This year – the 29th year since the race first began – there were 800 competitors. Competitors run, cycle and kayak 243km; some do this in two days (Friday and Saturday) some do it in teams of two, while others prefer to do the individual “Longest Day” starting at 6am on Saturday. They have to cross the Southern Alps on foot at Goats Pass which is 1100m above sea level. A lot of this 33km run is in river beds which sometimes have a lot of water in them and sometimes very little. It is not like running on a road. This year there was a lot of water.

Then they kayak 67km. It rained heavily in the mountains last week so the river was high and perfect for kayaking. There was a strong tail wind which helped although gusts of wind were a problem too.

The last part of the race is the 70km cycle to the beach in Christchurch. Usually the north easterly wind makes this very difficult but this year competitors had a nor’wester to help them for part of the way.

The men’s winner was Richard Ussher of Nelson. His time was 10 hours, 41 min, 12 sec. His wife, Elina, was the second fastest woman. The winner of the women’s race was Sophie Hart, also from Nelson where she is a doctor at Nelson hospital. Her time was 12 hr, 10 min, 31 sec.

You can see photos on

the Press website

Questions

How can a serious multi-sport competitor have a job as well?

Nelson has many good kayakers. Is it helpful to train with other people?

The women who were first and second are friends. Is it difficult for friends to compete against each other?

Does New Zealand have the right kind of geography for races like this?

Look also at the questions for last year.