Rollo’s 6HOUR Adventure Race Report.

 

A start that wouldn’t have been out of place at the Amazing Race, and this was an amazing race as teams headed out across the urban Jungle of Nelson, chasing glory. Alpine Epic of Nick Ross & Sophie Hart and Migym of Rachael & Trevor Voyce were not holding back.  There day was made easier as pre-races favorites AMK of Andrew Martin and Dan Busch had withdrawn due to illness. The Adventure Duathlon combinations of the Barberbains Kelly & Josh Barber are hoping that there youth spent running around the Nelson foothills would pay off, But Dan “the Motman” Bremner and Milan Talley of the Kina Crew wanted to ensure they keep them honest. Also hiding within the pack was team Stoke Cycles, with Mike Anderson very handy on a bike and at Orienteering, supported by Ash White Head and Leo Simmonds both very good cyclists also.

Once teams were given the course of this year’s Rollo’s 6HOUR adventure they now have to work out the quickest way to get all 26 checkpoints or 22 if they are doing the Adventure Duathlon if they wanted to win. While there are a few contenders there was a huge amount of teams who are here for the first time. The choices they had was an orienteering course around and over the Centre of New Zealand, a foot race around downtown Nelson as bikes are not allowed with in the central city, actually bikes cannot even be pushed across the city, a kayak stage from Tahunanui Beach and back and there are plenty of checkpoints along the cycle and walk ways of Urban Nelson.

The course took them from Atawhai in the north of Nelson to the edge of Richmond in the south, from the waterfront to the Nelson foothills and they only had 45 minutes to plan their attack on the day.

The famous Nelson Market was visited, as they had to find Pic’s Really Good Peanut Butter and purchase a jar of Peanut butter with the compulsory $5.00. Actually once the public got wind of what was going on they were telling competitors where to find Pic’s stall in the market. Then they will need to take to Rollo’s Outdoor Centre on Bridge Street in Nelson to claim the points for this checkpoint. The peanut butter was later donated to the food bank.

The difference is that they choose how they get the checkpoints and each checkpoint was worth points like in rogaine. They could get them either by Kayak, Foot or Bike. The team that gets them all the quickest or the most points within 6 Hours will win. “I was unsure if they could get them all” says Race Orgainiser Chris James, but some will certainly wanted to. ‘I had created an Escape Route on the course should competitors need to get back into the city’ says James, but user pays, using this option will cost them 200 points. We will only know the winner once the dust settles.

On the water there is a steady southwester picking up as the kayakers seek the 4 checkpoints that can only be gain on the water. There an object on a buoy 200m of the Tahunanui Beach with 2 to be found on Haulashore Island before reaching the iconic Nelson Lighthouse and then there is the name of a certain boat within the Nelson Marina, but may be they will get that later by foot or bike.

As the say winners are grinners so 3 hours into the race everyone was winning as they were all smiling……for now.

Well as the dust started to settle the front runners of the Adventure Duathlon turned up, Stoke Cycles – not the biggest just the best, but they still has their purchase from the Saturday Market, a jar of Pic’s Really Good Peanut Butter, so they hadn’t been to Rollo’s to drop it off, They hadn’t read the race notes completely, so off the went…in a hurry. Next to arrive was the Kina Crew who were able to claim the Men’s Adventure title. Once Stoke Cycles returned thy claimed the 3 person Adventure Duathlon title and when the C& B Session’s Brenda Clapp & Chris Burr turn up they claimed the mixed Adventure Duathlon title. Winning the women’s Adventure Duathlon was team Bring it on in 4.59. The Spring Challenge class which was for teams already entered in Spring Challenge defending Rollo’s 6HOUR Adventure Race Women’s Champs Boom Chicka Wow Wow added this Title to their impressive mantel piece of Trophies.

This left the main event (well in my eyes) the Adventure race, walking where World Champions have trod before,  Former Rollo’s 6 Hour Champions have included Richard & Elina Ussher, Nathan Faavae & Marcel Haeger just to name a few. (They had a leave pass from this year’s event as they were at a smaller race in China). The first 3 teams to complete the Adventure race had 4 minutes covering them and coming in 3^rd overall and 2^nd mixed team were team Migym of Trevor & Rachael Voyce, with Alpine Epic winning the mixed class from the by 2 minutes while the first women’s team K2 finished in 5h51m, but winning the Adventure Race by a slender 2 minutes was Severely Matted of Matt Ellery & Ed Steenbergen in 5hr 07minutes.

Overall the day was a great day, everyone was happy with what they achieved. There were 85 teams that started and 85 individual 6HOUR adventure races had…..bring on 2011 and another Urban Nelson.

Chris ‘the Sheriff’ James