Today's Snow Wilkins Six-Hour Adventure Race is the first in the world to start from a theme park, Splash Planet, according to race director Tim Wilkins.
Wilkins, 35, last night disclosed the details of the Hawke's Bay Today-sponsored event's course to the predominently 140 Hawke's Bay competitors, comprising 38 two-person and four-person teams.
The former international adventure racer said the theme-park start was the brainchild of the chief executive of the Hastings Tourism Facilities Trust, Wayne Bradshaw, who wanted to see the event blossom into an international one.
"You could say the course has been designed from five-day races that I've competed in around the world in areas such Africa, the Amazon and the Falkland Islands," said Wilkins who has included a meandering waterslide start at Splash Planet and a mental challenge of solving a 25-piece jigsaw puzzle at the finish line - after competitors have scaled a climbing wall at the Domain in Haumoana.
"I hasten to add that the mental state of the teams may be a telling factor as to who will win the race," Wilkins said with a grin.
The first leg from Splash Planet at 7.30am takes in a mountainbike ride to Moore Road in Tukituki, crossing the Tukituki River - if competitors will follow the map of Wilkins' suggested quickest route.
The second leg will entail a 7km run to the Te Awanga Hills where the support crew of the teams will have their mountainbikes ready for another two-wheel jaunt to a site on the Maraetotara River where hardy souls will take the plunge from the cliff into the river in a test of their abseiling skills.
The soaked adventure racers will then meander back to Tukituki River with the option of one of three courses, according to Wilkins.
The final leg encompasses a 5km kayak down the Tukituki River and into the rivermouth. From there they will run along Haumoana Beach to the Domain for the physical and mental hurdles of scaling a wall and solving the jigsaw puzzle.
Hawke's Bay Sportsperson of the Year George Christison pairs of with Darryl Strachan as the Broken Down Runners team. The Ngati Moriartys brothers team of John and Michael, of Havelock North, and the Snow Wilkins Crunch Time pair of Dan Jones and Roger Whitham should give Broken Down Runners a run for their money.
The defending champions four-man team, Souness Stope Law Partnership, of Hastings, will see Richard Stone lead Tom Remmerswaal, and husband and wife Peter and Nicola Young into the fray.
Havelock North outfit Buzzards, with public relations man Damon Harvey at the helm, will keep Souness Stope honest with former Hawke's Bay Magpie Tony Maidens, Mike Rogers and Vincent Pink stoking up the engine room.
The Sport Hawke's Bay team of captain Rachel Kerrison, Central Districts cricketer Donna Trow, secondary schools sport co-ordinator Joe Hitchcock and Lucie Bragg fly the banner of fitness as PushPlay.
All women teams are also a feature with Cath's Gals and The Sisters Are Doing It.
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