Contest too close to call

Sam Clark , of Whakatane, is high among the hills in last year’s Coast to Coast event. Photo: marathon-photos.com

This year’s Longest Day race at the Coast to Coast is shaping up to be another real battle and both the open men’s and open women’s titles look too close to call.

Wanaka’s Braden Currie will return to the start at Kumara Beach at 6am tomorrow in search of a fourth title, after forgoing defending his title last year in favour of Olympic qualifying races in triathlon.

Sam Clark, of Whakatane, who stole a leaf from Currie’s race guide last year, is returning to defend his title.Clark, just as Currie had done in the previous three years, opened up a commanding lead in the 33km alpine run and backed this up with a solid 67km kayak stage to set up victory in 11hr 37min 7sec.

Clark’s victory put to rest a few demons from the previous year, when he finished runner-up to Currie, who held a 10min lead going into the 70km bike to the finish at New Brighton.

Braden Currie trains hard on the mountain bike in Wanaka last year in the daily grind of being an endurance athlete. Photo: Xterra.

Clark was 5min quicker on the bike but it was not enough, Currie winning a third consecutive title in 11hr 27min 46sec. Clark, by his own admission, rued lost opportunities as he came home second in 11hr 33min 10sec.

Also in the mix and ready to spoil the party for the two New Zealanders are Australian Olympian Courtney Atkinson and last year’s third placegetter Alex Hunt, from Hobart.

Hunt (25) had little time to prepare for his first time on the course last year after arriving in the country just two days previously. He may well be a different beast this year and better for the 243km of knowledge he gained last year.

Atkinson (37) comes into the race with a wealth of top-class race experience behind him.

A four-time Australian junior triathlon champion from 1996 to 1999 and three-time Australian triathlete of the year from 2002 to 2004, Atkinson has represented Australia twice at the Olympics in triathlon. In 2008 he finished 11th in Beijing and in 2012 was 18th in London.

He made the switch to ironman in 2013, winning Ironman Cairns 70.3 in his first outing.

Rivals Atkinson and Currie are not dissimilar in their feats over the past couple of years.

Over the past two years, Currie has achieved a podium success rate of a stunning 95%, winning 21 of 34 events, while also becoming the first New Zealand athlete to win the United States off-road triathlon championship. He finished second at the World Xterra Championships last year and isthe New Zealand and Asia Pacific Xterra champion and two-time long-distance triathlon champion.

The two are expected to vie for the lead early. Both Clark and Hunt are capable of remaining in the mix and becoming game changers. If the weather conditions are right, stage and course records could be in jeopardy.

The women’s race is also expected to be tight.

While Elina Ussher, of Nelson, is the early favourite to win a fourth title, the presence of South African Robyn Owen should add some interest.

A South African world championship representative in kayaking, mountain running and adventure racing, she has all the credentials required to make the race for the women’s title a no-contest.

Ussher’s strength, particularly on the bike, along with her knowledge of the course, will be to her advantage.

Following a third place last year, Fiona Dowling (Alexandra) could feature once again and Corrinne Smit, of Whakatane, will be hoping to make it a double for the Bay of Plenty, should Sam Clark successfully defend his title.A feature of the 33km Mountain Run Challenge today will be the entry of Gemma McCaw (nee Flynn). McCaw recently married All Black great Richie and running the challenge will be a long way away from the recent festivities.The two-day event begins at 7 this morning and the one-day event starts at 6am tomorrow.