Kayaking Kanakyland Kiwi Style - Canoe & Kayak

Speight’s
Coast to Coast
2010
By James Kuegler
The 2010 Speight’s Coast to Coast will certainly be
remembered, like 1992 and 2004, for extremes in weather and
course changes. Under difficult circumstances, with confusion
and 11 th hour course changes, competitors and officials still
managed to produce a competitive and exciting race.
In scorching sunshine on Friday 12 th February the two day competitors
raced on bikes and foot from Kumara, half way across the South Island to
their day’s end at Klondyke Corner. Rangiora’s Rhys John recorded the
fastest time for the Mountain Run over Goat Pass.
In direct contrast, the metservice forecasted 150 mm of rain at rates of
up to 45 mm/hr, with 70 kph wind gusting to 130 kph, between midnight
and 9 am on Saturday morning. As a result, race director Robin Judkins
was forced to move to plan B. The competitors in the Speight’s World
Multisport Championship, Longest Day competition would ride 55 km as
normal from Kumara Junction to Aickens Corner. Then they’d run up the
steep Otira Viaduct State Highway 73 to Klondyke Corner instead of the
usual 33 km Mountain run over Goat Pass. From Klondyke the Longest
Day and Two Day competitors would have a gruelling 140 km cycle over
Porters Pass, via Waddington and along Old West Coast Road to North
Hagley Park in Christchurch before a revised relatively short 20 km kayak
down the rapidless and recreationally busy Avon River to Sumner.
Talented duathlete Simon Kristiansen had a four minute lead at
Klondyke Corner. Defending champion Gordon Walker, and 2008 Two
Day winner Dougal Allan then chased down Kristiansen in a partnership
that lasted all the way to transition from bike to kayak at Hagley Park.
Walker made the comment “It wouldn’t have made sense to leave each
other”. By staying together, they shared the work, and built a solid
advantage over the chasing competitors.
The defending champion’s superior horse-power quickly showed
through in the kayak, as the pair battled the weedy and shallow Avon
river, as well as negotiating their way through and around the Two Day
competitors and Punts that were also occupying the river.
Walker crossed the line in 9:43 to claim his third Speight’s Coast to
Coast victory. Dougal Allan claimed second exactly five minutes behind,
with Cantabrian
Jacob Roberts third.
In the women’s
race Elina Ussher
shook off her Coast
to Coast hoodoo.
She led from the
start, winning her
first Speight’s Coast
to Coast over thirty
minutes ahead of
Louise Mark and
112 Milan Talley and 02 Emily Miazga
in the One Day event.
Tony Le Sueur powers down the Avon