Hard-core multisport fans can get a high-definition, birds-eye view of the 29th Speights Coast to Coast before the 30th gets underway in February next year by attending the New Zealand premier of The Coast to Coast: A personal challenge in Whangarei on Monday night.
The documentary is the work of the
charismatic organiser of all 29 of the previous races, Robin Judkins, who will take it to cinemas in every city around the country to preview it - before he allows it to air on television.
"Rather than release it to television I thought - a little out of the blue - let's take it around the country.
"I went up to Auckland to view the final cut of the film and it was so good, because we'd shot it on high-definition digital ... we decided to release it as a movie," he said.
It is the first time he has shot a full hour-long feature - having previously produced half-hour documentaries about the race.
"Three years ago, I decided I'd stop producing documentaries for television. I felt bored with producing half-hour sports documentaries and decided to go with the internet instead," he said.
The first year the website got 1.5 million hits with its live coverage. The second year that jumped to 11.4 million hits and to 14.1 million hits last year.
Admission to the documentary is free and will show in Whangarei on Monday at 6.30pm at Events Cinema.
