Adventure Racers Challenged in the Coromandel

Adventure Racers Challenged in the Coromandel

New Zealand’s best Adventure Racers put their body and mind on the line in the Coromandel Peninsula last weekend.

A record 250 entrants took on the 11th running of the demanding Coromandel event. In a race billed as “Journey to the End of the World”, competitors started from Whangamata in perfect conditions at 7am on Saturday for a non-stop 24-hour tour of the remotest and most gruelling areas of the Coromandel Peninsula.

Using the classic adventure racing format where the course is kept secret until 12 hours before start time, competitors navigated their way via a mixture of running, mountain biking, kayaking and various adventure skills sections such as abseiling and shooting.

The race up front was dominated by former world champions, Team Orion Health of Brent Edwards (Rotorua), Anna Berthelson (Tauranga), Sam Clarke and Chris Morrissey (Whakatane). The defending champions and pre-race favourites took the race by the horns to lead from start to finish, but for many teams the race was almost over before it began after some spectacular surfing at the end of the opening stage.

The 100km event opened with a 15km kayak from Whangamata to Whititoa, with some rolling surf seeing more than a few kayakers become swimmers as they tried to land at the end of the stage. Waiheke Island’s aptly named Team Fourplay in the Bush has a wet start when team captain Jeremy Kuggeleijn rolled his two-man kayak and came back up with the other paddler missing.

Team Fourplay would prove the surprise package of this year’s ARC Adventure Race as more favoured teams struggled with tough navigation and night time sections. The race was still close after the opening kayak section, with Team Orion Health holding a 1min lead over dark horse challengers Team Moa Adventure, which was led by former Orion captain Wayne Oxenham.

Oxenham retired from international racing last year and racing this time against the team he won a world title with, there was some friendly rivalry and pride at stake. On stage two, a 10k mountain bike section, Orion took control to build up a 10min lead after just two hours of racing. But it was the third stage, a rugged 17k trek into the Wentworth Valley, that illustrated their world class.

After five hours of bush bashing and river running with a compass and maps their only aid for direction, Team Orion Health finished the stage with an abseil down Wentworth Falls and a 55min lead. Navigational experience appeared to make the difference, with highly rated teams such as Moa Adventure losing two hours and a half hours, and 2010 runners up, Team Nga Rakau of Mark Struthers, Isak Meyer, Louise Mark and Andrew Turnbull, losing more than an hour.

Veteran Aucklanders Team Aphids of Phil White, Anne Mortimer, Henry Beex and Dennis Litt had recovered from a crash to Litt in the earlier mountain bike section to be second after the big trek, but with three other teams close behind.

A short mountain bike and rifle shooting sections failed to produce much change in proceedings, but the following 30k mountain bike rogaine blew the race open as teams were told where check points were and then worked out the fastest way to get around them all.

Orion extended their lead even further, and would continue to do so in the remaining 14k kayak and 5k night run on Whangamata Peninsula, eventually crossing the Whangamata finish line in just under 13hrs with almost two hours in hand for their fifth ARC victory in six years. But the race for second place stayed close right to the finish line with bonus time from the abseiling, rifle shooting and rogaine sections deciding the minor placings.

The experienced Team Aphids of Phil White, Anne Mortimer, Henry Beex and Dennis Litt were second across the finish line, 14min ahead of team Fourplay in the Bush of Jeremy Kuggeleijn, Garth Spencer, Aidamn Boswell and Hannah Lowe. But when bonus time from the abseiling, rifle shooting and rogaine sections was tallied, Fourplay in the Bush ended up with second place, just 1 minute ahead of Team Aphids.

The ARC 24 Hour Race remains so popular because it also has a 12 hour event suited to racers preferring the shorter format and introduces adventure racing rookies to the sport via a non-kayaking 8hr options. The 12hr race this year was won by defending champions Team Crash Bandicoot, a Thames family team of Jo and Darren Donnelly and Mike and John White. The eight hour event went to Team Public Hares, a bunch of mates from Auckland, Australia and Christchurch.

Organisers Andy Reid and Keith Stephenson are Coromandel residents and endurance sport enthusiasts who got together to form Adventure Racing Coromandel, an event company aimed at promoting adventure and endurance sports in their region. The result was a collection of four different events, all of which have become favourites with endurance junkies across the country. As well as the ARC Adventure Race they organise the Moehau Man Multisport Festival, the K2 Cycle Classic and the Great Kauri Run. Their events also benefit the Spirit of Coromandel Trust assisting young people into outdoor activities.

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