While Brackstone, a Queenstown-based project manager, will not turn 60 until March 11, he openly admits ‘‘what’s a couple of weeks when you’re my vintage?’’
This will be Brackstone’s second attempt at the the two-day event which begins Kumara Beach at 7am on Friday, February 8.
He took part in the event in 2005, finishing 125th overall and cutting the course out in 15hr 52min 14sec and promising himself he would return to do it when he was 60.
‘‘I think that if I can do the Coast to Coast at 60, then I’m not in bad shape.’’
But there is much greater motivation for Brackston, as he will be lining for the two-day individual event with son Linden (26).
Linden Brackstone has battled severe health issues throughout his life, enduring four major heart operations, one of which was a double valve replacement, as well as undertaking operations to replace arteries in his legs with Dacron.
‘‘I have little to complain about considering what he’s had to endure throughout his life,’’ Simon said.
‘‘For me, to be able to do the Coast to Coast at 60 pales in comparison. I’m in awe of him [Linden] that he’s able to do it.
‘‘I’m just an old bugger silly enough to want to do it. For him [Linden] its a mighty challenge.’’
Simon added that although he figured he would be good for a time around 16hr, neither the time nor the end result would matter, when it came to seeing his son cross the finish line at New Brighton.
‘‘It’s pretty awesome thinking about it. I’m not sure who’s going to drag who over the finish line.’’
Despite his health issues, Linden remained fairly active while growing up and, to this day remains a keen rugby player.
He played 1st XV rugby for Wakatipu High School and, as a prop, finds his services in demand for the second division senior grades.
Simon, originally from Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands, admitted that sport was not really his thing in his younger days, and it was not until arriving in Queenstown 27 years ago that he took to road and trail running which, around 20 years ago, morphed into multisport.
‘‘Just running is boring. Multisport is more of a challenge,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s an amazing playground here in the southern region so why wouldn’t you?’’
For the father and son duo, the journey to the start line at this year’s Coast to Coast has been a work in progress for the past five months.
Simon said that it was as much about the journey making it to the start as anything else.
‘‘It’s the people you come into contact with and the places it takes you.’’
Simon estimates that he has travelled 1500km on the bike in training over the past four months, spent 40 hours training on the water and run more than 200km in training for the mountain run.
Although Simon makes no secret of his distaste for running, once on a bike or in a kayak, he is in his zone.
He said there were two obstacles to firstly overcome in making it to the start of the Coast to Coast — one was commitment and the other was mental attitude.
‘‘The beauty of people my vintage is that there is nothing to prove. I used to think in my younger days that if I stayed in multisport long enough I’d win something. Now it’s mostly for fitness and not doing anything to embarrass myself.
‘‘I look at what my son [Linden] has been through and what it’s taken him to get there [Coast to Coast] ... it’s really humbling.’’
