---

Westenra To Take On Current Champions

Micheal Jacques / 06.02.2009

This year’s Speight’s Coast to Coast has been dubbed, “The Year of the Woman�. But even race director Robin Judkins couldn’t have predicted the women’s race we are about to see. Amid a record female entry, no less than three of the last four women’s world champions, will be on the start line. But the latest to throw her name in the hat is a blast from the past that many consider one of the best female multisporters of all time.

Four time Speight’s Coast to Coast champion, Jill Westenra, will be 44 when she lines up beside perhaps the best female field ever assembled for the 243k cycling, mountain running and white water kayaking race across New Zealand’s South Island. It’s been almost a decade since she won the first of her four successive world titles, but the Wellingtonian is back and she isn’t about to race in the veteran grade.

“I’ve always liked getting out there and racing everyone,� says Westenra, who has been lulled back to the race she dominated between 2000 and 2003 by a combination of unfinished business and wanting to see how she ranks amidst today’s much more competitive woman’s scene.

Indeed, since Westenra dominated the world scene, things have hotted up somewhat. No one doubts that she was, and might still be, a special athlete. After all, before she became queen of multisport the talented all rounder won New Zealand titles and wore the silver fern in triathlon, duathlon and mountain running. But in recent years the woman’s world scene has improved in leaps and bounds.

“For the first time in its 27 year history woman will make up more than 25 percent of the field,� says race director Robin Judkin’s of this year’s Speight’s Coast to Coast line up.

“For me it’s amazing,� he says. “In the first few One Day World Championships I had to actively search for women who were willing to do the race. Now we have a situation where the women’s One Day race is the feature event. As well as three former champions, there are half a dozen possible contenders and really no clear favourite.�

“The girls scene now is really competitive,� agreed Westenra the day after putting in her late entry. “It’s no secret that when I was winning it was a bit of a time trial. I was really just racing myself. But things seem more like a real race now, and I like racing.�

Westenra will certainly have a race on her hands. The 2008 and 2007 winners, Emily Miazga and Fleur Pawsey, will renew their rivalry from last year, when after 13 hours of racing Miazga passed Pawsey in the final 15 minutes to win by just 40 seconds.

It was the closest women’s race ever for the women’s world title race, but represented vindication for both athletes. Miazga, the Christchurch-based Canadian with her own brand of cookies and energy products, had won the title in 2006 only to have injury ruin her chances at defending in 2007, which saw the then unknown Pawsey surprise even herself with a totally unexpected win. One might have expected, then, that the Canterbury-born Pawsey would be disappointed to lose by so little in 2008. But she was quietly pleased to show that 2007 hadn’t been a fluke.

See All Stories On This Race