Annie Ford downs a 'shoey' after setting a world record for the greatest vertical descent on a mountain bike in 24 hours. Photo / Samantha Croft Photography, Ride Coronet Peak
Merryn Anderson for LockerRoom
Twenty-four hours, 133 laps, 412km, 55,727 vertical metres – and a goal of $50,000 towards native forests. Those are the metrics that helped Annie Ford break a world biking record for a noble cause.
Ford has set the Guinness world record for the greatest vertical descent on a mountain bike in 24 hours, with the goal to raise money for efforts to help regenerate native forest on Coronet Peak.
“What better way, as an athlete, to show what these passions can serve beyond ourselves? As athletes, we utilise these locations, but how can we give back?” she says.
Ford, 34, started her world record attempt on a January day at 6pm, knowing the night laps would be the most psychologically demanding.
She made sure to eat every 20 to 30 minutes, and regularly consumed caffeine from midnight to keep alert.
The team around her were instrumental in Ford’s success, including a nutritionist, witnesses and mechanics, as well as paramedics on standby in case of emergency.
“It wasn’t so much the effort they cared about, it was the cause as well, because it’s bigger than all of us,” says Ford of her team.
“I had someone there massaging my arms on the chair lift every lap, we went above and beyond to get the best number possible, the cause being the fundamental driver behind that.”
Across the 24 hours, a rider has to travel down the same trail each lap, and the clock doesn’t stop for any reason – so Ford didn’t sleep a wink.
Ford set the Guinness world record in 2022, but due to difficult conditions had to stop after 18 hours, with torrential rain making biking incredibly risky.
“I was already very fatigued and making some silly mistakes, so the risk of breaking a collarbone or getting concussion was too high,” she explains, calling it a day after capturing the record.
“But I knew there were six more hours that we could be out there.”
So this time, she wanted to see just how far she could push in 24 hours – at Coronet Peak, a place that has given her so much.
“I knew this area had been deforested, and that there was an attempt currently under way to reforest Coronet Peak,” she explains.
Ford grew up in Tasmania, and has a passion for the outdoors and looking after our environment. She studied Antarctic sciences and marine biology, always curious to see what’s out there.
“All your problems become so minor when you’re out in these wildernesses and on top of summits,” she says.
Having travelled for work, Ford realised how privileged people are to have clean water and fresh air, and she decided to dedicate herself to looking after these environments. She now works as the CEO of Tāhuna Ride and Conservation in Queenstown, a non-profit working towards regeneration in the Whakatipu Basin.
“As people who spend so much time in these environments, it is our responsibility to take care of them, so it’s not just us who get to benefit from them, but the many generations to come,” she says.
She knew going for the record would bring more attention to the cause and her fundraiser – her major “why”.
“A Guinness world record attracts a lot of people, just that title inspires the child within us,” Ford says.
“Bike riders watch these events, but if you put a Guinness world record title on it, then the impact is far beyond the bike world, and the audience extends far beyond the bike world.”
The challenge captured her, but she knew she could do more.
“There’s definitely a self-serving element here. I really like riding my bike, I like challenging myself, I love finding what’s physically possible. I could have happily walked away with my existing record,” Ford admits.
“But why not combine all these epic opportunities together, and try and have an impact far beyond a number on a hill, but actually an inter-generational benefit from an effort like that?”
When the fatigue kicked in, Ford knew adrenaline and her training would carry her through, with the positive energy from everyone around her.
“Honestly, the psychological preparation to get to the start line is as important, if not more so, than the physical effort,” she says.
“I did a lot of psychological training, so when the pain came, and when the hurdles came, it was like ‘Here we go, there it is, let’s go, like lean in more’.
“We owe that to the people who are on the hill helping us out and the effort that got us here, let’s actually find out what the world record is.”
When Ford reached the finish line, after 24 hours on the pedals, the first thing on the agenda was a rest – but not before indulging the crowd who were chanting “shoey”. Battered and broken, Ford still managed to support competitors in another event that weekend, hobbling up the hill.
“It’s a beautiful community, the sports community, and Queenstown really dials that up to the utmost,” she says.
“It’s completely impossible to have done it without the team, and without people generously giving their time and skillsets and prioritising someone other than themselves. It was just a beautiful thing to witness.”
Ford has a Givealittle page, with a goal to raise $50,000 for the Te Tapu o Tāne charitable organisation leading a reforestation project in Coronet Peak. All money raised goes towards native tree planting, and regenerating native forest.
“It equates to an enormous amount of trees that can be planted, and in a space on Coronet Peak where they can’t be logged in the future,” Ford explains.
“It’s an awesome outcome, and it just brings so much more fulfilment to these epic undertakings. We had a great time but we can see how that effort will benefit a community and an environment long after we’re gone.”
Ford encourages more women to pursue their passions in sports, even when they feel like there might not be a place for them.
“Bike riding is still a male-dominated sport, but there’s never been more females in this space,” she says.
“I think it’s incredibly important moving forward that we support one another, that we highlight these incredible efforts in all shapes and forms.
“But also bringing together all of your passions in a vehicle like that, like reforestation or climate action, and going and having a great time with your bike while you’re doing it, is an epic combination.”
This story was originally published at Newsroom.co.nz and is republished with permission.