Rollinson (34) will take up the challenge of the Longest Day for a fourth time.
Her first taste of multisport and pathway into the great race came while based in Wanaka when, backing her ability, she contested the Longest Day in 2012, finishing 11th in the open women’s category in 15hr 31min 37sec. She returned the next year to finish third in a smart 13hr 46min 37sec.
After a six-year break from racing and training, Rollinson lined up in 2019 in one of the most competitive open women’s fields in the event’s history.
Comfortably placed inside the top 10 between Kumara and the start of the 67km kayak section at Mount White Bridge, Rollinson powered her way into podium contention but such was the white-hot heat of competition around her she crossed the finish line at New Brighton in eighth in 14hr 3min 28sec.
Rollinson took a lot of lessons from her 2019 race and she is determined to once again be in the mix in February.
She likes the one-day event, wanting to get it over and done with.
“I prefer to get it done in one day, rather than have a s... y sleep in the middle, and wake up feeling as you’ve you’ve been run over” she said.
“I support-crewed before I raced it, and I woke feeling like rubbish,” she said of her overnight experience at Klondyke.
Support-crewing for Simone Maier in 2018, Rollinson rediscovered her competitive urge.
“I began to think that maybe I could get back into this and studying at the same time lent itself nicely to being able to train during the day. So I got back into it.”
Rollinson’s return to the course in 2019 was almost short-lived when, at the railway tracks heading into the Aickens transition point for the 33km alpine run, she was involved in a spectacular pile-up.
“I came off my bike at the railway tracks. A guy went down in front of me and I had no choice but to run over him. Yeah, it knocked me around a bit.”
Shaken but undeterred, Rollinson brushed herself off and completed the stage, the 33km alpine run allowing her time to regain focus.
While running and bike training is mostly a solo effort, Rollinson said she enjoyed the social aspect of being involved with the Otago kayak club.
“They’re a great bunch of people.’’
But upon being encouraged to switch from a multisport craft to a K1, Rollinson found it difficult to maintain her balance and took several swims, before reverting back to her JKK Magnetar craft.
“Back in May, I swam four times in a one-hour session, and I haven’t been back in the K1 since.”
