Dunedin Winter Kayak Series 2011 Race 1 - 14th May 2011

Well After having this race postponed from last weekend due to rough conditions on the Harbour it was perfectly flat conditions for thsi race on Sat 14th May. (I would have been quite happy racing in last weekends wind and chop, this slows up the K1 paddlers and sorts things out a bit!) The Race was 10km and Doubled as the Otago 10km Champs. It consisted of three laps in the harbour Basin followed by the last leg down to finish at the Vaxuhall Yach Club. With just under 40 boats there were 3 categories - Recreational, Competitive, and High Performance. I entered into High Performance which is basically K1 race boats, Racing Ski's and Top End Multisport Boats. My Trusty JKK UFO slips through the water nicely but there is certainly some hard work needed to stick with the K1 Boats and some very sharp surf club paddlers.

There were a lot of boats similar to mine that were racing competitive instead of HP category so it was up to me and a couple of other
Multisport paddlers to give this category a good nudge. The distance was short enough to hammer things from start to finish. I went out hard form the start sticking with a bunch for as long as it all held together and then it was just a matter of working hard and maintaining a high cadence and ripping the blades through the water until the end!! I finished up catching all of the rec grade and many of the competitive grade as it was a delayed start between grades. My final time was 53min40sec which i think ended up 9th fastest time across all paddlers. A solid start to the series. The next race is in 3 weeks down at Careys Bay, so hoping for a bit of a chop and breeze to whizz things up a bit!

Click here to see more pics from this race

Naseby 12hr MTB Race - 2nd April 2011

Well after missing out on getting an entry in for the Naseby 12hr MTB race in time (It sold out in 30 hours this year) I was destined to miss the race for a second time in a row (last year the team i was planned with all came down with the flu). Anyway this year I was asked ot help out a friend of the Boss at work on the Wednesday prior to the race. We were a team of 4 so it mean that we would ride one lap flat out and ten have about 90-120minutes rest before the next lap. I rode the first lap of the day which involved a mad sprint through the camp to our bikes and then some all out balsting to jostle into position on the singel tracks around the Naseby Forest. My first lap I came in just under 32 minutes. A bit of a rest to soak up the atmosphere and catch up chatting with others around the campsitebefore my following laps throughout the day. I rode 35min, 34min and then my fatal final lap of the day was a 37minute on which was to be my last one, a Nasty superman style crash on a bit of a drop off sore me puncture a Nasty hole in my shin below the knee and mash up my knee a bit (still nursing a big nasty bump and wount a week and a half later).

The Red Cross Staff working at the event cleaned it out for me a bit and reccomended a stitch or two at Ranfurly or a check up te following day - I opted to just get it cleaned up and make my way to the doctor in town the next day. As the Red Cross person was cleaning it out I asked if the bit I could still see in there was a stone or pebble still in the wound - Their reply "No that is yuor Shin bone!" Ouch, a few pain killers and Off home after the end of the evening. A fantastic event with a huge number of people all there for a good time and to ride some great trails. Leg is on the mend now despite still being a bit stff around the knee, I'll bounce back easily enough!

Heat, Hills and Hammering! R&R Sport Otago Peninsula Challenge - Sunday 6th February 2011

Photo of me heading up the Karetai Track for the first hill climb.

Well the annual Peninsula Challenge MTB race has been for this year and what a day Dunedin turned on! This was my 4th year racing in this event, an outstanding course that challenges everyone with the grunty climbs and rewards all with some super terrain and views from the tops of the climbs. This year it started out as a very warm morning and was around 24 degrees at about 8.30am! so by the time the race started at 10am it was really starting to cook up. The race starts off with a quick spin around a paddock before getting into the first climb to the top of the Karetai track and road. I took off at the start to ensure i was in a good place with out too much congestion for this hill climb. By the time i was nearing the top of this i was starting to wonder how the body was going to hang on for the remaining course fo 43km in the heat. Anyway a careful descent down the buskin track avoiding any crashes and it was into another climb back up, the race continues with climbs and descents all the way out to Tairoa Heads. It was on one of the hill climbs mid race another rider told me the temperature was 38 degrees!! this explained a lot about the way i was feeling - pretty cooked and heat blown. Anyway I kept on pedaling hard and made the most of the flat sections to spin out hard and the downs to take rest from the taxing up hill stages. I reached the end at Tairoa Heads in 3hours13minutes - around 45minutes slower than my best time for the same course. I finished 18th open man and 33rd from a field of around 200 riders.

A fantastic event the has grown in popularity - a good challenge and one to put on the list of events for the year, If you haven’t done this one it is definitely worth a look if you are up for the challenge of it.

Lake Wanaka Half Ironman 16th Jan 2011

Well the Lake Wanaka half has well been and gone. We went up to Wanaka for a few days around this race to soak up the atmosphere and have a good break in Wanaka. We were lucky to strike some good weather so managed to squeeze in a couple of missions on the MTB while we were up there too.
I swam the swim course on the Wednesday before Saturdays Race. There were about 250 swimmers there to splash around the course. It was good to get out and have a swim in nice clear waters> I am not a super fast swimmer but am strong enough to hold things together ok. I knocked the 1.9km swim out in 36min which I was happy with.
Anyway race day was Saturday and through the night prior the NW wind really started to pump things up. The Lake Wanaka Half Ironman race started at 7.30 for individuals, we had a deep water start and were all off for the swim leg in a bit of a choppy lake – this didn’t bother me the, the rough chop keeps you working hard and makes for a good challenge. I exited the swim into T1 in 39min, a quick transition with bike gear and I was off for the 90km ride on my Giant Trinity bike – A good set up on the bike made for a good comfy ride into and with the winds that were pumping around. The first part of the ride was settling into a good rhythm, a bit of a grind out to Hawea into a head wind was then rewarded with some super quick spinning for about 20km or so down to Luggate, A great feeling when you are cranking along in top gear and spinning it out like you are in a low gear. From the 70km mark at Luggate it was a grind back up towards Wanaka before a quick blast back down to the end of the bike stage, I had a good ride taking about 10minutes off last years time here and coming in at 2hr58 for the bike.
From the bike it was through transition and onto the 21km run. I enjoy ed the course that followed the lake side around and then down the outlet track to Albert town before returning via a few streets/roads to Wanaka and the finish. My build up of running training for this race was a little low due to a bout of the flu and sinus infection over the Christmas break, however that is no excuse really for too much. The run got a bit tough feeling from about the 14-15km mark and I went from running my ideal 5min kms to a slower pace and came in off the run to the finish in a slower than desired run time of 2hours.
All up I finished in 5hr49min feeling pretty well spent but satisfied with the efforts I made– 7minutesd down of my previous effort in this race. Perhaps time lost on the run was my downfall. All in all a great race and a great atmosphere. It is always a highlight seeing all those competitors in the full distance course doing it tough and coming in later into the night down town in Wanaka. A crack at the full distance still rattles through my mind?? Maybe? One to think about over the next while…

Kaitangata Black Gold MTB Race - 13th Nov 2010

Kaitangata Black Gold MTB Race - A fantastic course - 45km Course, A solid effort put in and some of the best single tracks you can find to race on. Managed to push along pretty hard the whole way to finish 6th open man. A really enjoyable course!
Full results at http://www.kaitangatablackgold.co.nz

Kelly's Canter 17th October 2010

6th overall and a medal for the first local!!
Well the annual “Kelly’s Canter” running race in Palmerston was on the 17th of October. Having grown up in Palmerston as a youngster I have been up and down the hill more times than I can remember. The race is a bout a 4km course fro the main street up around the monument at the top and a fast and steep descent down the face to the finish down at the main street. This year prior to the start there was a bit of a rain shower so the green grass became pretty greasy. The race started and there is a pretty hot pace set from the start. I headed off in the front 4 and made my way up the paddocks to the start of the top steep section where I was passed by 2 others. Up around the top of the hill and down to the descent – I pulled out my speed weaponary at the top –my old motocross gloves, these are the key to sliding and jumping your way down the steep face over thistles, rocks and drops in the ground. I made up to 4th place on the descent through my out of control descent, great fun but a bit borderline on injuring myself, coming off this slope with a few nasty scrapes and bumps on the old back side! Anyway a fast blast down the paddocks to the finish I was overtaken again by the two guys who had got me on the top slopes. A pleasing blast up and down the hill and completely spent.

Andrew Sloan - Dunedin WInter Kayak Series Race 6 - 26th September - 2nd Fastest Individual

Well after having the 6th and final Kayak race of the Dunedin winter series postponed due to 140km/hr winds on the Otago Harbour, we had the final race on Sunday 26th September. The course was changed from the original course set to paddle the length of the harbour due to the tides. Anyway we started from Vauxhall Yacht Club and the course was down the Harbour channel, around Goat Island at Port Chalmers and then the return up the harbour to complete the 22.5km course.

Having raced and competed well in 4 of the previous 5 races (race 1-6th, race 2-6th, race 4-3rd, Race 5-10th) I had earned myself a rather large handicap start time for this race. I was to wait 54 minutes before heading off for my race. There was an outgoing tide and a slight tail wind so the paddle down the channel to Goat Island in my trusty UFO was pretty quick and good speed was maintained for the efforts put in. However once heading around Goat Island and starting the return back up the harbour the full force of the outgoing tide was felt, this combined with a really strong wind that had picked up on the way down made for one mission of a paddle back to the finish! I had managed to pull in a couple of paddlers and close the time gap up on the early starters. I was caught and passed by the 6 Man Waka Ama boat and Daniel on his ski who started behind me on the return leg. I kept a solid paddle stroke and tried to maintain a good chase but by the time I reached the finish I was completely spent and had given this last race all that I had. I finished with the 2nd fastest individual time for the day in 2hr 22min. (The Waka 6 and a Waka 2 had some solid times ahead of me along with Daniel on his surf ski). All in all a great winter series and one that has some quality paddlers turning up making for some great winter racing. The overall series results worked on a points system and too your best 4 races, this put me 4th (I think I just missed on 3rd) overall in the series points system, a result I am stoked with. No photos from the race on Sunday but my Son Oscar (11months) was more than keen to help/play when I was rinsing my boat at home after the race.

Race 5 Dunedin Winter Kayak Series - Henly-Taieri Mouth 17km

Well race 5 of the winter series was on Sunday 15th August and the competition seems to get a bit tougher and closer each race. This race doubled as the Otago K1 Marathon race series so there were a few extra fast paddlers there in their K1s on the start line. This race used a handicap starting system. Having done well in the previous races in the series coming in 1st multisport boat in each of them I had earned myself a 34 minute handicap delay on the starting paddlers. I would have liked to be in one of the earlier handicap time groups with the other multisport boats but found myselfthe only multisport boat lined up in my UFO alongside all other K1s - It was always going to be a tough call to stick with them but I hammered the best I could in a hope to reel in some of the earlier starters throughout the course of the paddle. It was slack water on high tide at the start but by the time we turned under the bridge at Taieri Mouth to race back up through the gorge the tide was flowing out and the use of eddies and river currents proved decisive. The handicapping system made for an exciting finish catching many boats towards the end, competing for line honours. Being on the 34min handicap I had to work hard to make up ground on the paddlers before me and try to minimise my losses to the K1s. I finished up 2nd Multisport Paddler and had the 10th Fastest time of the day to all the K1s and the 1 other multisport paddler who held out 2 minutes on me. A great blast and a good way to keep things honest over the winter months in the kayak! full results can be viewed at http://www.kayakotago.org/events/calendar.html

Race 4 Dunedin Winter Kayak Series Sunday 18th July

Henley to John Bully Gully and return – 13km
Well after missing race 3 of the series I was back to try and hold onto the good finishes I had had in the first 2 races of the series. My goal has been to be the first multisport boat paddler in my trusty UFO finished in each race while staying as close to and getting in front of as many K1 paddlers as possible. Races 1 & 2 saw me achieve this and finishing amongst the K1’s and Surf club ski paddlers in 5th and 6th respectively.
Raced 4 had a slight course change at the last minute due to a Jet boat race on the same waterways, after some discussions with the Jet Boat racers a course was decided that would see us all avoid each other out on the river, which is good because a massively powerful V8 jet boat is going to win over a thin piece of paddle powered carbon any day!
The race was a mass start and as always I like to get a solid break on other boats from the start before settling into a good rhythm for the rest of the race. We were off and I found my self doing a bit of wash hanging on 2 K1’s and we had one in the distance that we were never going to be able to catch. So I hung tight with the 2 K1 paddlers and worked at almost maximal effort to stay on their tails all the way down to the turn point – my paddle was hammering a solid cadence all the way and feeling pretty good. A the turn point we had to exit our boats and run up and around a picnic table on the river side before getting back in our boats and heading back to the finish. I had a bit of a slip running up the grass and a slow transition here so missed the 2 boats I had been paddling with.
Heading back I could see that we had built a good comfortable lead on the chasing 23 odd paddlers behind us. I worked hard to keep up a good paddle turn over and most of all good technique. As the fatigue of working at almost maximal effort sets in sometimes techniques drops and with this speed drops too, so well aware of this I kept good technique focus on my stroke for the return leg.
Heading back in the distance I heard the roar of about 20 jet boat engines and could see a big group of rooster tails coming from boats heading my way, I glanced to my left and saw a buoy in the water and suddenly clicked that the buoy would be the turning point for the jet boat race. My heart rate stepped into overdrive along with my boat speed – I had a vision of 20 jet boats mowing me down and that being the end!! The boat drivers are very skills and alert and zoomed down and around the buoy and back up the river while I was in the middle of the river they zoomed past and made some good chop, but all was safe, I hammered it out to the finish from here to finish 4th in a time of 1hr9min, 2min off 2nd and 3rd. A good paddle, the next race of the series has a handicap start system so I will need to work hard there as good finish places mean longer handicap times at the start. Anyway a good blast for a mid winters morning.

Race 5 Dunedin Winter Multisport Series 27th June

A great race out at Macandrew Bay. A solid Kayak saw me finish the 10km paddle in 3rd place and then onto a solid MTB up and over the peninsula hills and onto the final 10km run from Lovers Leap down through Sandfly Bay and back up over the Harbour hills and down to Mac Bay to finish. I lost 3 spots on the MTB to end up finishing 6th in a time of 3hrs 11min, a good sold race.

Race 4 Winter Multipsort/Duathlon Series, 3 Mile Hill Sunday 13th June

I had another good race at Race 4 of the winter series on Sunday up on 3 mile hill around the snakes and ladders track and near by - 2 superman style crashes and one tree hit - no breakages though. The race was made up of a 3-4km run, followed by the relatively challenging MTB of about 15-20km followed by a repaet of the first run to finish. A good race finishing 5th. The next and final race is at Macandrew Bay on Sunday 27th June.

Macandrew bay Multisport Race - Dunedin Winter series Race #3 Sunday 30th May

Went out and raced in the third race of the multisport series. After having to take the high road to Mac Bay because of some trees and slips along portobello road we were given a perfect mornign for a race!

Off in the Kayak I hammered it as hard as I could knowing that the kayak my lead will be eaten up on the MTB. I lead the Kayak down to the turn around and then hung tight wiht the first paddler Norman Dunroy and had Matty Graham and Jim Cotter hot on my tail. It was out of the Kayak and onto the MTB this is where Jim and Matty got away on me. It was a good grind up the road to Larnachs Castle and along to the Paradise track which was a quick and slippery descent before a good climb back up to Highcliff Rd and a slippery descent down the Greenacres Track into Mac Bay for the final 5km run to finish. all in all a good honest course and lots of fun and challenge on the MTB in the mud! I finished up 4th overall, so happy with that.

Dunedin Winter Kayak Series Race 2 - Careys Bay Sunday 23rd May

I went out and raced in the 2nd of the Kayak series races yesterday at Careys Bay set over an 11km course. I have been feeling pretty good about my Kayaking lately and had a solid paddle yesterday with my trusty JKK UFO slipping through the water nicely. There were 41 Kayaks in the race and it set off at a pretty hot pace. My goal has been to get amongst the surf club paddlers in the K1s & Skis and keep with them. The pace that they set is pretty quick. Yesterday there were a group of 5 paddlers that established an early lead and held their distance form the followers. I was leading the following group for the most of the way until I really lit things up and managed to pull away a bit and hold that while trying to close in on the front group. It was me and Brendan O'Neill (paddling a K1) chasing hard on the front paddlers. we were never going to cathc them but held a solid pace keeping the gap to the boats behind us getting bigger. In the end it came down to a sprint to the finish line between Brendan and I, only to be pipped by a boat length at the finish by him. I finished 7th overall, I was really stoked with the race and felt the Kayak was slipping through the water real good. Next race of this series in 4 weeks so I'll keep working on things for more gains in that.

Race 2 - Winter Multisport/Duathlon Series Whare Flat Sunday 16th May

I went and raced at the 2nd Race of the winter series Today. The course was a blast out around Whare Flat where we ran and biked around parts of the Racemans Track and other bits of forest track. Just like the first race for the series there was another good turn out of people there keen for a good blast.

We started with a quick 3ish km run through some up and down tracks - I was hanging on to a hot pace being set by Matty G for the most of the run and just dropped of the pace and was passed by Gav, Jim Cotter and Kashi Leuchs just at the end of the run, this was how it would stay. Onto the MTb and it was a bit of a grind up the road and into the forest before the soingle track fun - slipping and spiinning through the tracks was fun but quite challenging with muddy slippery tree routes - IO managed to sty on the bike and in control for most of the ride. COming off the ride it was another loop of the first run to the finish. I had a great blast, finishing up 5th behind Kashi Leuchs, Jim Cotter, Gav Mason and Matty G in that order. Kashi and Jim had a massive lead after the MTB and were flying!

Anyway great fun on a good course, and feelimng pretty fit and strong at the moment. Next race is in 2 weeks and next weekend the 2nd of the winter Kayak races at Carey Bay.

Dunedin Winter Multisport Series - Race 1 - Broad Bay Sunday 2nd May

A fantatic turnout of people for the 1st race for the series yesterday was good to see. There must have been about 30 Kayakers lined up on the start for the race which consisted of a 5km Kayak/15km MTB/5km Run and there was also a duathlon race alongside this also.
The Kayak was on glass like water and we were all off at a pretty solid pace. I was working hard to stay with the front paddlers which consisted of mainly K1 Paddlers and 2 other multisport boats. we blasted through the paddle and I came off the paddle in 4th place for the individuals and set into hammering it on te MTb as I had 2 of the three people infront of me in sight but couldn't quite reel them in. On the first hill climb o fthe MTB I had Matty G pass me and slowly fade into the distance as he peddalled a solid ride. I t was off the MTb and onto the run which was a great offroad scramble and dash up through some bush and farmland before crossing over the top at Highcliff road and down to the finish in Broad Bay. A fantastic race and i felt happy with the result of 5th in the end. These races are a great way to get some good speed and keep you working hard all the way. Next race is 2 weeks away.

Dunedin Winter Kayak Race Series - Race 1 - Vaxuhall 10km/Otago 10km Champs Sunday 25th April 2010

(Photo - I'm the 2nd White Boat at left of picture behind K1)
I went along to the first of the winter Kayak Series races last sunday and had a good paddle. There was a turn out of 39 boats which was good to see and i guess future races will get even more as the weather was pretty windy. So after a good 40km spin out to Portobello on the road bike prior to the race it was into theKayak race. It was a 10km course that ended up being 4 laps of a 2.5km circuit as the wind was quite strong on the harbour - I enjoy the rougher stuff as it sorts out the paddlers and slows the K1 padders down a little. The race was prett quickly paced with a good turn out of the surf club paddlers. I stuck with the front bunch of them for the first 2 and a half laps and then dropped back a bit. I ended up finishing 7th overall and was the first multisport boat which I was happy about coming in behind 3 K1 paddlers and 3 surf skis,all surf club paddlers who are strong as!
Next weekend is the first of the local winter multisport races with the first one being out at Broad Bay - a good series to keep you honest over winter and have some fun,

Goldrush Multisport Race 2010 - March 20-22

Well this year’s Goldrush was going to be no easier than any other year. The stunning yet challenging terrain stays unchanged waiting with the weather to deal to competitors in the 3 day 375km race consisting of Kayaking, Mountain biking, Running and Cycling.
This year’s Goldrush was my 2nd time competing as an individual and 4th time in total. After completing it as an individual in 2008 and having to miss it last year I was back and keen to have another challenging weekend. This year’s Goldrush training has been based around balance – Balancing a good family life with Cherie and Oscar(who is just 5months old now) and making sure I fitted in enough training to get by and feel happy with my efforts and performance but not wanting to let it take over other priorities in life. Life is a busy time these days and time is a valuable resource!
This year the numbers at Goldrush were down a little on my previous years at the event. There were 103 teams and 17 individuals, There was definitely a good depth of talent in the reduced field and still a great atmosphere amongst competitors and supporters.

Day 1 – Started with eh 30km Kayak to Roxburgh Dam – A good solid paddle and once I was on the water I set into a solid paddle stroke and made good time on the way down to Roxburgh – Coming into Roxburgh Dam in Just under 2 and a half hours and having the 19th fastest paddle overall I was happy with this. Onto the MTB and it was a solid grind up over the Knobby Range into a pretty stiff and relentless head wind through top the summit before a quick descent into Little Valley coming off the MTB in around 2hrs4omin and then onto Stage 3 and the final stage for Day 1 – the Run.

A good Honest 18km run up over some good sized hills to the Upper Manorburn Dam area. I had kept the run in my mind throughout the MTB and not wanted to be completely cooked for the run. Onto the run I made my way to the top of the first big hill climb before it levels off a bit and then set a good pace to get through the run in just on 2hrs. All in all it was a solid Day 1 finishing In 5th place of Open men’s, this was the place I would hold for the duration of the race. After a good feed and a massage we headed back to Alex for the luxury option of showers and beds at a friends place.
Day 2 – After a good sleep it was an early rise and off out to the start line for Day 2. The first stage was a MTB ride thought what I think is some of the best scenery of the whole race – 10minutes into the ride I felt a solid hit to the rim on the back wheel from a rock – yes sure enough it was hard enough to puncture my rear tyre, so I guess it was a 10minute loss on time here fixing this and losing sight of the guy in 4th place who I was hoping to stick close to for Day 2, anyway nothing much you can do here other than stay cool , fix it up and carry on happily! Off the MTB in around 2hrs 30 and onto the road bike for a Quick Spin down the road to the start of Stage 3 the Rail Trail Run.

The Road cycle for me is a good time to spin out the legs and load some food into the system before the run and last MTB stage of the day. Onto the Rail trail Run and feeling good on the legs running – set into a good pace running with a team runner and knocked the 15km run out in 1hr15min which felt good.

It was now time for the crux of the Day – the 58km MTB through Thompsons Gorge to Tarras. This is a tough stage for all, especially Individual Competitors as it is at the end of a big biking day, has a pretty solid and steep climb and this year like most others we had a strong westerly head wind. Mental toughness comes into play here big time and keeping positive and just chipping away at it worked for me, It didn’t make the stage any easier though! Coming into Tarras after a 3hr20min ride and a total day time of just on 8 hours I was pretty exhausted! Another good feed, massage and back to the luxury of showers and bed along with some more tasty treats and food in Alexandra and it was rest up time for Day 3!!

Day 3 – Well day three arrived and it is always a little harder to get up and into it each day. After a pretty solid thunder storm and rain it stopped and began to clear for the early start in Tarras. The first stage was a Road cycle up to Albert Town via Hawea Flat – We started in waves like every other Day - Today our wave took off like we were in a sprint finish of a race – needless to say me and a couple of others were quickly dropped from the impressive speed that Dougal Allan and Gav Mason were setting today just like all other days! After the Cycle it was into the Kayak for the 40km paddle down the Clutha River – Paddling is something I enjoy and is a relative strength compared to other disciplines. However my Kayak training has mainly consisted of paddles on the Waikouaiti river and a few splashes in the surf in the race boat for some simulated rough. It had been 2 years since heading down the Clutha, I remembered the river well having paddled it a lot in the past and really enjoyed blasting down the river through the occasional bouncy rapid and made a good solid paddle of this coming off the river in just on 2hrs30min. A quick transition into the running shoes for a short run up the my road bike before heading down the road from Tarras to Clyde. I was onto the bike and feeling good with the though of the end getting closer. You wouldn’t believe it though – Good tyres, correct pressure… another puncture – a small sharp stone had worked it’s was through to puncture the tyre – oh well another 10minute delay in quickly changing this before getting away and making my way to Clyde for the last stage of the run. I got off my bike and onto the run to give it all I had left to blast to the finish in the 13km run. I was working as hard as I could here and managed to pass 13 other runners – of which most were teams – this was good for the mind and motivation at this stage of the race, I was completed the run in just on 1hr and that was the end of Goldrush 2010 – A solid 3 days of competing in a great area. Overall finishing 5th Open Man and around 60th form the 120 teams and individuals I was happy with my achievement and the fact my body handled the demanding physical challenges! A little slower overall from my last Goldrush in 22hr30min – I put this down to some of the winds and maybe puncture time. Overall though a great race!! Back again for more at some stage!

Rail Trail Duatlon 27-28th Feb 2010

A great weekend of racing. Day one consisted of 8km run/37km MTB/11km run/35km MTB - I had a great day and held a solid speed all the way through the 4 stages. The runs were pretty quickly paced and the time on the MTB was also good - got moving along doing some good laps with a few others at stages of the bikes unitl I or them dropped off - Day one finsihed with me in 4th Place and in 4hr12min.

Day 2 started with an 8km run which i knocked out in 29min!!! we were flying and then it was onto the MTB for 42km of pumping the pedals and keeping things moving along before the last stage of the race which was a 9km run - feeling ok here I used what energy I had left to finish as stong as I could. I finished day 2 in 4th place again after spending much of th ride today with the 2nd placed individual, but there was a 12min time gap i was never going to be able to close on him on day 2.

So overall a good race, I was placed 4th Individual and overlall from the teams as well i ended up around 20th which is always quite satisfying beating lots of teams!! It had been 2 years since I did this race and I took 35min off my time!! A very competitive field this year made for some good hard racing. Things are shaping up well for the Goldrush on 20-22nd March which is my next race and one of the biggies for the season.

Otago Peninsula Challenge 31st Jan 2010

A good blast out on some fantastic tracks and terrain. Lots of good grunty hills to sort things out and some slippery descents also! I finished up 12th Open man and 22nd over all from 168 riders so happy with this performance. Ride time of 2hrs 42min

Lake Wanaka Half Ironman January 16th 2010

We headed up to Wanaka on the Thursday morning, Had a swim in the lake on Thursday arvo - was a reasonably chilly 13.7 degrees, but once your forehead went numb the swimming was ok! So 8.15 am on the Saturday morning the individuals started - a deep water start with 235 swimmers, I got into a comfortable stroke and the swim went well, coming out of the water in 37min which i was happy and actually enjoyed the swim in the clear waters considering the swimming is not my strongest skill. A bit of a slow transition from swim to bike ( I almost left transition without my race number on me so had to dash back and get that) Onto the bike and it was a good honest 90km ride out past Glendhu Bay and then back through Wanaka and down to Tarras before cutting back up around lake Hawea and then back to Wanaka - A good spin on the bike, my goal was to stick to 30km/hr and do a 3hr ride, I managed to stick pretty close to this and take on fluids and food for the upcoming 21km half marathon run off the bike. I came off the bike in 3hrs5min and got onto the run and established my legs and a pace that felt good to keep up for the 21km without cooking up. By the time we were onto the run things were getting pretty warm, with the temperature being around the 30degree mark, so I worked my way through the run feeling not to bad and pushing it along as good as the body would let me. The finishing chute and main street of Wanaka was a buzz of people and a great atmosphere to finish to. I ran 1hr51min for the run, which was ok for a hot day and a rolling course after the bike. So total time was 5hrs42min, putting me 34th in my age group and 81st overall individual. So back again next year...maybe double the distance and try the full distance.. will have to see.

Lake Dunstan Triathlon 2nd Jan 2010

to come

Lake Hayes Triathlon 27th December 2009

To COme

Kelly's Canter Running Race

Sunday 18th October 2009 - The Annual "Kelly's Canter" Runnign Race Palmerston
I slung on the running shoes yesterday arvo and ran in Kelly's Canter in Palmerston,the blast upa nd around the monument on top of the hill. Having been up and down that hill more times than i can remember as a kid growing up in Palmy it is always good fun as well as a bit of a lung and leg burner. Last year I had a pretty good result and was back for more. This year the $300 prize for 1st man and !st women attracted a few faster club runners and people from about the place. Anyway had a pretty solid blast up the hill and came in 2nd Open man and 6th overall fro a field of about 50 runners, not quite managing to snap up the $$ - it was a young club runner from town who took the win quite convincingly. Anyway a good solid blast on the legs.

Rail Trail Classic 100 - Sunday 27th September 2009 152km MTB Race

Well on Sunday I went and competed in the Rail Trail Classic – the 152km MTB race from Clyde to Middlemarch. Initially when entering I didn’t think too much about the distance and challenge this could become, after a bit of thought and talk with others I realised the 152km on a MTB on a gravel road had the potential to be a long way. Anyway starting at Clyde at 8am we headed off and my main goal for the day was to get to Middlemarch without wrecking myself in the first 100km and suffering for the last 50 odd km. So making sure I was taking on good amount s of food and fluid along the way was going to be important. With a clear crisp morning it was a good pedal through the first 65km to Oturehua and occasional times where there were a few of us to share the load a little – however it was surprising how quickly everyone spread out and I found myself pedalling alone for a lot of the day. From here on there was a slight head wind picking up and by the time I left Ranfury after some quick food loading it was 60km to go to the finish. The legs were feeling pretty good until I had to slog out from Ranfurly to Hyde (about 35km) on my own into a fierce head wind, pretty demoralising when you are grovelling by yourself into a wind like we had and your barely moving. Anyway a bit of a grind but at Hyde with 25km to go we got a bit of a bunch going and were really able to wind it up to the end in Middlemarch, In our bunch there were 5 of us so I worked it so I was in a good spot to make a break on my own and about 200m to go I gave it all I had and managed to ride off the bunch and finish solidly dropping the rest in the final sprint!
Having eaten well and kept my fluids up through the day I felt ok on finishing.
I finished in 7hrs12min, placing me 36th overall out of 157 starters including teams and was 23rd individual across the line. With only 13 teams in front of me I was pretty happy with this result. IN my class 19-34yrs open men I was 8th – the longest ride I have ever done in one sitting on my bike!!! Some good base miles for other upcoming events! Full results at www.rtc100.co.nz

Dunedin Half Marathon 13th September 2009

Well, I had resorted to the half marathon this year instead of the full marathon due to having not really managed to build up enough miles on the feet since my recovery and knowing that you can't comfortably bluff your way through the full marathon without inflicting some serious pain on yourself!.... To add to this having had a cold/sinus/blocked up head congestion for the last week and a half and been off school for half of last week, i thought my chances of linig up for a run in the Half Marathon yesterday morning were going to be pretty slim.... anyway after contemplating my flu symptoms and dosing up on some de congestants i went for it... I decided to leave my watch at home otherwise i would be trying to keep to probably unachievable times - so with my watch at home i just ran with what felt ok and didn't worry about times going for the surprise sighting of my time at the end - an interesting way to run letting the body tell you what it feels ok with while having no real idea of pace. I got into what felt to be a reasonable pace and tried to clear my nose for the first 5km or so and then used what energy i had left to run on. Energy levels were a little low but going on what the body felt like was better for me yesterday and Overall i was pretty happy with the run coming in in 1hr42min. The next race for me i now in 2 weeks and is the RTC100 - which is the 152km MTB on the rail trail so i guess that will sort the legs out!

Kayak Race - Henly-Taieri Mouth 9th August 2009

Well i headed out to Henly for one of the winter Kayak series races yesterday. It was a 16km paddle to to Taieri Mouth and Back. I have had a few paddles in the boat over the last months and am building back some tummy strength ok, so i thought it would be good to head out and race to see where things are at. A fantastic morning weatherwise and there were about 40 kayakers there at the race which was fantastic to see.
The race was a Handicap start based on Boats pretty much so i was in the 35min+ group and had the 40min group f the K1 surf club guys behind me which was goint ot be a challenge to hold them off to the finish. We took off from Henly bridge to Taieri Mouth and there was a good outgoing tide flow so the trip down the river was pretty quick - i lead our bunch unaware that when i looked over my shoulder at the Taieri Mouth turn around there were a string of 5 boats behind me - including one double! After the turn around i tried to put the hammer down a bit and some of the washriders dropped away to leave me, the Double and one other, we worked hard all the way back and i started to fade with 2-3km to go from the end, but we had passed most of the earlier markers by then, the double put in a solid finish pulling away from me 500m from the end and the other paddler got 40m on me, blasting to the finish it felt like my paddle was being dragged through concrete but i managed to hold off the K1s from the 40min group.
All up a solid paddle and felt really good, so the build back into things is going well. I finished 6th Overall from the Handicap start system, 5th MAn and had the 10th fastest paddle of the day. So all good!!
Winter Kayak Series Race 4 9th August 2009

Peak to Peak 2009.... my first hit out since surgery!

Well the Peak to Peak multisport race is one of my favourites and this year was my 6th time competing in it. It was my first race since major surgery only 5 months/21 weeks ago – I am probably my own worst critic and hardest judge maker on my performance, I felt a little disappointed initially at my result and performance in this years event. I have been building up and slowly regaining lost strength and muscle tone over the last 2 months or so as the body and the healing process has allowed, surgical battle scars are pretty tender and need some ease taking when getting back into things I have found!
However my initial disappointment has been changed with a sense of achievement and a solid benchmark as to what I need to do to regain and build up to where I was before having surgery to fix my tummy troubles. To be able to complete this race only 21 weeks after the operation was a good achievement in itself.
In competing in the peak to peak last year I set a Personal Best time of 2hr45min, and this year I thought I might lose 15minutes on that with where I was at, however parts of the race were more of a challenge than I expected.
So it went a little bit like this….. A beautiful clear day in Queenstown not a cloud in the sky and no wind at all. Barrett was kind enough to sort me a ride up to the top of the Remarkables with my MTB and Skis while Cherie waited at the start of the Kayak to assist with all the transitions from there.
The Ski My skiing skills are pretty basic but sufficient enough to get me down the slopes ok, but usually after a run or two just to get my legs and turns sorted, IN the last few years we have skied pretty easy runs on the mountain. However this year was to be a little different as there was a good amount of snow we skied “Homeward Bound” which is a steep and more advanced run, I had skied this running my first ever Peak to Peak and got a bit bashed up by it. Anyway I skied off down th start of the trail ands then made my way out onto the main face of the slope to be challenged with trying to execute confident and quick turns to get me down the mountain, (the last time I was on skis was the Peak to Peak in 2008!) Needless to say I took a while to get down the slope and didn’t have too many people behind me at the end of this ski.

The MTB This is always a good blast down the hill, I got onto the bike and pedalled my way as quick as I could to Frankton passing a couple of people on the way. Great fun coming down the hill

The Kayak I believe the Kayak is one of my strongest disciplines and I something I really enjoy. I got into the boat and wound It up across a glass like lake and set my eyes on all the other Kayaks I wanted to reel in and pass. Over the course of the Kayak I managed to pass 28 paddlers and felt pretty good about this.

The Run Onto the run and I was starting to feel a little fade in my energy, but settled into a comfortable enough pace knowing that the last cycle up Coronet was going to deal to me! I got through the run and felt a little flat and heavy in the legs by the end of it, not looking forward to the next stage much at all, but the end was getting closer!

The Last Cycle The cycle up Coronet Peak is a tough grind and one I wasn’t looking forward to much with my leg strength currently being a little limited and the effects of the previous stages of the race. I got onto the bike and started to grind my way up the hill, Once on my way I was in the low gear on my road bike wishing I had the gearing of my MTB as the roadie isn’t the lowest of gearing for hills. Anyway, not far into it I had to give myself a mental toughness talk and tried to overcome the pain of some cramp that were starting to eat into my thighs. With about 3km to go from the top of the hill my legs were locking up and I was having to get off and push my leg out of it’s locked straight position and deal with the pains of the cramping – so it was walk a bit to relieve locking and cramping and then try to get back on and bike until the cramp locked me up over and over again – not pretty and all and quite tough on you mentally as you get passed by others looking 10x better than yourself – anyway enough whining on about how tough the last cycle was – I finished and could enjoy an ice cold beer!

The Outcome I finished in 3hrs and 35min which was down on last years time by 50min, however now looking at this result in a positive and reflective manner I feel it was great to get back out there and get started back into some races and will continue to work hard on getting my strength and speed back to where it was as quick as. It was great to be able to push the body and it all held together!

Big Endurance Event!!.....

Well I have managed to complete the biggest test of my endurance and strength to date over the last 2 months, 2months being the length of this "Endurance Event".

My Surgery that i had on the 18th of Feb was pretty major and knocked me a bit but was very successful and i think that in time it will make me even a bit quicker in races as i am feeling so much better with the work of the surgeon complete, however it has been one mission over the last two months, both mentally (having to watch and follow results and hear of the races i was supposed to be racing in has been pretty tough) and the physical side of the operation recovery.

The "Endurance Event" went a bit like this......

After pre surgery admission clinic meeting with my anathesist and Surgeon i was admitted to hospital where things all began.

Stage 1: Surgery - 4hours 30min, The Surgery took 4hours and 30min for the surgeon to complete where a whopping 50cm of my large bowel was removed and the remaining ends rejoined, via Laproscopically assisted surgery - leaving 5 incisions over my abdomen and multiple layers of stitching of my abdominal muscles back together.

Stage 2: Hospital Recovery 5days,5 days in hospital was tough, after waking from the surgery i was on a diet of jelly and juice for alomst 4 days before eating semi normal food again and the pain of the operation was prett intense, only managing to get out of bed and sit up for about 5 minutes at a time, and this was a mission, i became a common site walking around the ward at Mercy Hospital every few hours - really painful, but the electric tilting bed and nursing staff helped me wiht this along with some pretty good pain medication, after 5 days they sent me home.

Stage 3: Home Rest 4 weeks After getting home i spent the best part of 4 weeks lying down and doing not much moire than short walks to the end of the driv eand around the block - really sore and slow going with lots of bruising and swelling, anyway made the brave step back to work after the 4 weeks at home and that was a mission in iotself getting back into the classroom. Itching to do some exercise but limited to walking was tough...

All go again now.. Final consult with surgeon last week and he has given me the ok to start getting back into things which is great, Having 2 months of feeling sore and unable to do much more than just exist has been tough, but short term pain for long term gain!! I am now feeling pretty dam good and the sore tummys i used to get are really just a thing of the past we hope, so back into some light running and spinnign on the bike, might be another month or two before abs are ready for the Kayak though.

So after missing out on the main summer races i had planned and entered for i will just have to re plan this last season all again for next season.

I hope to make the Peak to Peak in July my first big hit back into things and then work on getting things all back to speed for spring and summer races that i began to race this year and the ones i missed!!

Otago Peninsula Challenge 1st February 2009 - MTB Race

A great race, i was hoping to place around the same as last year (8th) but this year found myself down a bit (30th) but wiht a time only 1min slower than last year - there was a huge depth of fast riders there and having the SI cup riders start in a bunch 2min ahead of us made it difficult to chase them and stick with them when they are out of sight. Anyway a good race,now just going to work on maintinaing good health and fitness as i have my big surgery on 18th Feb so will be lying low and recovering for a few weeks and maybe a few weeks more? www.otagopeninsulachallenge.co.nz

Lake Dunstan Triathlon 2nd January 2009

Link to results http://www.cromwell.org.nz/raceresults.asp

Well I drove up to Cromwell for the Lake Dunstan Triathlon to be held on Friday 2nd January. As we drove into central the wind seemed to get stronger and stronger, by the time we got to Cromwell there was a really strong Westerly wind blowing – the race had a Kayak Cycle Run, Swim Bike Run or Duathlon option. I was all geared up for a fun time in the Kayak Cycle Run race only to be told tat there was to be no Kayak Cycle Run race as the lake was too rough – I always enjoy the rough as it sorts out the paddlers from the highway paddlers. Anyway the option was to do the duathlon or the swim triathlon. I had thrown my wetsuit and goggles in the car for some reason so decided to do the swim tri (about 100m into the swim I remembered why I prefer multisport races and Kayaking!) Anyway the swim was pretty short 300m or so, I took off at a good pace only to get a good gulp of water in the mouth about 100m into it which had me having a small coughing/gulping/spluttering fit! Anyway got the swim out of the way – not at great speed really, but onto the bike and time to hammer it a bit. The cycle stage was an out and back 22km so I gave it heaps here and was passing cyclists all the way – one advantage of the slow swim – playing chase all the way and then onto the run which was about 5km around the lake side – gave it heaps here and continued to reel in lots of people, Finished the raced in 1hr10min – a pretty short quick race compared to the usual races I am used to., Quite enjoyable having a crack at trhe swim tri as it has been a while since I have been foe a swim let alone done a swim tri! Finished 9th Open Man.

Bethunes Gully MTB XCtravaganza 3 Stage Race 7th December 2008 - Report

Race Stage 1 – XC 3 laps around Bethunes tracks – 8th
This was a great blast, 3 laps of single track, the first part of each lap was up the road and then onto a climb up to the top of the trees before the traverse descent down to lap back to the entrance gate. My strength on the hill was great but I then gave up a few places on the fast singe track stuff, but then made my time up again each lap on the road and climb part of the laps – a great fun first sage, crash free!! Was 8th in this stage.
Race Stage 2 – Hill Climb – Bethunes entrance to Mt Cargill/Organ Pipes Intersection Summit – 4th to top 3rd Open Man
After about a 30 min rest from race one we started stage two to the top of the Mt Cargill walking track where it meets the organ pipes track. I was looking forward to this stage as I have been doing quite a bit of hill work and feel this is possibly one of my strengths. We were off with a blast and I quickly got myself into 4th and then just hammered all I had up the hill, constantly trying to pedal just that little bit harder and spin the pedals at a good pace, but one that I could sustain for the whole climb. I felt good (well “good” being working as hard as possible and sucking for oxygen with the legs pumping!) for the whole climb and got to the top in 28:44, which had me 4th to the top Behind Tony Hogg, Peter Green and Mickey Fan, An awesome climb to the top. It was then a cold misty wait for everyone to arrive before the down hill stage.
Race Stage 3 – Down Hill – Mt Cargill/Organ Pipes intersection to Carpark at bottom of the track. 17th open man
Well my tyre choice and pressure probably wasn’t ideal for the steep fast descent on pretty loose fresh gravel track. My “Mezcal semi slicks” didn’t offer the ideal traction slipping through the corners, and my conservative approach to the downhill saw me get down in 9:23, not as uick as I would like but with things like our wedding coming up I didn’t want to break any bones! A fast and fun descent. The fastest down hill rider was 7:03!

Overall a great race set up, I really enjoyed the XC stage and loved the hill climb,
Open Men’s results for me were
XC – 8th
Hill Climb – 3rd (4th to the top overall)
Downhill – 17th
The final results combined from all three stages had me finish 8th= open man for the day which I was really happy with
Below is the link to the MTB Otago website full results:
http://www.mountainbikingotago.co.nz/html/modules/news/article.php?storyid=72

Bannockburn Gutbuster 2008 - MTB Race

Well a great weekend on the MTB, Went up and raced in the Bannockburn Gutbuster ride from Garston to Bannockburn – 75km with 1300m of climbing in it, so a good honest ride. From Bannockburn I caught the bus through to Garston. The bus ride wasn’t the best as I ended up down the back end of the bus and the windy road made me a little bus sick, losing a bit of breakfast on arriving in Garston, luckily the bus arrived about an hour before the start of the ride, so I was able to get some food into me and get rid of my grogginess!! Anyway at the start of the ride everyone was off! Not long into it and the 1st climb began, I settled into a pretty solid and comfortable rhythm and worked my way to the top of this climb feeling good (which was planned as there is a lot further to go) a the top of the climb my rear tyre felt a little softer than it should have been, so I stopped and puffed a bit of air into it, thinking that it was probably going to keep going down. Anyway blasting off down the hill I was right as the tyre went down, by the second creek crossing I dunked the bike in and could see a stream of bubbles coming out of it, bugger! So a quick tube change here, a bit gutting seeing people cruising past a s I repaired this, but back onto the bike after this and I managed to make up a lot of time and places on those who passed me and was feeling good. On and on down the valley and finally arriving at the start of the climb up to the top of Duffers Saddle, from the bottom to the top I just focused on keeping those pedals spinning round and eventually got to the top, feeling pretty exhausted but satisfied with the climb, from her it was a quick descent and grind along the road to the finish in Bannockburn. I finished in 4hrs7min, and this placed me 65th overall and 35th Open man from a field of about 300 riders. A good blast. click on this link to view web page of full 2008 results http://www.cromwell.org.nz/downloads/2008Gutbuster.htm

Kaitangata Black Gold XC MTB Race - 16th November 2008

An awesome 45km MTB race around some fantastic purpose built single track along with farm land, forest roads and a very small amount of sealed road. The race started off on tarmac at the Crescent Rugby Club before entering forest terrain with and undulating tracks. There is a moderate climb followed by a fast narrow single-track descent back into the forest. Racing took us across farmland, alongside the Clutha River and through bush before the finish at the clubrooms again.
Awesome weather and a great turn out of riders, felt pretty good most of the way and loved the single track stuff. Jumping around 4th - 5th - 6th place for a lot of the ride, but lost a couple of places in the last 5km to finish 8th which i was still pretty happy with considering the numbers and level of riders there. An awesome event - back again definetly!

Kelly's Canter October 2008 - Palmerston - Running

Well a great day for the annual run up to the top of Puketapu Hill and return (about a 4km blast to the top of the hil and back to the town centre). Having been up and down this hill many many times over the years i felt pretty good on this run. A hard pace alll the way and my lungs screaming for Oxygen as i went up and then the legs just holing together as i descended! Leather GArden gloves on for the rough Down hill part at the top made the thistles and rocks less painful! Anyway a great blast up and down, placed 4th overall - 2 seconds off 3rd in a sprint finish.
Won the Chip Dunkley Memorial trophy for the first Open Man home!

Dunedin Marathon 14th September 2008

Well what a cracker of a day weather wise yesterday. I went out and ran the Dunedin Marathon yesterday. A fine morning wiht perfect conditions had me off to a nice pace. I was hoping to run between 3hrs20 and 3hrs30 so had set times for along the way to try and stick to. Feeling good in the legs right through until about 35km where i hit the wall a little, legs were fine with no cramps or stiffness, just seemed to run low on energy and couldn't push along as quick as i woulds have liked for the last 7km - so by this stage i was thinking why do i put myself through this torture???... anyway the same old answer came to mind... because i can.. and seem to forget the pain of these marathons fro one ot the next. Anyway i ended up finishing in 3hr38min, which was about 3min down on last year, still happy enough with this result as i really went into it with the goal ofd a personal time to beat - but didn't so i guess i'll have to keep lining up until i can crack the times i want to beat!!

Peak to Peak Multisport Race Queenstown - 19th July 2008

One of my favourite races, the Start of this is high up on the Remarkables and the Finish is at the Ski Field Base at Coronet Peak!!! Stages are as follows
1. Run/Ski
2. 17km MTB - fantastic downhill on the Remark's access road
3. 7km Kayak across from Frankton to Queenstown.
4. 9km Run (all up hill) to the bottom of Coronet Road
5. 9km Cycle up Coronet Peak Ski Field Road.

This year was my 5th time racing as an individual and i managed a PB time of 2hrs 45min which i was stoked with. The winning individual time was 2hrs 22min. I had pretty good stages feeling strong in all areas. I finished the run in 38min which was the 6th fastest individual i think. A well run event and heaps of fun! Open mens section placing was 16th out of 51 individuals and overall including teams i was 48th out of 150 entries!