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TURNING TOWARDS HOME
Four days and two hours in, and they are running -downhill – towards TA7 Waikoko Valley Camp! That’s the word from the GODZone media team, who are out hunting down leading team Avaya – who in the past 24 hours have hauled their packs over 88km of pure native New Zealand bush across the massive
All about feet and pace
GODZone Chapter 9 is not easing up, and neither is the pace nor the anticipation. In a ‘normal’ sport, one would say you could safely bet your bottom dollar that Avaya (56) will reach Waipa Hub in the Redwoods first, most probably on Wednesday morning. But as Race Director Adam Fairmaid says, adventure racing is
A WAR OF ATTRITION
“From now it will be a war of attrition” are the famous last words from Race Director Adam Fairmaid this morning as GODZone Chapter 9 moves into the most challenging half of the race. With teams spread far and wide across the 666km course, the mood will change significantly today as front runners tackle the
A sure shuffle for those chasing the leaders
Behind the current podium potentials there’s a few shifts going on. It looks like Ataraxia MACPAC (01) and Racer’s Edge – Powered by Torpedo 7 (21) are spending Monday evening and night taking turns in the fourth and fifth spots over the Te Iringa Track and Mohaka River. Both teams are very well respected by
RICHIE MCCAW BATTLES FOR SECOND PLACE AS GODZONE DESCENDS ONTO THE MOHAKA RIVER
An ongoing battle is developing for second and third position on day three of GODZone as the 666km race heads into serious backcountry southeast of Taupo. Richie McCaw’s sixth placing at GODZone in Fiordland back in 2018 has been playing on his mind and, the former All Black seems determined to push his isport team
HEADS DOWN & BUMS UP ON GODZONE DAY THREE
Checking out the GODZone tracking map today, it would easy to wonder what on earth teams have been doing overnight as they are spread through the Whirinaki State Forest in clusters. It’s been a night of bush bashing and head-scratching as teams tackled GODZone’s first Rogaine (and trek), which has slowed down the mid-fields pace
You just have to believe
It’s at this stage of the race that doubt starts to creep in for some teams, as to whether they will make the cut off or not. Day Two has just about come to an end, with the top half of the field on the Stage 4 rogaine which takes them through the Whirinaki State
KEEPING UP WITH AVAYA ON DAY TWO GODZONE
Given New Zealand’s iconic expedition-length adventure race put the ‘Sold Out’ sign up just one day after opening entries way back in September 2019, it’s been a long haul since then to get the Chapter 9 operational. But up and running it is as the teams kick into day two of racing around the greater
Lead teams sorting it out already
In true New Zealand style, the epic nature of the world’s biggest adventure race, GODZone, was heightened by an earthquake that decided to jump on in and shake things up. At 2.27am this morning a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, one of three in fact, hit 100 kilometres east of Te Araroa in the North Island. Even
NATHAN FA’AVAE & RICHIE MCCAW JOCKEY FOR POLE POSITION ON ROTORUA’S ICONIC LAKES AS DAY ONE GODZONE UNFOLDS
He is a world-class paddler. His team are six-time world champion adventure racers, so it’s no surprise that Nathan Fa’avae and team Avaya are pushing former All Black captain Richie McCaw and his isport team for pole position on the first day of GODZone. “This is an exciting event for us, and it’s the first
STUNNING & EPIC COURSE AHEAD FOR GODZONERS STARTING TODAY
The GODZone course was revealed to competitors at yesterdays briefing ahead of today’s start at the beautiful Redwoods Maori Village in Rotorua. As the first North Island race, Rotorua and the greater BOP and Taupo volcanic area’s have offered up a plethora of incredible locales for racers to experience and Event Directors Warren Bates and
ROTORUA MAYOR OFFERS WARM WELCOME TO GODZONE AS COURSE REVEALED TO COMPETITORS
Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick championed GODZone competitors and the race organisers this morning when she delivered an official event welcome to Rotorua via video messaging. Today’s official GODZone Chapter 9 welcome and event race briefing planned for the Rotorua Energy Event Centre (EEC) was canned due to New Zealand’s current Level 2 Covid restrictions. Instead,
