Garrett back at Coast to Coast

"I didn't have a good time at the last one. So I'm going back to make up for it, I hope." Manawatu multisport competitor Brett Garrett.

Palmerston North’s Brett Garrett has a point to prove when he returns to the Coast to Coast next week.

The 33-year-old is competing in the two-day individual race from one side of the South Island to the other, which starts next Friday, the fourth time he will have done the epic multisport event.

Last time Garrett went in 2014 he didn’t complete the race, which is what got him back again this year before he goes into a temporary retirement.

‘‘I guess the biggest thing [about going back] is I didn’t have a good time at the last one,’’ he said. ‘‘So I’m going back to make up for it, I hope.’’

Last time he went he was midway through the kayak leg when he had to pull out.

‘‘I got quite sick and ended up not finishing it. I got about 10 hours through and ended up in a helicopter.’’

This will be Garrett’s fourth crack at the extreme event, having started with a ’’spur-of-themoment decision’’ to do it with his boss in 2011, then went again in 2012 and 2014.

The first time he was in a team, then the next year he did the individual two-day event, then in 2014 he did the one-day event.

This year is likely to be his last race for a while, because he wants to spend more time with his family.

‘‘Just one more go before I give it up for a few years. I’ll definitely be going back, but I’ve got a couple of young kids and time will be tough.’’

He has started tapering off his training recently, but it has been a busy period fitting in his training, along with family and his job at Chesters Plumbing and Bathroom.

‘‘I’ve had a pretty good preparation. I’m injury free, thankfully.

‘‘But I’ve built up some pretty big hours over the week now.’’

Garrett has a running background, ane even though he said he has a preference towards the bike when he’s not training for Coast to Coast, he is fairly even across the three disciplines.

The race starts with a 2.2km run near Kumara on the West Coast, then has a 55km bike ride and after that there is a 30.5km mountain run.

The next leg is a 15.5km ride, a 1.3km run, a 70km kayak leg, then finishes with a 69.6km cycle leg into Christchurch.

Garrett won’t be the only Manawatu competitor at the event. Also competing in the two-day competition is Ross Mckay from Palmerston North, who is in the 50-59 age group.

Coast to Coast veteran Brent O’neill is competing again this year and is entered in the two-day, two-person event.

Last year, O’neill did the race with his daughter Cara Hesselin, but this year is doing it with his other daughter, Kate O’neill.

Brent is doing the cycle and kayak legs and Kate is doing the mountain run and cycle legs.

Hesselin is instead doing the mountain run event by herself in the women’s 18-39 age group, and Brian Robertson of Palmerston North is competing in the men’s 18-39 mountain run.

There is also a team from Palmerston North Boys’ High School entered in the two-day schools competition.

The three-man team is Samuel Bentham, who is doing the mountain run, Wade Bennett is doing the kayak and Madi Hartleybrown is doing the bike leg.