On the 7th and 8th of February...

...Middleton Grange had its first team since 2010 take part in one of the most well-known and prestigious multisport races in New Zealand, the Kathmandu Coast to Coast. Three Year 13 boys, Jay Anderson, Zach Prince, and Micah Pomare, were blessed with the opportunity to take part in this iconic event and after many years of volunteering at the race, jumped at the idea of taking part and racing in it themselves.  

After many months of training, organisation, and working to pay off the entry fee, the weekend of the race finally came. On Waitangi Day the team headed away to Greymouth in the Fridge radio campervan, which would be their home for the next three days. Once the pre-race registration and briefing was done it was time to fuel up with a big dinner and then team headed to bed early with the alarm set for a 4:00am wake up call. 

Friday dawned clear but the forecast was for afternoon showers, which would make both the bike and run legs much slower and more dangerous. Zach Prince was dropped at Kumara Beach and tasked with the first two stages, a 2.5km dash from the beach to the first transition and then a 55km high speed bunch cycle to Aickens Corner (near Otira). Zach tackled this task amazingly well and came in 30 minutes ahead of schedule. He then handed over to Micah Pomare who set out to complete the 31km mountain run stage over Goat Pass. The weather held off and the conditions were near perfect. Micah put in a truly gutsy performance, completing the run in 5:04:25 and taking the team from 94th to 56th overall in the overall two-day teams’ category. 

Again, Saturday began at 4:00am, where Klondyke Corner was a buzz of activity as athletes and support crew prepared for the final day and the push to the finish. Micah started the team off with a 15km cycle to Mount White. Zach then ran down the access road to the kayak transition on the bank of the Waimakariri River. Jay Anderson then set off on the challenging 70km paddle. He did a stunning job navigating the rapids, extremely low river levels, and the chaos and congestion of 600+ kayakers all trying to paddle down the same small piece of water. Jay arrived that the George Bridge after 5:32:22 on the water, Zach scampered up the hill to the final transition where Micah set off on the final 70km cycle to New Brighton Beach. A strong head wind made progress very tough, but he rode into the finish just after 2:30pm where Zach and Jay joined him to run across the finish line. The team finished 7th in the school’s category and 67th out of the 175 2-Day teams overall. 

The team would like to thank everyone who encouraged and supported them and hope they can encourage others to take on similar big challenges, especially if they enjoy the outdoors and adventure.   

Below the boys share their thoughts about the experience.  

Jay: “I think it was a great experience for to be able to race in such a prestigious event. I have found a love for the sport of kayaking, and I am ready for the next opportunity to race in such events. A highlight for me was paddling successfully through the middle of the most technical rapid on the course, while other paddlers were flipping over around me, and I thought; ‘that was epic.”  

 
Micah: “It was just an awesome experience that created long-lasting memories. My highlights were coming into the finish shoot in Klondyke Corner with everybody clapping and the environment was just really ‘alive’ and also knowing that I had given it my everything and done something that many people never get the opportunity to do. This gave me a real sense of achievement.”  

 
Zach: “It was amazing! I had no idea what it would be like going in and so every experience was new and exciting. I have made many memories that I will hold on to forever. A particular highlight for me was the 55k bike, having never ridden in a peloton before it was very exciting”.