New Zealand's longest running winter multisport event is approaching its 21st year celebration. Over this period the race has seen the best of the New Zealand multisport athletes race from the Remarkables to Coronet Peak.
The original concept, developed in 1994, was for the race to connect the then-new Remarkables ski field with the town, the winter festival and then to continue to Coronet Peak.
 Kayaks in Frankton Arm(Photo: Southern Traverse; click to enlarge) |
The course has remained unchanged since the original concept with racers departing from high on the top of the Remarkables with the finish line in sight across the valley. A 2km ski down the Homeward Bound ski run, followed by a 17km mountain bike ride down the Remarkables access road. Once at Frankton Beach racers paddled 7km to Queenstown Bay and then ran to the old Arthur's Point hotel to change over for the ride up Coronet Peak. Well the Arthurs Point hotel is no longer and the race transition had grown too big for this site, so before the demise of the hotel the transition was shifted to the Coronet Alpine hotel.
The original race attracted a small field of contestants by today's standards. Just under 100 competitors in total across all the teams and individuals. The following year (1995) this had risen to 30 teams and 27 individuals, and the winner that year was a now local, Steve Gurney, followed by R & R Sport shop owner Haydn Key. The women's division was won by then Invercargill and now local Sue Carnahan.
Over 20 years of racing we have since seen the who's who of multisport racing try and take the title of Peak to Peak champion. In the first year, 1994, it was Ian Edmond and Jacinda Amey who stood on top of the podium. In the subsequent years names like Bernice Lepper, Richard Ussher, Rachel Baron, Erin Greene and Mark Williams were seen on the top step.
With the support this year of R & R Sport as the naming sponsor, the race is inviting all the previous winners of the Mens and Womens divisions to race again, for fun and to join in the celebration of 21 years. Each of the winners has been invited to a special celebration in Heidi's hut on Coronet Peak after the conclusion of the event this year.
Special invitations will also be extended to other athletes - Bill Godsal and Chris Dagg. Chris Dagg has now competed in 20 years of the Peak to Peak and been in the winning team on more than one occasion, while Bill Godsall has only skied 20 times in his life - one run a year over the past twenty, on Peak to Peak day.
When the organisers approached R & R Sport to sponsor the event this year Miff MacDiarmid had this to say: 'Twenty one years for any event is awesome and we are delighted to continue our long relationship with the event and it is still totally relevant for our current athletes as well as those who have competed over the years.'
The event of course was part of the Winter Festival and the first sponsors of the event were the Mount Cook Line, the then owners of the two ski fields. This association with now nzski has continued for the whole 20 years and the input of the two ski fields has contributed a lot to the success of the race. On the Remarkables the event touches many of the ski area staff, from the restaurant, the ski patrol and the vital input from the road crew who ensure that the road is cleared for the racers. The Coronet side includes the bus division, the car parking, the restaurant, ski patrol and race department.
Other naming sponsors over the year have included Meadow Fresh, Southern Lakes Helicopters, element and The North Face.
The race is scheduled this year for the 26th of July and the organisers expect a full field of 400 plus competitors. Individuals race the entire event, but the more than 70 teams can be made up of two to five people. These teams race in many different divisions, from groups of friends out for a social fun day, to the serious teams racing for honors in the open division, or business house teams competing for that trophy.
There is also a division for school teams and last year the team from Otago Boys would have placed third overall in the open teams.
Geoff Hunt from Southern Traverse said "It is fantastic that the event has reached this milestone and continues to receive the great support from the local racers and also from the multisport champions of the country. I am looking forward to the event this year and seeing all the old faces out to enjoy the event again.
The event is open for entries at www.southerntraverse.com.
