History

The Teams

You never know how things are going to shape up when you open up entries on a completely different island. An island where there had never been an expedition adventure race before. No problem, 100 teams entered within 24hrs and we were full full full! Then, along came Covid-19 which changed the world, as we know it, forever. The event date was postponed for 5 months; moving the event forward and back to its traditional March slot (having been earmarked for the previous November). Unfortunately, 35 overseas teams who had originally entered were unable to visit New Zealand due to border and travel restrictions. This meant team numbers were down but, it was still a sizeable and very strong field of Kiwi teams who took to the start line. The general consensus being one of enthusiasm to embrace the cultural and terrain differences offered up by the Rotorua Geothermal backdrop. Nearly all of the international teams unable to make it into New Zealand elected to roll their entries over to Chapter 10...meaning that will be a large field of racers, again.

The Route

A breathtaking journey through some of the North Island's most spectacular terrain with the occasional visit to a local community located around the wider Bay of Plenty and Taupo regions. The GZ Pure route covered a total distance of approximately 660km, right up there with the longest of Chapters. Adding to the difficulty was the significant amount of ascent at 13,000m. The route comprised roughly 90km of trekking, 365km of biking, 57km of kayaking, 21km of rogaining and 135km of packrafting. The GZ Pursuit event covered approximately 592km and 10,400m of ascent.

The route won great favour with many teams remarking on it being the most diverse and challenging races they had ever done. Definitely more of an expedition-style event than a race. The biking was probably the most engaging and interesting that we have done. Most stages had some form of strategic or navigational element which kept decision making and the navigators on their toes. The rogaine section in Whirinaki State Forest tested the best and put the pretenders in their place. Everyone walked away knowing that they had been involved in a true adventure.

Results

Well done to everyone taking on this epic challenge. No doubt, it was a big one. A true adventure and not for those looking for a bucket list tick. Over 50% of the GZ Pure teams managed to get to the finish line on the Full Course. Bravo, that's a fine effort. It was tougher going on the GZ Pursuit course with just 25% of the teams managing to get to the finish line with a ranking.

Team Avaya were always going to be the team to beat. They have a lot of pedigree and more experience than all the top teams added together. They were just as devastating with a support crew as they are without one. We expect them to succeed in sections where navigation and strategy are at the fore. However, they blew everyone away on the first bike ride with a super fast time, showing that they still have the horsepower to go with all the stuff inside their heads. Special mentions for iSport who had a few personnel changes in the lead up, yet managed to come in a well-deserved second place. Tiki Tour closed out the podium in their 9th visit to GODZONE...always there. Good on them.