenging. It’s obviously going to be cold and wet and we have to prepare for that and try and cope with it.\"
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