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Teams Upbeat about GODZone Adventure Ahead

March 7th 2014

Teams Upbeat about GODZone Adventure Ahead

The seaside township of Kaikoura has turned on a blue sky day for the official registration of teams at the 2014 GODZone adventure race.

There was a buoyant atmosphere at the Kaikoura Memorial Hall this morning as the forty-one national and international teams met up for the first time before the event gets underway on Saturday.

“This can be quite a nervous time for the newbie's and rookies because you get to eyeball the bigger names face to face while our race officials check over their gear and some of their skills,” says Race Director Warren Bates.

The first team to register was reigning GODZone champions Team Seagate who breezed through the check in process in a relaxed manner. Team leader Nathan Faavae said it was a good feeling to be in Kaikoura and they were ready to get underway.

“We are really excited about racing at home – it's always great to get out in the New Zealand backcountry and it is our favourite place to race. For Sophie, Chris and myself its is important for us to have a good race here. After Costa Rica and also our second place finish in Brazil last year we were disappointed with ourselves, so in this race it's important for us to meet our own expectations.”

The 164 competitors spent most of the morning getting to grips with course requirements and having their gear lists ticked off.

“The teams had to demonstrate to us a range of things like that their outdoor tent can fit four people inside it which always creates a few laughs. We briefed them on how the inflatable kayaks are to be used in the race and also the double kayaks,” says Bates.

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One of the key demonstrations was the use of the Yellow Bricks, a tracker system that each team carries throughout the 520km course that will ensure race organisers know exactly where they are at all times.

“The Yellow Bricks have a two fold purpose, firstly they work as a vital GPS system which allows us to track teams for safety purposes but they also provide minute by minute tracking for our live website which provides fantastic coverage for viewers around the world,” says Bates.

One New Zealand team, Proactive Physio, from Queenstown had a blast at registration and said they were enjoying just being ready to go.

“We have raced GODZone before and it's a good feeling to know that we have trained hard together and kind of know what we are in for. Its good to see the Kaikoura Council getting behind this event.” said Marty Macdonald.

International teams have been impressed with the beauty of the Kaikoura coastline and in awe of the range of mountains that lie inland behind the township.

Irish Team Moxie AR from Ireland have not raced together before and are made up of Chris Caulfield, Brian Keogh and Noel O Leary from Ireland with UK female racer Sabrina Vergee.

“We managed to bike around Kaikoura yesterday and loved the relaxed vibe of the place. We really want to finish the race with enough time to get back and enjoy these beautiful surroundings,” said Chris Caulfield.

American team Checkpoint Zero are equally impressed with the area and Peter Jolles said while they are an experienced team, it is their first GODZone experience.

“Eating and sleeping will be the highlights but our goal is to complete the course and enjoy the scenery. And stay friends.”

Teams are expected back at the Kaikoura Memorial Hall tomorrow (Saturday 8th March) from 6am where they will receive the embargoed course maps and a full race briefing.

“Tomorrow is effectively the start of the race in terms of all the competitors receiving the vital information and being briefed. We are all looking forward to getting to that stage. Then let the seven days of non stop adventure racing begin,” says Mr Bates.

Follow the live race website from the 8th March http://live.godzoneadventure.com or see regular updates on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/godzoneadventure

Full team list available here http://godzoneadventure.com/team-resources/teams/

ENDS

© Scoop Media

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