Speight's Coast to Coast champions, Gordon Walker and Emily Miazga, are back to defend their title in this weekend's 243k race across the South Island. But rather than their competition, the defending champions are watching the weather forecast.
Walker is aiming for his third title and Miazga her fourth. But with a heavy storm warning for the West Coast and Canterbury high country they'll both be thinking back to 2004, when similar conditions saw them struggle in eighth and third placings respectively.
The Metservice informed Speight's Coast to Coast race director Robin Judkins of a heavy rain warning on the West Coast for this Saturday morning with 30mm of rain forecast between 6am and midday with North West winds of up to 50 knots at 5000ft (Goat Pass).
In the afternoon a southerly change occurs on the East Coast with rain in Timaru at Midday reaching Christchurch by 4pm.
Judkins has more than three decades experience in planning for all conditions. In 1992 he was forced to abandon the mountain run and kayak sections in favour of running the competitors over the Arthur's Pass Road before cycling all the way to Christchurch. In 2004 only half the field finished the world championship One Day race amid torrential rain and unseasonal cold.
While he hopes conditions won't affect his iconic event, Judkins says, "Because of the heavy rain warning, One Day competitors should be prepared for cancellation of the mountain run in favour of a road run from Aickens to Klondyke Corner over Arthurs Pass Road (Plan B). At this stage I don't anticipate changing the kayaking section. But final decisions will be made on early Saturday morning."
Judkins doesn't think the forecasted weather will affect the Two Day Race, saying, "On Friday morning the two day competitors may experience some showers and mid level cloud on the West Coast with North Westerly winds increasing. It may be warm but not hot for the mountain run and fine at Klondyke."
"On Saturday morning the two-day participants may have a strong North Westerly tail wind down the Waimakariri River and then a side wind and rain from the southerly change in the afternoon on the last cycling section."
Judkins does warn, however, "Everyone is going to get wet so come prepared for rain and wind and tie your tents down."
In both 1992 and 2004 similar weather conditions turned the pre-race picks upside down. Steve Gurney was favoured for both races, but the changes in 1992 saw South African Rockley Montgomery dominate what was a run and bike race. Then in 2004 Hawke's Bay farmer George Christenson revelled in the extreme mountain run conditions to open a lead that he held all the way to Sumner Beach."
Gurney, a nine time winner of the Speight's Coast to Coast, thinks bad weather could change the face of this year's race more than ever before. The current crop of stars don't have the same mountain backgrounds as former winners like Gurney and Christensen and six times women's winner, Kathy Lynch. But defending champions Walker (Akld) and Miazga (Canada) have both experienced the harsh realities of an extreme race in extreme conditions.
Both served their apprenticeship in the brutal 2004 race and if similar conditions prevail this weekend they'll know that the only way to win will be to forget the competition and focus instead on their own battle with nature.
