I only decided to enter Coast to Coast on the last day of December. I had been putting the decision off over Christmas but there always comes a time when decisions must be made. I was primed and ready for a hard 6 week build up and all that goes with. January went fast. Two weekends on the course, a few decent sessions between and it was all over. I felt better prepared than I had ever felt, had managed more training than I would normally manage and for all intensive purposes was ready.
As it all unfolded, a very brief account of events.....
5:35am: After 20mins of casual walking toward Kumara beach with fellow legend Dan Moore I noticed things were a little breezy upstairs. "F!@k me, my helmets at the bike stand!".
5:45am: I'd like to say I hitch hiked to the bike stands but in reality I just jumped in someones car and got them to drive me the 4km return to where I left Dan. Crisis over.
6am: No mucking around now. We were off. Braden and Rich set the pace. I followed with a list of other contenders. Without too much mucking around a top bunch of about 12 guys emerged as a front bunch. Among us were Sam Clark, Richard Ussher, Braden Currie, Dougal Allan, Dan Moore and a few others. This was more or less our top ten finishers right off the bat I remember us settling into a reasonably organized rotation early into the ride probably explaining why we put 10 minutes on the 2nd bunch. My legs didn't feel great but with nothing I could do I put my focus onto efficiency and was confident a change in discipline would work well for my legs.
The Run: I had a usual smooth transition here but Sam, Braden and Dougal transitioned amazingly well getting a jump on the rest of us. I wasn't too worried thinking more about running myself into the race rather than blowing a gasket on the first 3km. It was a tactic that paid off but not immediately. My route choices were solid and I was running efficiently keeping Rich, Sam and Dougal at about the same distance in front. By the time we hit Doreen creek I had without too much effort caught the 3 guys immediately in front and was comfortable with their pace.Entering big boulders it was clear that my route choice was different to the other 3 so backing my judgement I went it alone. Going over the pass I wasn't particularly surprised to hear Braden was 8 minutes in front, nor did it worry me at the time. He had always planned to get a break off the run.
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On my heels by now was Dougal who was having a great run compared to previous years and put some fire in my belly to up the pace. Soon after I had a clear gap and set about making a quick trip to Klondyle corner. Conditions were quick but 3:03 for the run was awesome. Lets hope it wasn't too awesome.
Apparently not.....Braden had smashed out 2:53. What a legend.
With a firm buttock wind the middle ride went without too much hassle. Getting off the bike things got sticky. I had cramp of the nasty kind throughout my legs. Several expletives, a couple of groans and a banana later I caught back up to Dougal (who had caught me on the last km of the ride then past me atop the hill) on the run to Mt White bridge. Here with my awesome crew we got a gap on Dougal that wasn't to be closed until the dying stages of the river.
Paddling the Waimakariri:
Five hours of running and biking will always leave you a little fatigued but the Waimak is notorious for showing who the decent paddlers are and who cooked themselves on the run. Initially I thought I was the latter. My arms and shoulders felt heavy and fatigued. A little worried I quickly came up with a strategy....ignore it and put up with the pain. By the time I entered the rock garden rapids this strategy was paying dividends. I had started at a decent enough pace and the arms were already feeling better.
The river had dropped markedly even since out practice paddle on Thursday so ahead lay a tough slog but I was feeling good. Getting close to the Gorge I reflected on how great it was I hadn't been caught by Rich. Glancing back I got a disappointing surprise to see him right behind me. He wasted no time getting past but once in front I was even more surprised that he didn't surge ahead. In fact for the next hour I kept Rich in sight, gradually losing time but in a controlled fashion. Until......"the paddle incident".
If I had a dollar for every person who's asked me "what happened to your paddle" I'd be retiring next week. The reality is a bit of a blur. About a kilometer from the iron railway bridge the river took a sharp left turn round some bluffs. This particular rapid had never warranted any special attention in training so it was business as usual. What I think happened is that I got very close to the bluffs, failed to get my paddle out of the way, hit the bluff and tipped over. I then overcooked my 1st roll going straight over the other side. On a second attempt a right hand brace stroke resulted in my RH blade falling off and then a swim. Bugger! For all intensive purposes my race was poked.
In a last ditch effort to continue racing I asked the jetboat driver manning the rapid if he had a paddle on board. "Yes, but it looks nothing like yours?" he said. I quickly responded that it was better that my other option (to waka paddle the remaining 20km), took the 80's style flat paddle and got straight to work. It was far from pretty but I was moving downstream again and focused in my work. 10 or so minutes later I spotted Ian Edmond videoing the race. Spotting his wing paddle I wasted no time in arranging a swap (great for me, not so great for Ian) got back to work. Unfortunately Dougal had now caught up and was now on my tail. The remaining hour of the paddle was uneventful. Serious damage had been done to my time. All I could do was be as consistent as possible. Into transition we were a closely matched bunch. Sam Clark, myself, and Dougal all within a minute.
Biking Home:
I started the bike with an angry vengance but my ride too was soon to fall apart. The paddle incident had a follow on that would hit hard. Basically I hadn't eaten enough on the paddle especially in the final 90 minutes leaving nothing in the tank for the ride. It was a grovel to say the least and Sumner beach really was a sight for sore eyes!
Wrapping up:
Hats off to Braden. He had the dream race and a well deserved win. 2:53 for the run is hard to fathom. Upon reflection I've found plently of positives in my race. I've also learn't a lot about what not to do! Eating plently during the paddle is essential for a good final ride. Its not rocket science but making it happen on a hot day and when bad luck hits is another story. The paddle....well, thats history and it certainly won't be repeating.
Many thanks to my crew and my loyal sponsors who keep me going despite the odds. Thermatech, R & R Sport, and Rasdex.
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