GODZONE live tracking is up

MrCreosote

Just a few NZ events to keep an eye on over the next few weeks if anyone is getting withdrawal symptoms

IMNZ this Saturday

Godzone adventure race from the 7th of March. http://godzoneadventure.com/

New Plymouth ITU World Cup on 23rd March is looking like it'll have a strong field. http://itunewplymouthtriathlon.co.nz/
Lots of international athletes are doing their winter/spring training in Wanaka at the moment.

ITU Auckland WTS in early April. http://auckland.triathlon.org/

Finally, a great result for Irish ex-pat Fiona Dowling who took out the women's two-day Coast-to-Coast a couple of weeks ago!

Enduro

There will be an Irish team racing in Godzone. So that definitly adds to the interest!

tunney

MrCreosote wrote: »

Just a few NZ events to keep an eye on over the next few weeks if anyone is getting withdrawal symptoms

IMNZ this Saturday

Godzone adventure race from the 7th of March. http://godzoneadventure.com/

New Plymouth ITU World Cup on 23rd March is looking like it'll have a strong field. http://itunewplymouthtriathlon.co.nz/
Lots of international athletes are doing their winter/spring training in Wanaka at the moment.

ITU Auckland WTS in early April. http://auckland.triathlon.org/

Finally, a great result for Irish ex-pat Fiona Dowling who took out the women's two-day Coast-to-Coast a couple of weeks ago!

I forgot how much I hate John and Bevan

MrCreosote

tunney wrote: »

I forgot how much I hate John and Bevan

Ha! I put that in especially!

shotgunmcos

Can't wait to track Godzone. Its at the top of my bucket list.
I know a girl who turned down a spot on a team for this race :eek: before turning down the Beast too. Taking a year out of racing :rolleyes:

What Irish team are racing?

Enduro

Should be a good race. Hard to see anyone except Seagate winning... they have a superb team out. The Irish team is MoxieAR (see here for teams). Looks like a team that should be able to make it all the way. Best of luck to them!

shotgunmcos

Surprised that there are so few non kiwi/wallaby teams Yep Seagate comfortably barring disaster like Costa Rica

shotgunmcos

Enduro wrote: »

Should be a good race. Hard to see anyone except Seagate winning... they have a superb team out. The Irish team is MoxieAR (see here for teams). Looks like a team that should be able to make it all the way. Best of luck to them!

Is that Sabrina from Camracers with MoxieAR? Would you agree that all of the top Pro teams didn't enter as it was pointless taking on Seagate on their home turf?

Enduro

Yup, that is Sabrina from Camracers. She's a good catch for them!

Yeah, I would say that if your aim was to get a free spot in the world champs by winning a qualification race then this would be the most difficult race to get it, for obvious reasons. So yeah, I would say its a large factor alright. The cost of getting to NZ for non-antipodean teams is probably also a factor.

Of course, against that you have the fact that it is an extremely well organised race, has probably the best kayaking in any AR (due to the nature of the boats provided), and a pretty much guaranteed awsome stunning course. I'd still be well on for going for those factors.

shotgunmcos

Live tracking is now up ...

I know its of little interest to most but even if not interested in AR its worth checking out over the next few days how races should be tracked!! IM could adopt this charge a €0.50c fee and skim even more disposable income from these forums :cool:

Even the route info is cool

"If the seals won’t move then teams will just have to swim for it"

MrCreosote

The two trekking sections will be the key I reckon.

We can see the Kaikoura mountains from our house, so I can give weather reports!

There was a big storm last week, with flooding and snow on the tops, but most has melted since then. Nice weather at the moment.

MrCreosote

It's between the teams on the bike leg now I reckon. Anyone who didn't make the end of the trek 1 by nightfall will lose a fair bit of time- most of the cycle is a gravel road. It'll be a great night for a cycle too-cool and hardly any wind! Better than the river fording horrors the Trekkers will be stuck in.

MrCreosote

Moxie AR doing well though, looks like they're over the top of Tapuae-o-uenuku already.

shotgunmcos

The FB feed is good, pics are amazing.

Mad how the leading 5 teams took such different routes on the 2nd trek!

So, Seagate steaming ahead. They had a big lead hitting the river hurunui and got on it before dark zone. They paddled approx 30km before DZ and then banked to sleep to next light. What I'm wondering is, does this now give the other leading teams a chance to trek to the start of the river during DZ thus bunching up again for a race down the river? Seagates lead decreased, although they get the longest sleep?

What would Seagate's strategy have been here, out of sight out of mind?

Enduro

Yup, that sounds correct. Their target would have been to build as big a gap as possible on the kayak before they got stopped by the dark zone. They'll be massively refreshed when they restart and uncatchable barring catastrophe. So the other teams can get to the start of the kayaking during the darkzone and bunch up there. That'll make for an interesting race for those teams.

Enduro

Another thing.... it's always possible that the river paddle can't be completed in the length of time between 2 dark zones. That would mean that anyone stuck waiting for the paddle to open would then have a second darkzone somewhere before the end, and of course that's disastrous from a racing POV. That's exactly what happened to my team at the ARWC in Tasmania... no chance of catching teams ahead after that.

Looks like Moxie might be in trouble. Reports that the medics are on the way to them after one of them injured an ankle after a fall during the MTB stage.

This race looks like it is a real navigator's race, with tons of route choice and CPs which can be hard to find.

shotgunmcos

Yep from the FB feed..

Team Moxie AR team member Eoghan Carton was picked up off the Stage Five Mountain Bike by #GODZone2014 medical crew. Eoghan has a suspected ankle fracture, is OK and is currently sound asleep in TA 4. The remaining three team members are continuing on.

So Moxie are now the 6th unranked team. Still pretty low attrition from 41 runners to begin with and nothing like the carnage that was Costa Rica.

So basically a victory last 4 stages for Seagate if they get just one DZ and the rest get 2. Strategy so interesting in these races. Race hard to hit river before DZ to make ground and bag that stage before DZ #2 or same approach but long kip at TA then try to finish the river before DZ #2. Both options full on and risky. Or steadier approach taking both DZs but outlasting crews who took the go hard or go home approach As if it wasn't interesting enough. Love it! Would need to be one savvy team to execute tactics as such in either case.

BeBetter

Moxie is serious trouble unfortunately. Eoghan Carton has been taken off the course with a suspected ankle fracture. Heartbreak for the team.

MrCreosote

Looks like Moxie have pulled out. Pity, sounds like bad luck got them.

MrCreosote

6 teams off the river now. Seagate in the driving seat, but they're not quite home and dry yet. If they avoid a mistake overnight they should have it won.

The photos from the rafting look great.

Enduro

The photos all-round have been fantastic. Looks like a superb course. But those river paddle ones do look like the best yet alright. Those 2-man blow up kayaks are at their best on whitewater. They are like a more intimate river raft Great fun to bash down rapids (as long as you've got 2 people with enough control to get them to go roughly where you want). The Kiwis are generally awesome paddlers, so they're making it look very easy.

Fantastic multi-way race going on for the remaining podium positions. Everything still in play.

Unfortunate to see MoxieAR retired. Brian and Chris are both strong paddlers and would have had a ball on the river section I reckon. Good to see Sabrina carry stay out on the course with another unranked team.

joey100

Only just looking at this now, know Brian from kayaking, it's a pity alright that they are out. He would have been a big plus for the team in any of the paddling sections. Good to see an adventure race with some proper whitewater in it too, have looked at some of the shorter ones in Ireland and it's always on a lake or in the sea.

shotgunmcos

Seagate winners, destroyed the field!!

Great battle for the remaining podiums.

Exciting enough event to track and yes the photos are fantastic. Can only imagine and dream what it must be like to actually do it! Some day...

Real shame about Moxie they must be gutted. So much put into it, so far just to get there, such an effort. I feel gutted for them.

What team is Sabrina on now?
The playback feature of the tracker is a cool addition to tracking this year

Causeway

shotgunmcos wrote: »

What team is Sabrina on now?

Sabrina now on team number 41 Merrell Alpha Pack.

MrCreosote

All done and dusted. Pretty inspiring stuff!
Big tropical cyclone due to hit today, so they finished up just in time!

shotgunmcos

Inspiring is a word!

Nailed to the top of the bucket list.

MrCreosote

The seagate report.

http://www.sportzhub.com/news/team-seagate-captains-report/

I love reading the reports! Nearly takes as long as the event itself

shotgunmcos

He makes it sound like a few happy fun training stages with intermittent sleeping:eek: :rolleyes: Nice report but it reads like they were coasting. I suppose Seagate are simply a cut above the rest. Would be good to read a report from one of the 2-5th placed teams

MrCreosote

I got the impression as well he was dragged along by the other team-members, especially at the start. He might be playing down his own role mind you.

There should be other reports coming I hope (Moxie??).

Enduro

shotgunmcos wrote: »

He makes it sound like a few happy fun training stages with intermittent sleeping:eek: :rolleyes: Nice report but it reads like they were coasting. I suppose Seagate are simply a cut above the rest. Would be good to read a report from one of the 2-5th placed teams

Yup, there's very few teams can take on seagate, especially on their home turf. I'd say there'd be cracking race reports from the 2-5 alright, Hopefully we'll get to read one or two.