Braden Currie says he's in good race condition and knowing he has a target on his back is just extra motivation to win. Photo / Supplied
Braden Currie says he's in good race condition and knowing he has a target on his back is just extra motivation to win. Photo / Supplied
A star-studded lineup makes this year’s premier multisports event one of the most intriguing in its history
This weekend's Coast to Coast is poised to be a fierce battle with Wanaka's one-day defending champions Braden Currie and Jess Simson set to fend off a number of rising and established multisports rising stars.
Making his second consecutive defence of the Speight's Coast to Coast, Currie is looking to match last year's blistering effort in the 33km mountain run, in which he beat five-time Coast to Coast winner - who is now the event's race director - Richard Ussher by 21 minutes, finishing in a time of 11 hours and 18 minutes.
"Coast is a must for me. I was always going to do it, because I love racing Coast," Currie said.
"When I first did the Longest Day I gained the understanding that I could do it, then the next year I knew I could race it.
"This year I am at the point where I can race it as hard as I can for 11 hours."
However, the pre-race favourite knows he will not have the racing all his own way, with a number of contenders poised to knock Currie off the top spot.
"I know that there's a good group of guys that have committed a huge amount of time in their preparation for this year's Coast," he says.
"I also know that all these guys will be out to beat me.
"But that's just more encouragement for me to push myself on the day."
Race director Ussher believes Currie will be difficult to beat.
"He is racing really well and as long as he is healthy I think it will be hard to stop him making it three in a row."
Meanwhile, Sam Manson has continued to improve after surprising many by leading the chasing pack off the mountain run last year. He will have to keep a careful eye on former podium finisher Trevor Voyce who pipped Manson for second at the 2014 3D NZ multisport Champs.
Manson is happy with his build-up which has seen him take time off from working as an Air Force aircraft mechanic to give this year's Coast to Coast his full focus.
"For the first time I have a coach looking after me," Manson says. "Cam Durno and I have been working together since the end of October to make sure I do all the right things, including not getting carried away.
Jess Simson is back to defend the women's title she won last year. Photo / Supplied
"It is different to my usual build-up but I think it's still bringing me out into a really good form."
Others pushing podium claims in the men's one-day event include top international and regular coaster Flavio Vianna from Brazil, Sam Goodall, Dan Busch, Hamish Fleming with late entry 43-year-old World Champion Adventure Racer Nathan Fa'avae and veteran Nathan Petersen potential wildcards.
The women's race is also expected to be a thriller with defending champion Simson up against multiple winner Elina Ussher, top triathlete and 2013 Australasian multisport champion Simone Maier and experienced multi-sport veteran Rachel Cashin, who has managed multiple podium efforts in the event over the past decade.
Other women to watch in the one-day event are Fiona Dowling, Carolin Holmqvist and Charlotte Breeze.
The matchups in both one-day fields have Ussher excited, saying he expects a real battle and when combined with the event's new live tracking technology being used for the first time, is confident racing will be bought to life more than ever.
He says the two-day Coast to Coast event is a little harder to predict and that the fields in the individual races are looking wide open.
"There's a few familiar faces in there with the likes of Olivia Spencer-Bowers in the women's race and Josh Harris in the men's but as usual I expect to see some new names at the front of the individual fields. Maybe we'll see a record-breaking performance from an unknown competitor, reminiscent of Nathan [Fa'avae] almost 25 years ago."
Racing starts in the two-day event today at 7am with the one-day World Championship Longest Day event starting tomorrow at 6am.
• David Skipwith travelled to Christchurch with the assistance of ThermaTech.
