Along came a stranger
James Holth was at his lowest ebb at the tail end of Coast to Coast field. Then he got a helping hand.
Sixteen hours into the gruelling Coast to Coast multisport race, James Holth was running on empty. Racing in the Longest Day section of the 243km event – which sees competitors run, kayak and cycle from Kumara Beach on the West Coast to Christchurch’s New Brighton Beach – the Aucklander had hit a metaphoric brick wall.
Cycling along the lonely, straight South Eyre Rd stretch in near darkness, Holth was exhausted, in pain, and unsure whether he’d meet the cut-off to make the finish line.
At his lowest point of the race, the 26-year-old, competing in his first Coast to Coast, found a ray of light.
He was joined by Christchurch-based Matt Calman, who learned Holth was battling, and offered to cycle the final 20km into Christchurch with him to ensure he finished.
Calman, 43, lining up in his second Coast to Coast, failed to complete the 2019 event, not making the Woodstock cut-off time on the kayak.
Hearing of Holth’s struggles he identified with him. He didn’t think twice about helping a competitor he didn’t know.
Calman is an inspiring individual, having battled clinical depression and alcoholism, and has come through the other side. On Tuesday, the author-stay at home dad, released his first book, The Longest Day, documenting how he rebuilt himself through tackling the Coast to Coast.
‘‘[The medics] told me what was happening up the road with James. I didn’t know his name at that point,’’ Calman told Stuff.
‘‘They said he’s hitting the wall and on the verge of pulling out. They don’t know how much longer he can go for. They suggested if I could ride with him it would be good.’’
Holth, who left his day job as an architect in December to spend six weeks learning the demanding Coast to Coast course, survived the 70km kayak, meeting the cut-off time by five minutes.
He exerted so much physical energy on the water trying to make cut-off times, he was cooked by the time he arrived for the final 69.5km cycle home.
‘‘On that last bike ride the weather was quite cold. I hadn’t prepared for how cold it was going to be. That, coupled with the tiredness, was completely sapping all the heat from my body.’’
Calman and Holth had crossed paths two weeks earlier on a final kayak hit-out on the Waimakariri River.
Holth was in a sea kayak as Calman had been in his first year. It was only after they began cycling together and heard each other’s stories, he twigged it was the man he’d met before the race.
‘‘It’s a massive coincidence I ended up with James,’’ Calman said. ‘‘You do bump into these [Coast to Coast] people during the year. Spooky stuff happens in Coast to Coast all the time.’’
The Coast to Coast is a special race, created in 1983 by entrepreneur Robin Judkins. It is a bucket list event for many Kiwis and overseas athletes and is full of remarkable tales of people overcoming the odds, comradeship, and perseverance.
Calman is quick to note the pact developed between him and Holth is one of just many stories in this year’s field. It’s a beautiful tale of friendship, humility, and understanding.
‘‘I got up beside him and said gidday to him. I just said, ‘Listen mate, we’ve got plenty of time here. Let’s keep rolling, we’ll chat, and I’ll just stay with you to the end’.
‘‘You’ve gutsed it out, you’ve had a helluva day, and I want to see you finish this race. Let’s just do that, eh?’’.
Over the final 20km, the men conversed about Calman’s battles with depression and alcoholism, their personal lives, and uplifted each other to erase any self doubt to complete the race.
There was mutual respect between the riders and Calman said it was wonderful to help Holth finish the Coast to Coast and achieve his goal.
If Calman hadn’t provided a helping hand in his hour of need, Holth isn’t sure what would have happened.
‘‘I said I was going to finish in the hospital or finish at the finish line. Whether I would have finished up in the hospital, I don’t know. My body was in pretty bad shape.
‘‘He completely changed it. I don’t even remember the last hour pretty much. We were just chatting and it passed by very quickly.
‘‘We started chatting and it was like the whole mental burden side of it was lifted.’’
Over the last 20km, Calman and Holth were blown away by the support they received. They were greeted by farmers standing at their gates in the darkness and heard frequent honks from nearby cars.
On the final stage of the journey, they even spotted a woman standing up on her balcony cheering them on.
Calman and Holth were the last two competitors to finish, finally crossing the finish line at New Brighton in 17 hours 27 minutes at 11.27pm – beating the midnight cut-off point by 33 minutes, when the course closes.
‘‘I was kind of like almost stunned when I got there,’’ Holth said.
‘‘To be pushing and grinding for so long and overcoming all these sorts of hurdles and then you get there, it’s almost like you don’t know what to do.’’
Calman made sure Holth crossed the finish line first.
‘‘I said to James, ‘you’ve got to do something for me. I want you to finish, so
I can see you finish. I wanted to have that satisfaction’.’’
Calman was greeted by his three biggest fans – wife Ranui, and daughters Kahutaiki (10) and Awatea (6).
They dashed up the sand together, celebrating the first time he, too, had finished the race.
‘‘To be pushing and grinding for so long and overcoming all these sorts of hurdles and then you get there, it’s almost like you don’t know what to do.’’
James Holth
Completing the Coast to Coast signified much more than that, following his personal battles. In April 2017, in the worst of his depression he found it difficult just making a coffee in the morning, which ‘‘even then was a bit of a struggle’’.
‘‘It was an emotional feeling [to finish]. It was more exhilaration. I gave it a big ‘Hell yeah’ on the finish line in tribute to [four-time Coast to Coast winner and 2020 champion] Sam Clark.
‘‘He gave a massive ‘Hell yeah’ when I saw him finish in 2018, which was part of my inspiration for doing this race. I wanted to give a nod to Sam, what he’d done for me.’’
Calman was awarded the endurance trophy at the Coast to Coast prizegiving the following day – handed out to the last competitor to finish.
The bond and memories between Calman and Holth will last a lifetime.
They have chatted over Facebook messenger since this month’s event and plan to catch up in person later this year.
‘‘We will be forever linked by what happened at the end of the 2020 Coast to Coast,’’ Calman said. ‘‘It’s been shared with the world now and I couldn’t have shared it with a nicer guy.
‘‘He’s just a fantastic bloke and I’m really glad we had that moment.’’
The Longest Day, ($32.99, Allen & Unwin NZ)