Deborah Lynch celebrates winning the Longest Day in the Coast To Coast. Photo / Photosport
Deborah Lynch celebrates winning the Longest Day in the Coast To Coast. Photo / Photosport
Nina Poletti for LockerRoom
As New Zealand woke to Waitangi Day, 1600 athletes and their support crews began to descend on the sleepy West Coast town of Greymouth, ready to take on the iconic Coast to Coast multisport race.
Among the cars laden with kayaks, bikes and enough race food to feed a small village, several female athletes calmed their nerves, analysed their race plans and chatted with their families and crew. Their mission: to travel 243km via bike, kayak and their own two feet from Kumara to New Brighton – either over one or two days.
Winner – Longest Day elite female (Didn’t really know she was winning until she’d won)
Remarkably calm before the race start, Deb Lynch didn’t think she had much of a crack at the women’s Longest Day trophy.
“Every time I’ve thought I might have a good shot, something has gone wrong in my races. So my mindset was just to take it as it comes,” Lynch says.
A change to the start line on Kumara Beach meant athletes now had to run up a bank and over boulders. “It’s a bit of a health and safety hazard, but [race creator] Robin Judkins made a good point – the whole race is a bit of a health and safety hazard,” Lynch says with a laugh.
After a rolling bike ride, it was on the 30km mountain run over Goat Pass that things started to heat up. Drizzly rain through the morning made the rocks up the pass quite slippery.
“There were quite a few falls – from me,” says Lynch. “I was hoping to go faster, but was slightly more cautious on the way up. I lost track of the other elites on the last push to Goat Pass hut and then was on my own, scrambling down.”
Then, an unfamiliar humidity rolled across the course. Having sucked back as much race nutrition as possible and now six hours into the day, Lynch’s body was starting to protest.
“I had a massive spew off the bike. It was quite embarrassing really as it was in front of a few people. So, coming into the kayak, I had no idea where the other ladies were; I was more concerned I’d lost two hours’ worth of fuel.”
Winning siblings Aaron and Deb Lynch celebrate with their family. Photo / Coast to Coast
On the remaining 70km of the kayak leg, Lynch sang (out loud) repeated renditions of Just Around the Riverbend from Disney’s Pocahontas movie. When she hit Gorge Bridge, she was told she was four minutes ahead of the second-place female and five-time winner, Simone Maier.
“I was like, ‘Oh great, RIP to my lead’. I had no confidence I wouldn’t be caught on the bike, but I thought I’d just have to give it a crack,” Lynch says.
“I was slightly hallucinating at the end of the bike and thought Simone was right behind me. It wasn’t until people started high-fiving me on the chute that I realised that I had it.
“My whole family was behind the finish line, including my brother Aaron – who had won the open men’s category – so that was really special.”
As her legs locked up over the finish line, Lynch felt an overwhelming sense of relief. And now, with the caffeine from race day out of her system, she’s looking to her next mission – the Challenge Wanaka triathlon this weekend. She’s a sucker for some “type-two fun”. For multisport athletes, the hurt locker is something of a holiday.
Sara Stocker and Kate Harper (Team Allan Scott Family Winemakers)
Winners – Tandem team female veteran (May have been wine-drunk the entire race)
I first met Stocker and Harper mid-race, in the middle of the Waimakariri River, as their big banana barge came flying into the tail of my kayak.
“Whoops, sorry!” Stocker yelled as they paddled past. “Might have put a hole in that for ya.”
Luckily, my boat stayed watertight and as I followed Team ASFW down the river, all I could hear was “Sorry, sorry, oh crap, sorry”. A low river made for some interesting paddling and with nowhere else to go, the pair bulldozed their way down the river, giggling and apologising as they went.
“We’ve got wine in our bladders,” Harper said as I caught up. I believed her.
Sara Stocker and Kate Harper head down Salmon Rapid. Photo / Marathon Photos Live
For these two women, Coast to Coast was a redemption race. As co-owner of race sponsor Allan Scott Family Winery, Stocker was out for revenge – having been pulled off the Longest Day in 2022. Her friend and massage therapist, Harper, was back in the saddle, having tackled the race 22 years ago before going through major neck surgery.
“We’re quite serious about training hard ,but also love a whisky on the top of the mountain,” Stocker says. “So, while the race was unbelievable, the highlight for us has been the training journey and getting out there to explore new places.
“The first river crossing on the run was awesome because we saw Robin Judkins cheering everyone. But the run ended up being pretty tough for me – you know it’s bad when I stop talking.”
With Harper carrying Stocker’s pack and offering words of encouragement, the team kept moving.
“We made a pact that we weren’t going to say sorry to each other, and that we would both have these moments,” says Harper.
With the brutality of Goat Pass behind them, the second day started with a chance meeting with All Blacks legend Richie McCaw. “Sara was so brave and casual and just went straight up to talk to him,” Harper says.
After charging down the Waimakariri and an eventful final bike – with a headwind, crashed riders and surging bunches – Team ASFW finally popped their bottle of bubbles.
“My brother and I first gave this race a crack to get me fit and it’s stuck with us. I take my hat off to every single person for giving it a go, as it means so much knowing what you’ve sacrificed during training,” Stocker says.
3rd place – Longest Day female open (Just kept on keeping on)
After “accidentally” winning the Two-Day event last year, Vreugdenhil figured she may as well take on the Longest Day – getting the 243km done in one day. Just a small step up, right?
“As it turns out, I don’t deal with stress well,” she says. “I was absolutely petrified coming into the race and had overwhelming performance anxiety.
“Last year I didn’t intend on winning it, just went out to give it a go, but this year people knew who I was. Even though there wasn’t much expectation, I felt it.”
Sonja Vreugdenhil finishing the Coast to Coast Longest Day. Photo / Marathon Photos Live
Unable to keep food down before the start, Vreugdenhil knew the day was going to be a hell of a grind. And then it started raining.
“My legs were heavy and I was just hoping that was because of the weather. But as we got on to Goat Pass, I still hadn’t been able to keep anything solid down – I had tried to have an Up & Go, and that ‘up and went’. I started seriously considering pulling out.”
As she crested the top of the pass, the sun came out.
“I figured if I pulled out here, they’d still make me walk out, so I may as well finish the run. At the end of the run, I thought, well I really like riding my bike, so I may as well get to the kayak.”
Hanging on to a gel and a few No-Doz pills, Sonja reached the gorge and flipped at the entry rapid, losing her 2-litre bladder of nutrition to the river.
“There were some really dark moments, but I thought if I pulled out, I’d have to sit on the side of the river for someone to pick me up, so I may as well keep going.”
She surprised herself as she crossed the finish line. “It was consistently tough the whole day. But that’s racing.”
Ella Bennie and Libby Drummond (Team Dumb and Dumber)
Winners – Tandem team female open (Humbled by the Waimakariri)
Deep in Southland is a core group of Coast to Coast enthusiasts. Rookies Ella Bennie and Libby Drummond can now add their names to that elite club after taking on the tandem race for the first time.
“Coast was promoted at our high school, so we thought we’d chuck our names in the ballot. Bugger doing it by yourself, though, it’s way better with a mate,” Drummond says.
Swept away with the adrenalin and great vibe of the race, the two young women blitzed their first bike, but when the running shoes came on, so did their first dip in confidence.
First-timers Ella Bennie and Libby Drummond give the race the thumbs up. Photo / Marathon Photos Live
“When we started jogging, I was like ‘Oh my God, I don’t want to be here’. But a couple of kilometres into it, I got into the groove,” Bennie says.
“Libby told me to keep looking at my feet because I was tripping on all the rocks. At one point we got lost – about 20 of us down by the Mingha Slip trying to figure out where to go and we ended up just pushing through some bush.”
Despite dodgy leg muscles – Bennie could barely walk – they got into the swing of the second day.
“I think we were getting a bit cocky on the river and came into Salmon Rapid on a weird angle. By the time we’d figured that out, it was too late and we were swimming,” Bennie says with a laugh.
“That was a good wake-up call – we needed to be humbled. So, we switched on properly and made it out.”
Flying through the last bike with moral support from their family on the side of South Eyre Rd, the girls made it through in top spot.
“It’s so cool to have someone else going through it. I could feel when Libby was high and she helped pull me out of the lows,” Bennie says.
Sophie Shallard
Winner – Two-Day female U23 elite (The next generation of weapon; doesn’t have an off switch)
At 21, Shallard is yet to feel the ravages of time. This was apparent as she took to the C2C start line only four days after finishing a five-day adventure race – The MAGNIficent – through the depths of the South Island.
Shallard signed up to Coast to Coast while adventure racing in China with the legendary Simone Maier. “I got annoyed at not being able to get involved in the conversation when Simone and her teammates were talking about the race, so thought I’d have to do it,” she says.
U23 winner Sophie Shallard shares a moment with Coast to Coast legend Steve Gurney. Photo / Marathon Photos Live
After a speedy run off the beach, Shallard’s legs went dead.
“The bike was super-fast and I was battling the whole way through the mountain run. I just kept thinking I didn’t want the girls behind me to catch me,” she says.
Fortunately, Shallard received some last-minute nutrition advice from Pure Sports. “I was only going to take half of the nutrition on the run, but they told me to take more and I ended up using all of it,” she says.
A dodgy ankle, the low river and a boat filling with water made the second day a little spicier for Shallard, who held on to her lead. On the final ride, she lengthened the gap.
“I got into a great bunch straight away and had some guys doing heaps of work. I heard the next girl wasn’t far behind, but my bunch kept pulling and got me through,” she says.
With this U23 win under her belt and more adventure racing to come with her team, Fear Youth, this definitely won’t be the last time we see Shallard on the podium.
And finally – the battler at the back. Me
44th place – Two-Day female open (Blood, sweat and tears)
Getting sick 36 hours before the race wasn’t ideal, so I took to the start line feeling a bit worse for wear.
As it turned out, I was going to pay for the decision to still give the race a go and battled for power through my legs on the first ride. Having to stop three times, first to help someone who’d crashed, then to fix a chain issue, and a puncture 5km from the transition, meant the bike was much slower than intended.
Nina Poletti with her support crew: Breezy, Cynthia, Emily and Alistair. Photo / Marathon Photos Live
Surprisingly, my legs felt good as I set off on the run and I began to pick up the pace. It was all going well until 10km up the pass when my body suddenly pulled a “not today mate” and my energy slid out of my feet – slowing the next 20km from jog to slog.
I eventually made it out and thanks to my support crew force-feeding me through the rest of the evening, I woke up on Saturday morning feeling slightly better. Nausea crept in ahead of the first bike – if day two was going to be as hard as day one, I didn’t think I’d finish.
But my legs found a little more power on the bike and I breathed a sigh of relief as I slipped into my kayak – my happy place. A silly swim at the Hamilton Rapid wasn’t enough to dull my spirits as I pushed down the Waimakariri, feeling strong and chatting to people as I went.
Catching a good bunch on the final ride was enough for me to dig it in and make it to New Brighton. The sense of relief as I crossed the finish line was unmatched, and seeing my friends and family on the other side made the entire thing worth it.
It’s an incredible race – it’ll break you and then build you up again. While I’d get back in the kayak again in a heartbeat, the trauma of the mountain run will take some getting over.
Still, 10/10; would recommend.
This story was originally published at Newsroom.co.nz and is republished with permission.
