Team Motueka aiming high
They’ve taken on the toughest trails in New Zealand, and now a Tasman-based adventure racing team are bracing for some high-altitude lessons in South America.
In preparation for their fourth appearance in the 530km GODZone Pure event, Team Motueka are entering several overseas challenges to hone their abilities.
This week, team captain Brent Steinmetz will head to Ecuador with new team members Meggie Bichard, Tane Cambridge and Quinn Hornblow to compete in the gruelling Huairasinchi event.
Translating to ‘‘the strength of the wind’’ from the native Kichwa language, the event has drawn teams from all over the globe to the beauty of Ecuador for 15 years.
However, Steinmetz acknowledged that sightseeing was a minor priority, with high-altitude racing expected at some stage of the event.
‘‘Things have ramped up a substantial amount – I just got a captain’s note saying the race is guaranteed to be at over 4000m for a minimum of four to five hours – so there will be a lot of soul-searching going on.’’
Steinmetz said the overseas experience would allow the team to scratch the travel itch as well as building cohesion. ‘‘You’re looking at eight months that you’re building towards GODZone, and it seems as Team Motueka, we never really race a lot together . . . part of our analysis was on our race readiness and our ability to react to those race conditions.
‘‘We definitely lacked that in our race preparations, so we thought it would be a good idea to get some racing in before we commit.’’
Following the Ecuadorian experience, Team Motueka will take part in races in China and Patagonia later in the year.
Formed ahead of the 2016 GODZone event, the team finished an impressive eighth in that Tasman chapter and have since completed another two GODZones, in Queenstown and Fiordland.
For Steinmetz, Fiordland was the toughest race he had ever been a part of – and a big reason why he wants another crack in 2019.
‘‘Adventure racing is the true test of oneself, and being in an environment like that – I don’t regret taking part in these races and the hardship that goes with them.’’
GODZone’s eighth chapter is being held in March around the Canterbury region. The main disciplines over the multi-day, expedition-style race are navigation, trekking, mountain biking, kayaking and canoeing.
Steinmetz said that with the location of the start line remaining secret until just before the race kicks off, he was not getting complacent about the likely terrain to be faced.
‘‘To say it will or wouldn’t suit us would be predicting too much – we might get there and find out it’s a whole lot of paddling and we’ve trained for everything else. You just don’t know.’’
The four new team members bring their own skill sets to the table.
Hornblow has a strong endurance race resume, including the Coast to Coast and a third place in the colt category at last year’s GODZone. Mountain biker Bichard is relatively new to adventure racing, while Cambridge comes from an orienteering background.
Fellow 2016 GODZone competitors Jake Stow and Claire Sykes will remain involved in the racing schedule locally. A final foursome will be selected from the wider squad to line up for the GODZone next year.
Steinmetz said promoting Motueka was a big part of the team’s existence, and he was grateful for the support from the Motueka community and local businesses in keeping the Team Motueka brand going.