The Next Challenge

Since moving to New Zealand, Chantal and I have gradually been filling our garage with 'adult toys'…

Toys like kayaks, mountain and road bikes, ice skates, surfboard, snowboard, etc. There are so many toys, that the car stays outside the double garage! You are probably thinking that these items were bought with good intentions and are now just sitting there gathering dust but you are wrong. Okay, some items are not used as much as I would like but there has been a very good reason for that. Namely, it is training for the Coast to Coast race (C2C).

On a training run over Goat Pass. This is one of the many river crossings, albeit a shallow one!

Some of you may have heard of this race. This 243 km long multisport race attracts idiots like me, who think it is a good idea to make a self-propelled crossing of the South Island. This includes the little matter of the Southern Alps, making the crossing from the Tasman Sea to the Pacific Ocean a little tougher! Quite handily though, the finish is in Christchurch on Sumner Beach!

Almost a year ago, Chantal came home enthused after helping out as an official at the last race. As I already wanted to compete in the 2009 race, it did not take long for us to decide to enter it together as a team. I would do the mountain run leg and the final cycle into Christchurch leaving Chantal with the kayaking leg and initial cycle. The team C2C, takes place over 2 days, with a night’s camping near Arthur’s Pass.

On a Grade 2 Kayaking course at Woodstock on the Waimakiriri River.

After both doing a basic kayaking course, we spent the winter maintaining base fitness before starting our C2C training programme in late September. Since then an average of five sessions a week has been spent on running, cycling & kayaking practise. I have been kayaking, too, as one day I would like to do the C2C by myself, either the 2 day version, or even the ‘Longest Day’.

All was going reasonably well but Chantal had been experiencing a knee problem ever since the Christchurch half marathon. She eventually saw a doctor, had x-rays & scans, etc, but did not really expect much to happen. Therefore, it was quite a surprise to be given a November appointment slot for keyhole surgery. We had expected to wait months for a date but as it turned out, she was operated on within a couple of months of the initial visit to a doctor. Of course, this was great news for her wellbeing but it was slap bang in the middle of the training schedule, so bad news for her C2C effort.

Anyway, due to the required recovery time, Chantal was unable to train properly until after Christmas. Therefore, she did not feel confident enough about completing the kayaking leg which has grade 2 rapids. Basically, it meant that I had to find a replacement team member, which I have done! The good news is that I am still competing in the C2C but unfortunately not with Chantal. Boo! Chantal’s replacement is Colin, a Scotsman with lots of white water kayaking experience so he should be okay. Colin is currently using our kayak and paddle and seems to like the kayak so much that he would like to keep it!

Going over Goat Pass on a training run.

The big day is fast arriving (it starts this Friday) and the excitement is building! After having a couple of practise runs on the course, I feel confident about the mountain run leg and expect to complete it in 5 hours. That’s as long as I navigate it correctly! However, I am not looking forward to the 70 km cycle into Christchurch as it is flat, relentless and normally into an easterly headwind!

However, a cold beer awaits me at the finish. Yep, as soon as you cross the finishing line, Robin Judkins, the race organiser will hand you a cold can of Speights!

Stay tuned for the inevitable blog article and photos