Southern Traverse
Kiwis Claim Victory Again
Susan McKenzie / 18.11.2004
Hundreds of people lined the beach screaming and cheering and shouting as the local team Team Kathmandu (Duncan Hamilton, Hamish Hamilton, Kate Callaghan and George Christison) linked arms and crossed the finish line at 12:35 this afternoon. Media, race staff, schoolchildren, friends and heaps of family, including three generations of Hamiltons and Callaghans, crowded the team on the beach as it was dowsed with champagne and offered pints of Guinness.
“That was a nice beach walk,� Duncan Hamilton says of the 22-kilometre walk down the beach. “There were so many people out, no time to get bored because there was always someone to chat with as we walked.�
Kate Callaghan was swept up into a big hug by her brother Tim, who along with her mother had provided physical as well as emotional support for her during the race.
“It’s all so overwhelming,� she says with tears in her eyes as she clings tightly to her 86-year old grandmother’s hand. “This crowd, all these people, so much support, especially the little kids� (not just the young Hamiltons but also the students of St Mary’s School here in Hokitika who followed the race online.
“Thank you for bringing my sons home safely,� Jim Hamilton told Callaghan.
Kathmandu and the American team Go-Lite/Timberland battled for first place for most of the race, but it was the final trek across the Alexander Range that proved to be the turning point.
“That night up there was really hard, and that’s where we caught up to Go-Lite/Timberland,� says Callaghan. “We realised it would be too tough to navigate out there in the dark, so we decided to sleep for an hour, while they pushed on. Then we passed them and just kept going.�
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