Waimea College’s Finn Mitchell, Cameron Jones and Daniel Reid have done their homework on the Coast to Coast and now they are hoping to pass the real test when they compete in the new school team’s section of the iconic multisport event.
The students decided to team-up for the Coast to Coast late last year with Finn, 14, assigned the mountain run, Cameron, 15, the kayak and Daniel 15, the road cycling. Although they already had a high level of fitness, Cameron says they had to modify their training to prepare for the unique demands of the Coast to Coast.
Finn has been running “up riverbeds” to simulate the rocky terrain on the Coast to Coast’s mountain run while Cameron has been kayaking in rough seas to prepare for the paddle down the Waimakariri River. Both Finn and Cameron have also had a practise run on the course to avoid any surprises on race day and now Cameron says they are ready to go.
“I’ve training kayaking in rough seas and done a couple of long paddles to try and simulate the race conditions. I also paddled the Waimak last week and it was great.
“It took me about five and half hours but we stopped a few times so I’m probably looking at racing it in just under five. All the technical stuff was fine, it was just the (67km) distance that will be hard.”
Although Cameron is relatively new to kayaking, he has been getting plenty of expert help with Flow Kayaks supplying a fast boat and Kayak HQ providing training and equipment.
Finn says the key to negotiating the mountain run will be “to keep looking up and seeing what’s ahead”.
“It’s quite a tough run with all the rock sections and the run out is a long stretch when you are tired. I’ll have to make sure I keep eating and drinking so I don’t run out of energy.”
The three cycling sections will be “business as usual” for Daniel who is an A grade cyclist with Tasman Wheelers. However, Daniel says he will be wary of the first cycle stage because it looks flat but is actually slightly uphill.
“It’s a bit of a false flat so I’ll have to be careful. I haven’t done anything special for the Coast to Coast because I’ve been doing plenty of training for the national track champs next month but I’m looking forward to racing in a team.”
The Coast to Coast two-day race starts on Friday with a 3km run from Kumara Beach followed by a 55km cycle to the foothills of the Southern Alps and a 33km run over Goat Pass. A 15km cycle is followed by a 67km kayak down the Waimakariri River and a final 70km ride to the finish at New Brighton Pier.
