Coast to Coast grind

Rock running: Wairoa-born Sam Manson negotiates the boulders in a stream during a previous Coast to Coast race. The replacement of more than half of his favoured kayak leg with a long road cycle affected his chances of a podium place in Saturday’s race. Manson finished fifth in the elite field. Coast to Coast file picture

It was another top 10 finish, his eighth, but no champagne for Wairoa-born multisport athlete Sam Manson at the 40th-anniversary Coast to Coast Longest Day race across the South Island on Saturday.

Wearing the No.2 race bib, Manson had to be content with fifth over a weather-affected course in which more than half of his favoured kayak leg was replaced by a long road cycle.

The professional endurance athlete and coach was a close second in the world championship event last year and he was again aiming for that one podium position that has eluded him.

But the revised course was unlikely to work in his favour and Manson said after the race his body and legs did not know what had hit them.

“What a race. I don’t know if I would have finished if it was not for the incredible support of everyone.”

Manson took 10 hours and 26 minutes to cross from Kumara on the West Coast to Christchurch, placing him fifth of the elites in the 132-strong male field. He was just over 40 minutes behind a flying fourth-time C2C winner Braden Currie (9:45:23).

Currie had made a last-minute decision to enter after postponement of the NZ Ironman was confirmed. It gave the country’s top endurance racer just 36 hours to prepare, with no kayaking or mountain running in his training this year. It did not stop him from repeating his earlier victories, this time leading the 243-kilometre race from start to finish. He was the only competitor to crack 10 hours in the tough conditions.

Second was defending 2021 champion Dougal Allan in 10:05:34, with Bobby Dean and Ryan Kiesanowski behind him, just 32 seconds apart in 10:13:17 and 10:13:49 respectively.

Manson was on the pace on the cycle to the mountains and was the quickest kayaker of the top five. But with the Waimakariri River leg cut to 30km by removal of the rain-swollen upper section and the addition of extra biking, he was unable to benefit from his paddling speed. Cycling accounted for nearly three-quarters of the race distance.

Sam Manson has long been tipped to one day win the C2C world championship. He has a considerable CV in international adventure racing, has been in the C2C top 10 since 2013, won the Motu Challenge here in 2018 at his third attempt, and was agonisingly close to winning the Longest Day last year.