Speight's Coast to Coast Journal 2012
First Day

Its 4.30am everyone is starting to get ready to assemble at the starting point. Its been raining the whole night, but only a light drizzle is in our way to the opening on a west coast beach of New Zealand South Island. Where all racers are leaving for the first 3km run to get to their bikes for a 56km section, finishing the first racing day with 33km mountain run, across the Southern Alps.

My name is Ignacio Blavi. I’m traveling the world discovering the best places to do outdoors sports and my first stop outside South America has been New Zealand.

Today I have the privilege of being part of this country’s finest adventure endurance race, which crosses kiwi land from the west coast to the east coast. There its name, “Coast to Coast”. It’s something like having two races in one, cause there are competitors who do it in a two-day event and others who do it in a single big one called “The longest day”

I’m participating in both, running the mountain section, the most epic part of where “Speights Coast to Coast” goes through. Which is a rock hopping, boulder climbing and mountain trail run with an elevation of 1200mts crossing the beautiful highlands. But the whole race uses 2 more disciplines; mountain biking and kayaking, which are divided, in six sections (3km run, 50km bike, 33km mountain run, 15km bike, 67km kayak, finishing with a 70km bike).

With nervousness but also a great mood the racers of the 2 days event hear the chopper land near the starting point. Is the Race founder and Director Robin Judkins and it means we are only a few minutes to go. So, without even knowing all competitors were on the go. Living at the edge one of the greatest experiences kiwi land has to offer where you can test your own limits.

Now, follow this adventurer’s log where we’ll show you the bitter and the sweet of what the racers go through to achieve their final goal.

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Second Day

Race day, I didn’t really know what to expect. Is one of New Zealand’s biggest events and the participants train most of the year to do it. The truth is that I haven’t train properly, but I have learned from the best during others adventure multisport races like the “Patagonian Expedition Race”, in the extreme south of South America.  Which gave me confident, cause doing it made me acknowledge, in myself something that makes the difference between average men a great ones: “I can achieve everything I put my mind into”, cause I fight my fears, the pain and the bitter moments, persevering, in order to get there. But most important, I put passion into it.

And that’s what I loved more about this first day of racing, the passion in everyone involved in this event, from every official, supporters and media to everyone of the competitors, they all are here giving themselves to do their best.

The race ends in Christchurch, the city where this country’s terrible earthquake destroyed most of the city, leaving what I was referring before. Their strong will. Cause as terrible as the incident was, it didn’t crumble their faith, it didn’t stir their fire, their passion.

That’s what I saw while I was racing with the competitors; greatness, inner strength, the willing of getting where they’re set up to.

In the middle of the uphill run a 62 years old men passed me like a bullet. Focus, concentrate, but with a big smile on his face when I took a photo of him, owned the course. Later someone told me he won the first event 30 years ago, and today he’s racing, with his son doing an amazing time of 14 hours.    

After the 56 km biking all the support crew were waiting at the transition to receive the bikes and get the gear to cross the epic mountain section. The interesting thing about it is how the support crew where all family. Sisters, mothers, fathers and friends gather at this event to not only support, but also be part of an experience on their love one. What a better way to describe the mood of today.

Greatness is the name of today’s game. How everyone competing went after their dream, setting them selves a concrete goal and working hard to achieve it. 

So congrats to all of this competitors and good luck for tomorrows second part of the race, hope the trail treats them fine. And if it gets complicated, I’m sure they will know how to simplified it and sort everything out. And that’s what’s life about too. Isn’t it?

Happy trails!

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This year it's it 20th birthday and 800 hard core competitors, who had train several month to be part of it, celebrated it crossing the country from South Island west coast to the east coast.

Check our video of the mountain section!