Support crew at 2016 Coast Duathlon. File picture
A WEEK out from the 29th Coast Duathlon, there are signs of a healthy field for the 100-kilometre run and cycle race to Te Puia.
Entries are beginning to come in, which suggests the field will climb well into three figures on this special occasion.
Not everyone will be in race mood. Twelve months shy of reaching its 30th year, organisers and competitors will pay tribute to two identities of this iconic event: Dick Coates, whose idea spawned the big race 29 years ago, and Charlie Savage, the face and character of the event for all those years.
Their deaths during the past 12 months cast a shadow over the event they loved.
Next Saturday is dedicated to two special friends of the sport, and race director Mark Sceats says the Coast is beckoning former competitors to pay tribute on the highway to Te Puia.
It was a road well travelled by Charlie Savage, who completed every race since the event began in 1989, clocking up almost 3000km without missing one.
For many of those years he wore No.1 as his race number. As a mark of respect, this number has been retired and will remain Charlie’s. But there is no retiring the blue shirt yet; competitors are invited to wear a blue top in his honour next Saturday.
Some will also take part this weekend in a Motu Trails mountain bike ride from Motu to Gisborne, a fundraiser for the trails. This year’s event has been dedicated to Dick Coates, who was a member of the trust.
So it has turned into a week of remembering lost sporting mates and organisers of both events are hoping to see a fitting turnout.
Among them will be some of more than 20 Gisborne athletes who competed in the Motu Challenge multisport race and Motu 160 cycle race in Opotiki last week.
Standout performances were victory in the women’s division for Nan Baker (mountain bike and run) and Amy Spence (road cycle and kayak) in 9 hours 29 minutes, one and a half hours ahead of second and third-placed teams, along with Gisborne domination again at the front of the 160km mountain/road bike race run alongside the Challenge.
Bike race winner Jack McLaughlin arrived back in Opotiki in 4:51, ahead of first veteran Stephen Sheldrake, a minute behind him.
Sheldrake has made this cycle event his own in recent years and he was third out of the Motu Road, with McLaughlin three minutes behind him.The younger rider took four minutes off him on the road.
While Gisborne’s George Williams was doing the run leg through Whinray Bush for the winning four-man team in the multisport race, behind him were the Gisborne combination of Deon Stoltz (mtb), Blair Wilcox (run), Nick Whittingham (cycle) and Sam Newlands (kayak) who were second in 8:14, 11 minutes back.
Dave Hedley (mtb), Kim Hedley (run, kayak) and Kimberley Cranston (cycle) were second in the mixed four-person teams in 8:58.
Fourth four-man team in 9:38 were Pete Lamont (mtb), Joss Ruifrok (run), Jim Gambrill (cycle) and Ian Hughes (kayak).
Dmitrey Carruthers (mtb) and Andy Baker (cycle) were fifth men’s team in the cycle race in 5:57, while the family duo of Mary Briant (mtb) and Andrew Briant (cycle) were fourth mixed team in 6:46.
Ewen Atherton and Kirsten Searle did not finish the long-course duathlon.
Race organisers noted and acknowledged Gisborne’s continuing support for the event at the prizegiving.