Coast to Coast (race)

The Coast to Coast is a non-standard multisport competition held annually in New Zealand. It is run from the west coast to the east coast of the South Island, and features running, cycling and kayaking elements over a total of 243 kilometres (151 mi).

History

The first Coast to Coast race was organised in 1983 by New Zealand sportsman Robin Judkins who had earlier run the three-day Alpine Ironman. The original race featured only 79 competitors and was considered a largely local event. Subsequent races have increased in size, and by the race's 25th anniversary run in 2007 the field had increased to 840 participants and gained international acclaim as one of the premier adventure races in the world.^[1]

After organising the race for 31 years, Judkins sold the rights in May 2013 to tourism company Trojan Holdings^[2][3] for an undisclosed amount.

Course

The race consists of three different timed events which all run over the same course: individual and two-person teams competing over a two-day event, and the titular World Championship race, a one-person, one-day event previously called The Longest Day competition.

The race begins with a 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) run from Kumara Beach on the Tasman Sea, followed by a 55 km (34 mi) cycling up State Highway 73 to Aickens. The next segment of the race is a 33 kilometres (21 mi) run up the Deception River, through Goat Pass and then down the Mingha River to the Bealey River and SH 73 at Klondyke Corner. For the two-day event, competitors overnight here.

From Klondyke Corner, a 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) cycling leg along SH 73 brings competitors to the Waimakariri River at Mount White Bridge. From here, competitors kayak 67 kilometres (42 mi) down the river to the Waimakariri Gorge Bridge (Route 72).

Until 2014, the final segment was a 70 kilometres (43 mi) cycling race along Old West Coast Road and through Christchurch (via SH 73, SH 76, SH 74A, Ferry Road and Main Road) to the finish at Sumner Beach, on the Pacific Ocean.

From 2015, the route was shifted north of the Waimakariri River to follow South Eyre Road, then travelling through north-eastern Christchurch to finish at New Brighton beach, a total distance just 500 metres shorter than the original. The main reason for the change was to avoid competitors contending with numerous traffic lights through Christchurch's inner suburbs.

• Start line, Kumara beach: 42°34′21″S 171°06′57″E / 42.5725°S 171.1157°E / -42.5725; 171.1157 (Kumara start line)
• Kumara Junction transition (run-cycle): 42°35′17″S 171°07′55″E / 42.5881°S 171.1319°E / -42.5881; 171.1319 (Kumara Junction transition (cycle-run))
• Aickins transition (cycle-run): 42°46′17″S 171°37′31″E / 42.7714°S 171.6253°E / -42.7714; 171.6253 (Aickins transition (cycle-run))
• Klondyke Corner transition/overnight (run-cycle): 43°00′14″S 171°35′22″E / 43.0040°S 171.5894°E / -43.0040; 171.5894 (Klondyke Corner transition/overnight (run-cycle))
• Mount White Bridge transition (cycle-kayak): 43°00′16″S 171°44′52″E / 43.0045°S 171.7479°E / -43.0045; 171.7479 (Mount White Bridge transition (cycle-kayak))
• Waimakariri Gorge Bridge transition (kayak-cycle): 43°21′38″S 172°03′03″E / 43.3606°S 172.0507°E / -43.3606; 172.0507 (Waimakariri Gorge Bridge transition (kayak-cycle))
• Finish line, New Brighton Beach: 43°30′51″S 172°44′05″E / 43.51423°S 172.73482°E / -43.51423; 172.73482 (New Brighton Beach)

• Historic finish line, Sumner beach: 43°33′59″S 172°45′34″E / 43.5663°S 172.7594°E / -43.5663; 172.7594 (Sumner finish line)

Records

The record time of completion of the race is in 10 hours, 34 minutes and 37 seconds, achieved by Keith Murray in 1994. Murray also holds the record for the two-day competition at 11:05:18 from the year before in 1993.^[4]

Steve Gurney, a local from Christchurch, has won the event a record 9 times, in 1990, 1991, and 1997–2003.^[5]

Individual (one day) results

References

External links

• Coast to Coast official website