Avaya’s Kiwi experience wins again
At what point is Nelson’s Nathan Fa’avae a spent force? Adventure racers worldwide are still waiting to find out.
After five days battling the Indian Ocean wilderness and altitudes of 3000m, Kiwi adventure racing team Avaya has romped home to complete an unprecedented sixth world crown.
The experienced combination of Nathan Fa’avae, Chris Forne and Stu Lynch was joined by new recruit Fleur Pawsey in winning the 2018 ARWC event held at Reunion Island this week.
Crossing the finish line just after 3am (12pm NZ time) on Tuesday, they completed the 10-leg, 460km course in a time of 117:01:00, three hours ahead of second-placed Haglofs Silva, of Sweden.
The only other Kiwis in the 38-strong full course field, Team Yealands, finished in seventh place in 137 hours 15 mins.
The ARWC win at Reunion was the fifth straight for Avaya, formerly Seagate.
Lynch, Fa’avae and Forne can now claim 20 world championships between them, while 2018 represented Pawsey’s maiden title.
It was the perfect return to top level racing for 46-year-old Fa’avae, having stepped away from racing in 2016 to address knee injury issues.
‘‘After the Worlds in 2016 I wasn’t sure if I’d race again after that,’’ he said.
‘‘I figured a year away from the sport and being focused on other things, that would likely signify the end of my elite level racing.’’
However, the opportunity to race with wife Jodie in this year’s GODZone, new team sponsorship and the possibility of exploring new terrain reignited Fa’avae’s desire for another world championship tilt.
Reuniting with highperformers Forne and Lynch was another motivating factor in his decision to race at Reunion.
"I thrive on being part of a high performing team and all the factors that create that culture and performance state, it’s very special. They’re team-mates and friends, that makes the racing and the shared experience very rewarding."
Competitors were tested on pack-rafting, mountain biking, abseiling, trekking and ocean kayaking disciplines, as well as ascending the 3071-metre Piton des Neiges and Piton de la Fournaise volcano, which erupted in 2007.
Fa’avae said the constant vertical ascent and descents were taxing but offered an ‘‘epic test’’ for all teams.
With Fa’avae returning from an extended hiatus and Pawsey joining Avaya just seven weeks prior, the team decided the best chance of victory was a conservative approach which focused more on exploring the landscape of Reunion.
‘‘It was not realistic for us to go into the race and expect to be the dominating team we once were,’’ Fa’avae said.
‘‘We wanted to win the title but felt that given the harsh nature of the terrain and the high heat, we’d look to engage in the race about midway.’’
However, Avaya’s attacking instincts kicked in at the first pack-rafting stage, forcing some errors from the top teams and pushing the Kiwis out to a healthy lead. The rest is adventure-racing history.
Fa’avae said the win was unique, even by his standards.
‘‘What makes it different is I came into the race with the question in my head ‘have I still got what it takes?’.
‘‘I know a lot of the top international teams saw me as a vulnerability and perhaps something to exploit so it was encouraging to be able to set a goal and achieve it.’’
Questions regarding Fa’avae’s future in the sport have inevitably sprung up post-race.
While the 46-year-old said he had no plans to race next year, he hoped to see Avaya defend its title at next year’s race in Sri Lanka.
‘‘I think many people envisage retirement from sport as buying a TV and big couch, but the reality for me is that even if I’m not racing, I am still extremely active doing adventures, which is my passion – so in many ways, I’m always in a pretty good condition to take on an adventure race.
‘‘I wouldn’t commit yet, I’d hope the team will be there with or without me.’’