Teams don’t know the route until the day before, then navigate by map and compass. They hike, bike and paddle day and night. Sleep is scarce. Terrain is brutal. Bad weather can end your race.
For Davies, 42, adventure racing is family business.
Her father, Roger, is a Coast to Coast veteran who trained on a stationary bike in their family shed after work.
“I learned early that you have to make sacrifices and put in the effort,” she said.
Davies raced the Coast to Coast alongside him in 2012 before completing it solo in 2014.
Since then, she has chased endurance challenges across the country, including the 2022 Godzone and 2025’s The Magnificent.
“Godzone feels more like a multi-day adventure than a race. You just have to look after each other and keep moving,” she said.
Davies often trains alongside Frey, who can swap her council office chair for a kayak seat in the Waimata River in minutes.
The 43-year-old manages 15-20 hours of training a week around her council job and family life with partner Nick Stillwell and their two young sons.
Only 14 months after returning from maternity leave, Frey is tackling her fourth Godzone.
The team’s navigator, she’s also a former first-class cricketer for Central Districts.
“Thinking about not training makes me more tired than just doing it,” she said. “If I’m hitting 80% of my sessions, I’m happy.”
Exercise keeps her balanced.
“I’m not blind to the sacrifices, but I’m a better mum when I’ve done some exercise. Then I’m all in when I’m home.”
Thompson, 40, reckons he doesn’t have a discipline within the event that he’s an expert at, but he’s excellent at eating, sleeping and keeping it simple.
His real strengths, however, are his endurance and resilience.
Managing a 2700ha sheep and beef station in Ngatapa provides ideal training terrain.
“Instead of catching a horse, I’ll walk and take a pack,” he said. “The staff mock me, but it’s good miles on the legs.”
Thompson has unfinished business. His team missed a crucial transition by six minutes in his last Godzone, forcing a shorter course.
He’s also had some trouble with former teammates. This time he’s hoping teammate Williams leaves his “secret stash” of dried meat out of his pack. “That extra kilo hurt last time.”
Team instigator Williams, also 40, is a seasoned multisporter who has tackled the Motu Challenge and Coast to Coast.
Between running the family farm and raising three young daughters, he squeezes in long days of training.
“Farming keeps you reasonably fit. You just ramp it up when an event comes around,” he said.
As backup navigator, Williams knows the race hinges on teamwork.
“By day four or five everyone’s tired, emotional and grumpy. You’ve got to look after each other and not take things to heart. Our main goal is to have fun, still be talking at the end and finish as a team.”
And about that biltong prank?
“Yes, it was me that snuck it into Guy’s pack,” he said with a grin. “But when we got it out, it was pirau and after all his effort we couldn’t even eat it.”
Backing the Gizzy Gully Runners are support crew Chris Williams, Sarah Thompson and Stillwell, who will serve hot meals and dry gear at transition zones.
- Hayley Redpath is a freelance writer and owner of Redpath Communications.
