Allan, Maier win Coast to Coast titles
Dougal Allan is the Coast to Coast’s nearly man no more.
The Wanaka 33-year-old claimed his first men’s longest day title, crossing the finish line in 11hr 15min at Christchurch’s New Brighton Beach yesterday.
Allan will long savour this victory in the 243km endurance race, which started at Kumara Beach on the West Coast at 6am, after three previous second place finishes in the longest day event and another third placing.
He narrowly trailed Australian Alex Hunt heading into the 70km kayak on the Waimakariri River, but Allan delivered a powerful paddle to hit the front.
German-born Kiwi Simone Maier overcame the drama of a two-minute racing penalty and smashing into a van on a one-way bridge just out of Klondyke Corner, near Arthur’s Pass, to take the women’s longest day title for the first time.
Maier was stung with a 2min penalty in the transition after the mountain run due to a support crew member pulling the bike from the rack, which competitors must do.
She finished in 12hr 56min 36sec – 10min ahead of secondplaced Elina Ussher, who was attempting to win her fifth longest day title. Alexandra’s Fiona Dowling placed third, a further 12min 41sec back from Christchurch-based Maier.
Christchurch’s Sam Manson was second in the men’s elite race, 15min after Allan. Tasmanian Hunt, the top seed heading into the race and last year’s second place finisher, was third in 11hr 39min 34sec after fading on the kayak.
Allan, who has concentrated on ironman since 2013, stormed home over the final 69.5km cycle leg into New Brighton on a searing Christchurch afternoon, when the temperatures reached 30 degrees Celsius.
‘‘It’s certainly a career highlight, this race. It means a lot to me and I’ve probably been trying to win it for the best part of a decade off and on,’’ Allan said.
‘‘I’ve got a lot of good memories from other races, but this race for obvious reasons will stand out.’’
Allan held a whopping 13min lead after 50km of the final cycle leg.
After going so close in the past, but failing to get on top of the podium, Allan, who last lined up in the longest day in 2013, took on a different approach. He credited his coach, three-time winning longest day champion Gordon Walker, for his triumph.
Maier was ecstatic to secure her first women’s longest day victory at her third attempt. She was first into the mountain run, but Ussher was never far away and hauled Maier back on the paddle.
‘‘I put a lot of time and effort into this event and I know it was going to be hard. There was a lot of expectation on me and a lot of pressure from myself,’’ she said.
‘‘To actually finally win the Coast is pretty amazing.’’