Team Under 21 Again were successful in their grade at the Spirited Women's Adventure Race in Gisborne over the weekend.
Team Under 21 Again were successful in their grade at the Spirited Women's Adventure Race in Gisborne over the weekend.
They started together as a netball team when they were teenagers and in their early twenties, and two decades later a group of Whanganui ladies are still winning sports events.
Team 'Under 21 Again' won the Veteran section of the medium length course at the Spirited Women's Adventure Race inGisborne over the weekend, a team event which has grown in popularity over the last four years.
Around 1600 women in teams of four entered the event which is part multisport race, part orienteering course and part adventure challenge.
There were three course distances – Short, Medium and Long, with the first expected to take between 3-6 hours and the longest around 10-18.
Coached by Marjorie Keelty, Under 21 Again consists of captain Marama Cameron, Jackie Abraham, Cindy Hoskin and Whanganui expat Catherine Barry, who now lives in Queenstown.
Starting on Wainui Beach, and being sent off 100 women at a time, the competitors had to run the beach, then hike through farmland before hunting for rogaine (orienteering) collection points to boost their scores, having to plan and navigate their way to them.
There were also two "mystery activities", which involved a commando course and a jump from a railway bridge into the Gisborne River respectively.
After racing back into the township at Anzac Park, the teams had to kayak the Gisborne River, which replaced the planned sea kayak due to high swells, before mountain biking to another rogaine event, and then heading back to the finishline at the beach.
Under 21 Again completed the course in 11h 10m 58s, plus receiving four minutes worth of time penalties.
However, they secured 35 collection points along the way, whereas no other team in the Veteran Medium Course grade got more than 34, which got them the win.
Among other Whanganui entries, Team Chafing Dreams came 22nd for the Masters Teams in the Medium Course, finishing in 9h 57 28s, along with four minutes time penalties.
It was the first time Jenny Molcsan, Annie Pawson, Briar Cantillon and Sandy Inness had attempted something so far outside their comfort zone, but they will be doing it again next year in the Central Hawke's Bay, along with the similar Spring Challenge event which will be hosted in Whanganui on October 19.
Another local group, Team Bubbles, finished 60th in the Short Course for Open Women in 6h 56m 29s.
Team Under 21 Again were successful in their grade at the Spirited Women's Adventure Race in Gisborne over the weekend.
