Bondi Rescue duo do battle with Richie

IT was a classic trans-Tasman battle pitting two Aussies against an All Blacks great and his mate.

Surf-lifesavers Andrew ‘‘Reidy’’ Reid and Ryan ‘‘Whippet’’ Clark, both of Bondi Rescue reality TV fame, travelled to February’s Coast to Coast as a team in the 243km two-day endurance race.

Reid’s mission was for the duo to defeat Richie McCaw and his adventure racing team-mate Rob Nichol. Clark’s mission was more concerned with finishing.

McCaw, a two-time Rugby World Cup-winning captain, had put a lot of hurt on Australia during his career, so this was a chance for Bondi boys to get one back for their countrymen.

The running, biking and kayaking showdown, from the west coast of the South Island to the east coast, will be played out on New Zealand television screens on Tuesday night – although the ultimate winner may be New Zealand tourism.

In true Anzac spirit, McCaw, now a professional helicopter pilot, took his two Aussie rivals for a flight over the spectacular course before the event began.

In this Covid-19 era of no tourists, the footage is sure to remind both Australian and New Zealand viewers of the South Island’s mountainous beauty ahead of a gradual reopening of international borders to tourists.

It also reminded Reid and Clark what type of challenges lay ahead in the race, and there were plenty.

An Australian TV crew followed the Bondi duo and, Australians being as they are, the banter flowed and the determination to beat McCaw and Nichol never wavered – at least from Reid, who knew McCaw and wife Gemma from previous races.

In truth, Reid and Clark (a former Home and Away actor) are athletes in their own right.

They have more than 40 years of combined surf-lifesaving experience between them and have saved well over 1000 people from drowning, while competing in numerous endurance races including ironman events.

However, both were novices in the kayak and Clark had done very little bike training for the Coast to Coast, his first ever

Bondi Rescue: The Kathmandu Coast to Coast, is on TV3 on Tuesday, June 23 at 7.30pm.