National Schools Triathlon Moves from Chch To Queenstown

National Schools Triathlon Moves from Chch To Queenstown

The Contact National Schools Triathlon Championships will be hosted at Jacks Point in Queenstown on March 31st after it was deemed Christchurch and the surrounding region was in no way ready to host such a large event given the continued focus on recovery following the earthquake last week.

Triathlon New Zealand has moved quickly to find a new venue after the decision was made to move away from Pegasus in Christchurch. Despite Pegasus (20km north of Christchurch) being completely unscathed by the earthquake, the wider infrastructure and support was simply not available given the demands on the region in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Tri NZ Event Manager Haidee Stratford says the move to Jacks Point is the best of what is clearly not a perfect situation.

“First and foremost our thoughts remain with the people of Canterbury as they begin the long process of recovery from last week’s earthquake. Once the decision was made to move away from Pegasus our first priority was to stay in the South Island if at all possible. Jacks Point was one of the original bidders and they have moved quickly to bring that bid back to the table.

“We are convinced that despite the late change of venue, Jacks Point will host a stunning Contact National Schools Championship, one befitting the growing status of the event. By staying as close as we feasibly can to Canterbury, we also hope to see a great representation from the region as the people and community of Christchurch looks to return to something resembling a normal routine in the weeks and months ahead.”

Other venues closer to Christchurch were investigated but the sheer scale of the earthquake and its effect on the wider region ruled out all possible venues due to pressure on accommodation in particular but also what would have been a continued reliance on Christchurch based volunteers and resources – all of which are stretched in their dedication to the Civil Defence led recovery programme.

Stratford is thankful for the support and understanding of all concerned so far, in particular those working on behalf of the new venue.

“We need to say a big thank-you to the Central Lakes Community and Jacks Point for opening their arms to the event at such short notice. More information on courses will be available mid-late next week and posted on the website. The course has to be visited, routes devised etc before we can finalise all details. Another plus though for participants is the new venue is similar to Pegasus in that it is a man-made lake with smooth flat roads and run.”

The event will take place on the same date, 31 March, and the races will take place at the same times as previously indicated.

Queenstown Accommodation http://www.queenstownnz.co.nz/information/Accommodation/

For further information visit: www.schoolstri.co.nz

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