The Wanaka combination of Dougal Allan and Jess Simpson will be the team to beat in today's 12-hour adventure race on Dunedin's mountain tracks and rivers.
Allan is one of New Zealand's best adventure athletes and has finished runner-up in the longest day one-day event in the Coast to Coast for the past three years.
Sixty two-person teams have entered the Dunedin City Mazda Adventure Challenge, which will feature races over four, six and 12 hours.
The other contenders for the elite 12-hour race are Nathan Peterson and Ryan Klesanowski, of Christchurch, Dunedin adventure racers Hamish Fleming and Willie Sammes, Dunedin distance runners Sarah Bryant and Emily Wilson, Dunedin's Aaron Eyles and Jason Palmer, and elite athletes Andrew Sloan and Richard Olsen.
Five years ago, Olsen won the New Zealand senior 1500m title and was runner-up in the 800m.
The six and 12-hour races are two-man adventure races that involve mountain biking, running and canoeing and a mystery section expected to involve mountaineering skills.
Most of the course is on private land and details of the course will not be divulged to competitors until close to the start when they will be given a race map.
There is no set route for the six and 12-hour races and orienteering skills and map and compass readings are necessary.There are 15 checkpoints in both the six and 12-hour events.
The 12-hour race will consist of a 50km mountain bike ride, a 20km run and a short paddle.
A serious competitor in the six-hour race is New Zealand junior mountain bike cross-country champion Mary Gray.
The event is the brainchild of Dunedin adventure racer Josh Harris, who has set tough courses for the six and 12-hour events.
The four-hour race is easier and is designed for beginners.
The entire course will be staged within Dunedin city boundaries and will involve some steep climbs for mountain bikers and runners.
The six and 12-hour competitors will be taken by bus to the start. The 12-hour race starts at 6.30am, the six-hour event at 10am and the four-hour race at noon.
All three races end at Memorial Park, Mosgiel. The winning team in the 12-hour race is expected to finish in about 10hr and the slowest team will take around 13hr 30min.
