Best foot forward
Richie McCaw gives gruelling Coast to Coast ‘a good nudge’ ... and finishes second
Richie McCaw says he is ‘‘much happier’’ with his second-place finish in the two-day tandem race in this year’s Coast to Coast after a blistering second day of racing.
McCaw and team-mate Rob Nichol went from third after day one to finishing second yesterday, 12 minutes behind Josh Harris and David Slater, who they trailed by 28 minutes after the first day.
It was a stark contrast from last year, when McCaw fell ill the night before and battled through on limited energy. He fuelled himself on baby food and jellybeans because that was all that would stay down.
The former All Blacks captain said it felt good to finish well on this occasion after last year’s struggles.
‘‘Much happier this time around. I was frustrated last year because I was crook but it was good to not be like that this year and give it a good nudge.’’
He said day one was tough and the wind and rain on day two made for some ‘‘different’’ conditions, but overall it went well.
‘‘We had a tough day one with the run and my team-mate [Nichol] had a bit of cramp which slowed us down a bit, but I guess that’s the nature of it,’’ McCaw said.
‘‘The flow of the river was pretty perfect for us today [day two] until we got to that southerly which was a bit different. My legs know they’ve done something but we’re in reasonable shape.’’
Good friends McCaw and Nichol, who were competing under the moniker ‘‘Best Foot Forward’’, have also featured together in the Godzone and Defiance adventure races.
The tandem event involves both competitors doing the entire course over two days together, staying within 50 metres of each other on the bike and run sections while paddling the Waimakariri River leg together in a double kayak.
Nichol, himself a keen adventure racer, said the thrill of achievement and meeting other like-minded people on the race was just as rewarding as posting a sharp time.
Meanwhile, it was a Whakata¯ ne double as Sam Clark and Corrinne O’Donnell claimed the major spoils yesterday.
Clark returned to win his fourth elite men’s title, which he described as his best yet, while O’Donnell tasted success for the first time in her fourth attempt at the women’s race.
‘‘I left absolutely everything out there. I’ve never worked that hard in my life for a victory,’’ a spent Clark said. ‘‘Out of all my victories, yes that’s got to be the best.’’
In the women’s race, a ‘‘pretty stoked’’ O’Donnell had a mighty battle with Alison Wilson before nudging her by a margin of 3min 7sec.
‘‘It was pretty nerve-wracking on that last bike,’’ O’Donnell said. ‘‘I don’t know if I rate myself much as a biker so I was just going as hard as I could.’’
Also featuring in this year’s race was Dave Maitland, 62, who has competed in the Coast to Coast for more than a quarter of a century.
Maitland said the event offered up something new every time he did it.
‘‘For me, the event is strongly aligned with what I enjoy in life. I like a challenge and I love being outdoors, so I do it because I enjoy it.’’
The Coast to Coast is the brainchild of Robin Judkins. The first official 243km race was held in February 1983.
Judkins had planned for a field of 35 but was surprised when 79 entries were received.
In 2013, Judkins sold the Coast to Coast to Queenstown-based Trojan Holdings.
Judkins continues to contribute as race ambassador, and was at the finish to congratulate athletes yesterday.