Traverse a family affair for many

IN THE PACK: Waimata Traverse open women’s winner Alicia Hoskin (centre) on the road bike stage of the 55-kilometre road bike, mountainbike, run and kayak multisport race. Picture by Liam Clayton

The Waimata Traverse has turned into something of a family affair.

Defending champion Craig Hoskin won the title again but the rest of the family did not simply turn up as support crew . . . they also conquered the 55-kilometre road bike, mountainbike, run and kayak multisport race.

Younger teenage daughter Alicia went it alone and took the women’s title, while sister Courtney and mum Toni were the second-placed women’s team.

Then there were the likes of Adam Tate and daughter Christy, winners of the mixed-team category, with elder daughter Kendra in the third-placed team. Allan Porter and partner Nadine McKinnon were next, just ahead of Hans van Kregten, daughter Ella and Brooke Gedye. Add to that a smattering of Sheldrakes and a trio of the Hughes family, and all in all it was a day of families playing together.

Not many sports can boast a competitor age span of 70 years — and in this endurance event some of the pain dished out came from the youngest competitors.

What better day to do it. Winter was a memory, the forecast was wrong, the course was dry, and the weather gods’ token offering was a slightly annoying head and side breeze on the bike and river legs.

Race times were fast, although winner Hoskin said he found it tougher this year and took a few minutes longer with no one to chase down for the title. Stephen Sheldrake led the race while doing the duathlon option. He produced fastest splits for the cycle and run legs.

Veteran Hoskin finished in just under three hours, 2:59. For the first half he was in the company of the hot Gisborne Boys’ High School team — they slipped him on the run and pulled away to cross the finish line 10 minutes ahead of him and 11 minutes ahead of the nearest team.

Josiah Ney, Jack McLaughlin, Reeftahn Brown-Terekia and Quaid Thompson were quicker than last year by seven minutes, in a cracking time of 2:49. Second-placed Peter Murphy, Hano Vorster and Reid Williams stopped the clock at three hours, ahead of race veterans Scott Pitkethley and Roger Davies by six minutes.

That was only half a minute ahead of Adam Tate with younger daughter Christy, who were well clear of the next three teams. Angela Newman, Jordan Perry and Callum Torrie made their move into second place on the water.

Rose Candy, Kirsten Searle and Liz Thompson were the first women’s team in 3:20.

Back in the solo field, teenager Alicia Hoskin looked comfortable in her win in 3:34. Ian Hughes finished strongly for second place in the veteran men’s race in 3:36, while Greg Williams kept him company on the bike legs and celebrated a first tilt at a major multi-stage race by taking the open title in 3:44.

Georgia Halley was another to tackle the race as a duathlon only and set a fearless pace in the gravel on her road bike, followed by one of the fastest women’s run splits.