Multisport: Hawke's Bay students succeed in challenging Coast to Coast event

Taradale High principal Stephen Hensman with Danika Brown (left), Dominic Collins, Benjamin Smyth, Finn Durrant, Ethan Turner, Caitlin Menzies, Luke Lafferty, and Connor Craig. Photo/Paul Taylor

Completing a 243km race, let alone coming a place is no small feat for anyone.

Taradale High School is celebrating a successful round at this year's Coast to Coast, which saw nine of their students take part in the multi-sport event in cycling, mountain running and kayaking earlier this month.

The race started at Kumara Beach on the West Coast of the South Island, and finished at New Brighton beach on the east coast of the South Island.

Year 13s Luke Lafferty and Ethan Turner were the first school-aged students to complete the solo race from their school; facing their own mental and physical hurdles throughout the two days.

It wasn't the first time the two had completed the event, having done so as a tandem together last year.

"I was quite nervous because I wasn't too confident with my kayaking but I pushed through it and got through the kayaking and I was pretty happy with completing it."

His overall time was 40 minutes faster than last year's attempt of 16 hours 40 minutes, netting him a 7th placing in the school category. Next year he hopes to shave an hour off his time next year.

For Lafferty, his training of six days a week paid off, clocking a time of 14 hours and 55 minutes and earning himself a 5th placing in the school category and 68 out of 100 overall.

"I found it was definitely a step up in terms of my performance so I could perform at my level whether that was higher or lower than if I was with a partner," he said. "I didn't feel though I was being pushed or had to wait at different times as well."

Fellow student, Tom Webb was 48th in the Open Men.

Two of the tandem teams took out gold, with the third second.

Finn Durrant and Connor Craig were first in the school section and were the fifth Open Men's tandem team with a time of 15 hours 12 minutes and 17 seconds, making them the fastest school tandem team to compete ever.

Dominic Collins and Ben Smyth were second in the male school section and Danika Brown and Caitlin Menzies were the only school female tandem team to compete.

Principal Stephen Hensman said he was proud of them.

"Most fit adults would look at that and consider it to be an Everest of achievements so these young people have done so well."