Fingers crossed for good racing conditions

Northern Crossing organisers are holding their breath to see what Mother Nature will bring tomorrow for the 170 competitors taking part in the adventure race.
Starting at Hokianga South Head, multisport event competitors run 8km to a transition point at Opononi. They then kayak 18km to Rawene where kayaks are swapped for bikes, and competitors ride 74km to Waipapa. From there they run another 8km down the Kerikeri River Track to finish the event at Kerikeri Basin.
Competitors racing in the duathlon event skip the kayak leg and ride further on the cycle leg instead.
The Northern Crossing began last year, and unfortunately for those involved, the weather did not play ball.
The Hokianga Harbour Master forced the cancellation of the 18km kayak leg because of the wind and rain, but this year organiser Owen Smith said a contingency plan was in place.
"The weather was grotty last year and the forecast is not looking too much better this year. We have a contingency plan for the kayak, however, if the weather is too bad. We will run a short course option to get it done and dusted before it turns too nasty but we won't make that call until first thing in the morning," he said.
Although numbers entered in the event are down a little from 2010, Smith said he was still pretty pleased with the 170 competitors the event had attracted.
"We have had strong local interest and also people competing from Auckland, Cambridge and far away as Nelson. Last year's fastest solo male in the multisport event [the main race] Sam Goodall is returning to defend his title so that's great," he said.
The oldest competitor taking part is 75-year-old Garth Barfoot, from Auckland's North Shore. Barfoot is well known on the endurance race scene having completed 49 Ironman races. The sprightly veteran just completed the Ironman Australia at Port Macquarie last Saturday.
"Garth recently sent me an email asking if he could put in a late entry so of course we said yes," Smith said.
Competitors can complete the event as individuals or as a team. The youngest competitors - Ned Dalbeth-Hudson, 14, Bradley de Klerk, 15, and Cameron Ambler, 14, - will race as a team from Kerikeri High School.
Following the compulsory race briefing, the multisport event will start at 7.15am tomorrow while the duathlon starts at 7.45am. The start times will put kayakers on the incoming tide for the paddle up the harbour to Rawene.