AT THE halfway stage of the two-day 243-kilometre Coast to Coast at Klondyke Corner yesterday, they must have said, “Who is George Williams?"
The 31-year-old Gisborne farmer came out of the tough mountain run from the West Coast through the Southern Alps among the race leaders. He was fourth openman, less than two minutes off second place, and sixth overall in a field of 116 men, a great debut performance.
Williams put the day’s 3km run/55km cycle/33km run behind him in five hours 56 minutes. In doing so, he picked up 46 places on the run, moving from 50th to 10th by the first 14km checkpoint in the mountains.
Ahead of him today was a 15km cycle to the Waimakariri River, where his kayak preparation and race placing would be put to the test on the demanding 67km paddle leg. Then it was a 70km cycle to the finish at New Brighton pier in Christchurch.
Veteran Gisborne multisporter Jo Teesdale was meanwhile third of seven in the 50-to-59-year women’s division and at 29th overall was well placed midway in the women’s field.
She reached Klondyke Corner in 8:29, picking up eight places on the mountain run.
Her big test today was the river leg, and Gisborne kayaker Amy Spence would be looking to pick up time for her seventh-placed women’s team when she entered the river today. The team finished Day 1 in 11:03.
