In 2010 Elina Ussher totally dominated the Speight’s Coast to Coast. She returns this year as favourite to defend her title, but the Finnish-born multisport and adventure racing star knows from experience that the multisport world championship doesn’t come easy.
Watching her dominating 30min win in 2010, it was hard to believe that it took Elina Ussher five years to win the Speight's Coast to Coast. But that's why the Finnish-born professional multisporter revelled in last year's world title so much.
Born Elina Maki-Rautila, Elina Ussher was born to adventure sports, starting as most Finns do, with cross country skiing where she represented Finland. But in 2000 she was talent spotted by Finnish professional adventure racing squad, Team Nokia, who back then was one of the top three teams in the world.
With Nokia Ussher quickly realised she could make a living from adventure racing. Along the way she also met and married three-time Speight's Coast to Coast champion, Richard Ussher, which obviously led to her own relationship with the world's premier multisport event.
In 2006 Ussher announced herself as multisport's next big thing with second place at her debut Speight's Coast to Coast. She led that race for more than half the race before succumbing to Canadian-turned Kiwi Emily Miazga. But whereas Miazga went on to win three Speight's Coast to Coast titles, Ussher struggled to come to grips with the world championship event.
Despite racing brilliantly in other multisport events and continuing to be one of the world's top adventure racers, she struggled with fifth, seventh and third placings in the 243k race across the South Island. Until 2010 that is, when in extreme conditions that forced an alternative course, Ussher totally dominated one of the deepest female fields ever assembled.
The defending champion, however, is coy about predicting too much for this year. Certainly she wants to win the "real Speight's Coast to Coast". But she knows the traditional 3k run, 55k cycle, 36k mountain run, 15k cycle, 67k kayak and 70k cycle is far different from last year's where bad weather forced a course change to a 3k run, 55k cycle, 32k road run, 135k cycle, 17k kayak and 7k cycle.
To win she has to conquer the classic Speight's Coast to Coast course, which is longer, harder and far more technical. But she will also have to conquer one of the strongest female fields ever assembled for the world championship race.
Emily Miazga, who won in 2006, 2008 and 2009 is back following an injury affected 2010 that saw her struggle to fourth place. The 2010 runners-ups, Auckland's Louise Mark and Opotiki's Sophie Hart (now based in Nelson), are back, as is Taumarunui's Rachin Cashin who finished third in 2007 and 2008. Throw in dark horse Sia Svendsen, a Danish-born Cantabrian who is moving up to the One Day world title race after winning the team event in 2007 and 2010, and Elina Ussher faces her toughest Speight's Coast to Coast yet.
The 29th Speight's Coast to Coast gets underway on Kumara Beach on Friday February 11. More than 800 entries from all over the world are expected on the start line. For the first time so will the event's organiser, and founder of multisport, Robin Judkins, who will team with nine-time winner Steve Gurney.
