Race just what doctor ordered

Thomas Reynolds

While there might only be five Northlanders taking part in this weekend's Speights Coast to Coast, one of them is well-qualified.

Thomas Reynolds is a house officer at Whangarei Hospital and is taking part in the arduous South Island event.

The 25-year-old somehow manages to train for the multisport event despite working long days, and sometimes weekends, caring for Northlanders.

"Fitting training in is about having a plan," Reynolds explained. "That way I can plan the rest of the day around training and work.

"I often incorporate the commute into training to maximise time available.

"Whangarei also has a great roster for the junior doctors, which allows us days off after a weekend worked. This means we never work more than 10 days in a row, and also gives us longer weekends once every few months."

Reynolds, ever the planner, often uses his longer weekends to head south and get some paddling under his belt in preparation for the event.

However, while planning training is the easy part, actioning it is another story. There are days when Reynolds has to dig deep to get into the swing of training.

"I have a few [music] loops saved up that I really enjoy running or riding [to]. I keep these for the days when motivation is a bit low. Recovery is key though, so rest days are really important."

Having come from a mountain biking, orienteering and trail-running background, Reynolds isn't hoping for much from the Coast to Coast.

"I'm hoping to get a feel for what racing a 13-hour day is like," Reynolds joked. "[There will be] heaps of learning for future attempts at the race."

Also competing in the Coast to Coast are Whangarei's Simon Versteeg, Waipu's Ralph Calvert, Kerikeri's Ross Christensen, and Dargaville's Graeme Ewenson.