O'Shea inspired to do Coast to Coast by younger sister

Dunedin exercise consultant Sommer O'Shea will be inspired by someone very close to the heart when she lines up in the Coast to Coast in February.

O'Shea (24) will be contesting the two-day section spurred on by younger sister Gemma O'Shea (22), who has Charge Syndrome, a rare congenital condition that has her dependent on 24-hour care.

''I feel it is pretty important for me to get out and do things that she will never be able to do,'' she said.

''And I guess to have the same grit and determination that she has.''

O'Shea said Gemma was her biggest fan and was always asking if she was running, kayaking or biking.

''She gets a kick from seeing me there and being at the finish line to give me a round of applause.

''Often I'll finish a race and she'll ask me when the next one is. So she's definitely making sure I'm getting in races and exercising.

''I definitely don't take anything for granted that's for sure. Gemma has taught me a lot.''

As a year 13 pupil at Mount Hutt College in 2012, O'Shea became influenced by the exploits in multisport and adventure racing of school dean Glen Currie, and set herself then of a goal of competing in the Coast to Coast within 10 years.

Currie, a bronze medallist in the Longest Day in 2011, is now race director for the event, adding more motivation to O'Shea's determination to contest the event.

Inspired by Gemma, and with Currie taking over the reins as race director from five-time champion Richard Ussher, O'Shea thought ''why wait any longer, and do it now''.

After competing in her fourth Spring Challenge event in Geraldine last year, she decided to commit and step up her training towards competing in the 2019 edition of the Coast to Coast.

''Since I've signed up, it's done. I was locked in,'' she said.

''It's just been a matter of hoping the body holds out through all the training and keeping my mind to it.

''Winter was tough. But I thought surely if I can get through winter, then I can get through race day. There were a few mornings when I would be scraping ice off my car and thinking 'what the hell am I doing?'

''But being out on the water and seeing the sun rise made it all worth while.''

Despite admitting to the odd tumble off the road bike and the odd ache and pain, O'Shea said she had come through relatively unscathed and felt as though everything was coming together.

In lead-up races, O'Shea has contested the Peak to Peak in Queenstown, Rakaia Salmon Run and Twizel's Weekend of Hard Labour.

As for the Coast to Coast, O'Shea said she was looking at a time of around 15 hours, but was fully aware that come race day anything ccould happen.

It was just about how such things were dealt with that mattered, she said.