Stillsecret site offers highquality Spring Challenge

NEARLY 1500 women will paddle, run and bike around Central Otago this weekend, but where they will do it, nobody knows.

Well, the organisers do but they are not letting on — yet.

The South Island chapter of the annual Spring Challenge women’s adventure race will be held at a station near Cromwell.

From 6am tomorrow, 1440 women in 480 teams will be exploring on and around the stillsecret station’s craggy, glacierformed hills as they raft, hike, bike and navigate their way through the three, six and ninehour courses.

Teams do not find out the course location until 5pm today, when maps to the three courses are handed out.

Event organiser sixtime World Adventure Racing champion Nathan Fa’avae knew the 400ha site had potential but the station had exceeded expectations.

‘‘Some years ago, we did a rogaine event at this station, and we knew there was a possible Spring Challenge course latent in the landscape, awaiting discovery. We never intended for so much of the course to be on the station, but the more we explored it, the more we wanted to include it,’’ he said.

‘‘We’re very pleased with the highquality courses this year and most of them are on the station. We want to thank the landowner and his family for their incredible support of the event. The station staff have done an amazing amount of work to provide access around the property.’’

The Cromwell Community Board has also pitched in, along with the Central Otago District Council and the Department of Conservation.