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History

Chapter 12 – Marlborough

Event Summary

One NZ GODZONE Chapter 12 proved to be one of the most gruelling chapters in the events history as teams took on the expedition adventure through the vast Marlborough region at the top of the South Island. The course was a continuous revelation of Marlborough’s rich and diverse terrain showcasing it’s breathtaking beauty on an impressive scale. Across the eight day event participants tackled nine substantial stages, spanning two challenging routes: the 613km PURE course and the 524km PURSUIT course.

Being the first race undertaken by the Pure Adventure Charitable Trust the Trustees felt it was important to make the statement that the race would be tough and technical. And It was. Chapter 12 - Marlborough was an epic race. We didn’t initially associate the Marlborough region with large amounts of elevation but that was a mistake. This, combined with some weather challenges and a two year hiatus from racing meant Chapter 12 was at the extreme end of tough and was an intimidating challenge for most teams within the 8 day timeframe. On reflection it probably deserved to have a 10 day window to flag the difficulty level of this Chapter of GODZONE.

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The Teams

Chapter 12 attracted a fair mix of established adventure racing teams, highly experienced trophy hunters and a good smattering of rookies and newcomers to expedition-length adventures. A heartening aspect of the race was the emergence of so many young novice racers coming through the very popular school racing scene to compete at One NZ GODZONE. Standouts were Kaikoura U20 who topped the PURSUIT podium taking first place in their very first GODZONE. The student led team AWS Legal Motueka Legal also shone in the PURE race eventually coming in fourth after losing a place in the final paddle with Nelson Vets who took third. They were caught at the start of the last leg when the racers were prevented from getting on the water due to the adverse weather but showed that they will be a very real threat to the podium going forward. It was a very impressive performance. The school scene is very healthy in NZ with local feeder races extremely popular. One school adventure race recently had 97 teams competing in their own school race. The PURSUIT category is a great steppingstone for up-and-coming teams, but some are bypassing this step and being competitive in the PURE category at their first attempt… a great sign for the future of the sport.

Team Name Team Captain Team Member 2 Team Member 3 Team Member 4 Final Results
1. AWS Legal / Motueka High Louie Burger Leo Easton TIDE Fa'avae Nika rayward Short Course
2. Backcountry Studio Nico Dubois Chris Greenan Lottie Armstrong Kirk McDonald Short Course
3. BDO Outward bounders Greg Lee Ben Clark Billy mckeon Bridget Dick Short Course
4. FEAR Youth Josh Pearson Fynn Mitchell Molly Spark Sam Anderson Unranked
5. Fuel me emma patton Peter Harris regan mcfall nate alley Unranked
6. Go Fence Kieran Hickman Holly Weston Glen Mitchell Simon Johnson Short Course
7. Isabel Marlborough - KLT Bayleys Dan Moore Naomi Whitehead Dan Busch Jeremy Mckenzie Unranked
8. Kaikoura Adventure Race (Over 20) Tim Farrant Oscar Lyons Narelle Crozier Jade Lilo Short Course
9. King country cockies Thomas downey Brent scott Cherie de malmanche Stanley Robinson Unranked
10. Kinisi Tim Brazier Natalie Phillips Ian evans Jana Dodds Unranked
11. Macpac NZ Nat Gallant Alastair Mcdowell Meg Ryan Jake Vargo Unranked
12. Movember athletics club jonathan brown (jb) simon cochrane travis brown kate moore Unranked
13. muppets Michael Phillips Adrian beard steven phillips Raeleigh Phillips Unranked
14. NELSON VETS GEARSHOP Brendan Hickman Dave Quested Sakkie Meyer Rachel Baker Short Course
15. Rab sophie hart Sam Clark CHris Forne Simone Maier Full Course
16. TEAM Hummingbird Will Buchanan Joseph Konlechner Nick graham Georgia Russell Unranked
17. the frontrunner Richmond jane orbell cobus van zyl Sean Hambrook simon bloomberg Unranked
18. Tiki Tour TOm Lucas Eryn Cutler Alison Wilson Mike kelly Full Course
19. Trek\'n Travel Kelsi Parker Sommer O’Shea Carla Johl alex Thornton Short Course
20. vertigoats Nigel Robertson Sophia White Aaron lowe Warwick tuffnell Short Course
Team Name Team Captain Team Member 2 Team Member 3 Team Member 4 Final Results
1. Allan Scott Family Winemakers Sara Stocker Josh Scott Todd Petherick Ian Martella Unranked
2. Ashvegas Battlers Tom wing Mark thomas Rory boleyn Katrina palmer Unranked
3. Coast to Coast Josephine Tappenden Beck Weber Aedan lehr jamie bryant Full Course
4. Ferg\'s AEROs Rob Willmore Abby PAGEL Greg O'Brien Noel O'Leary Unranked
5. Gizzy gully runners George Williams Guy thompson Michele frey Nicki davies Full Course
6. Kaikoura adventure u20 Max Groer Finn van Keulen Henry Lovegrove Isabelle Schwarzenbach Full Course
7. Marokopa Munters katherine richards mike brewer Jared welch kim sullivan Full Course
8. SOUTHLAND TRI 6+6 Janus Staufenberg Olivia Thornbury Archie Ritchie Riley Day Full Course
9. Spring challenge Sarah alice murray Michelle rochford CARLA MURRAY NATALIE HARREX Unranked
10. True South MARK COCKROFT Mark Watson Julian Holmes Anne gray Unranked
11. True West Eloise Fry Hedley Wilton Robert Glenny mark fry Unranked
12. where are the bears Theresa Knight Gerard Lieshout Greg Lieshout Simon O'Sullivan Full Course

The Route

Teams started Chapter 12 at Picton foreshore, gateway to the Marlborough Sounds and finished nearby at Shelly Beach after completing a vast clockwise loop. The GZ Pure course was a substantial 613km (the third longest ever) with teams navigating, packrafting, trekking, mountain biking, kayaking and even canyoning across the spectacular scenery of the South Island. The course had almost 16,000m of ascent which is the most ever for a GODZONE Chapter. The GZ Pursuit course broadly mirrored the pure route with some small amendments to stages and checkpoint locations which, reduced the overall length of the GZ Pursuit course to a still impressive 524km. There were 7 significant transition areas and one remote one, where teams were not permitted to see their support crews and were self-sufficient. The highlight of the course was the incredible variety of terrain, particularly on the trekking and packrafting stages, juxtaposed against the beauty of the Sounds. There was high level travel that made for some outstanding views once through the tree line. Two significant dark zones impacted strategic decisions in the middle of the race with two different rivers unable to be paddled at night due to the severity of the rapids. A brutal and testing course in a magnificent location.

Results

The Chapter 12 results speak for themselves with only 10% of Pure teams finishing the complete (shortened) course. There is no doubt this was a tough race. The finishing percentage in the PURE race was about ten percent with the fastest team RAB taking just over six days, albeit they lost half a day sitting out adverse weather. This was the longest time Sophie Hart had ever spent completing a race. FEAR YOUTH provided stiff competition for RAB and the battle was a major focus for those watching with FEAR succumbing to injury on day five after an admirable performance. The interest in the future will be firmly centered on when the younger teams can get a win over the veteran RAB juggernaut.

An impressive victory from Team Rab, completing the gruelling course in a winning time of 6 days, 2 hours and 15 minutes. Remarkably, this was the longest amount of time spent on course by a winning team in GODZONE’s history. The champion team delivered a masterclass in their collective adventure racing style, exhibiting outstanding navigational precision, discipline, expertise, and consistent movement throughout the event. As one of the most experienced teams on the global expedition racing circuit, Team Rab faced fierce competition from the energetic Team Fear Youth. Despite this, their cool and calm approach ensured they emerged as the ultimate champions of Chapter 12. Reflecting on the race, team captain Chris Forne described it as the toughest GODZONE edition to date. “By comparison it was probably the toughest GODZONE because of the length and physical nature. It was a big course with a lot of weight carried over high vertical areas, a lot of physical on the ground, and that does wear you down. I really enjoyed this course, there was good variety from travelling way out in the Molesworth’s area, which was quite special, then through a red hill area, down the Pelorus – it was exciting to get out to those places.”

Team Name Team Captain Team Member 2 Team Member 3 Team Member 4 Final Results
1. Rab Sophie Hart Sam Clark Chris Forne Stu Lynch 06d 02h 15m
2. Tiki Tour Tom Lucas Eryn Cutler Alison Wilson Mike Kelly 06d 21h 16m
3. Nelson Vets Gearshop Brendan Hickman Dave Quested Sakkie Meyer Rachel Baker 06d 20h 45m
4. Go Fence Kieran Hickman Holly Weston Glen Mitchell Simon Johnson 06d 22h 10m
5. BDO Outward Bound Greg Lee Ben Clark Billy Mckeon Bridget Dick 06d 22h 12m

Team Kaikoura Adventure U20 claimed the top podium spot in the Pursuit category, marking a remarkable achievement in their debut appearance at the event. Demonstrating a combination of youthful energy and a solid foundation in adventure racing, this team stood out as one of the youngest ever to compete at GODZONE. At just 18 years old, they exhibited a level of skill and maturity that belied their age. The team members benefited from the guidance and mentorship of experienced adventure racers Aaron Prince and Tane Cambridge. Over the past few years, these young athletes have made a name for themselves on the adventure racing scene, with the Kaikoura Adventure Race serving as a pivotal platform that propelled their skills to new heights and prepared them for this significant accomplishment at GODZONE Chapter 12. We can’t wait to see them step up and take on the GODZONE Pure event sooner rather than later.

Team Name Team Captain Team Member 2 Team Member 3 Team Member 4 Final Results
1. Adventure Kaikoura U20 Max Gruder Finn Van Keulen Henry Linegrove Isabelle Shwarzenbach 06d 03h 30m
2. Southland Tri 6+6 Janus Staufenberg Olivia Thornbury Archie Ritchie Riley Day 06d 10h 30m
3. Gizzy Gully Runners George Williams Guy Thompson Michele Frey Niki Davies 06d 15h 30m
4. Coast to Coast Josephine Tappenden Beck Webber Aiden Lehr Jamie Bryant 06d 22h 30m
5. Marakopa Munters Katherine Richards Mike Brewer Jared Welch Kim Sullivan 07d 00h 30m