Te Puke woman in seventh heaven

"Persistence" sums up the Speight's Coast to Coast and for former Bay girl Emma McCosh. It certainly paid off as she made a third successive tilt at the iconic race last weekend.
Born and raised in Te Puke, McCosh was seventh woman home in the one-day event on Saturday, after the customary gutbusting debut in 2009 and feeling she had "unfinished business" after last year's rain-shortened race.
Tauranga's Lyndy Wickham was first veteran woman home in the one-day race in 15h 09m 55s.
Now Auckland-based, McCosh coped with savage wind gusts on the 67km Waimakariri kayak stage - the downfall of many more experienced paddlers this year - to pedal across the Sumner finish line in daylight (13h 12m 49s), achieving her main goal.
The 32-year-old physiotherapist says the kayak stretch wreaked havoc.
"The gusts were extreme and lots of people were getting tipped over. There were kayaks abandoned on the banks, with people taking jet boats out. Some top women were tipped over, Louise Mark [eventual fifth-placed female] was blown out twice.
"Kayaking's my weakest part so I was really pleased to stay upright ... I felt pretty sore getting on the bike for the final ride but because you're in a different posture, I was soon feeling fine.
"We had a tailwind on the bike to Christchurch which is rare, Robin Judkins [race director and a first-time teams competitor this year] was raving about that. I did under two hours for that 70km bike."
McCosh describes her "longest day" debut in 2009 as "an "eye-opener", taking 16 hours to complete the 243km South Island traverse.
When torrential rain raised the rivers to dangerous levels last year, she was eighth woman home on a layout that substituted the 36km mountain run with a 32km road run and the Waimakariri kayak leg for a 17km stint on the Avon, with a longer middle cycling stage.
Back for a crack at the full course this year, McCosh put in a strong first cycle and mountain run to be fourth female into the kayak leg, with the paddle and final cycle putting her overall time at 13h 12m 49s. High water on the rivers meant a detour on the mountain run, adding extra time and effort.
With three marathons also under her belt, along with a good number of multisport events, McCosh counts her physiotherapy expertise as a distinct advantage. "It's about listening to your body, knowing what's normal pain from what's dangerous, and making sure you've got a strong core."
She will give Coast to Coast a miss next year due to the cost and preparation time, but is already excited about the 49km Motutapu Team Adventure Run at Wanaka on March 12, for which she's pairing up with Louise Mark.