DEFENDING CHAMPIONS REIGN SUPREME AT GODZONE CHAPTER 10
New Zealand's adventure racing superstars Nathan Fa'avae, Sophie Hart, Stu Lynch and Chris Forne notched up their sixth win at GODZone last week taking out the 2022 Chapter 10 title and claiming the coveted GODZone Championship trophy. Here is a look back at how these legends pulled it off yet again.
Team Avaya completed the final leg of the arduous 710km journey – a 19km trek from the Taieri River Mouth to Brighton Beach -?just on midday last Thursday arriving at the beach finish line to a cheering crowd of supporters.
The adventure racing champion team were supreme throughout the week of racing winning every stage of the Chapter 10 Pure course that started at Jackson Bay on the West Coast seven days ago.
Sophie Hart said the team were happy to be at the finish line after seven days of racing.
“ It was the longest GODZone ever but we knew that from the start and expected it to be challenging course given it was the Chapter 10 and I think we tried to race accordingly,” said Hart.
“I don’t know if it was the hardest GODZone we have done but we were certainly looking forward to getting here to the finish line. There were some??stages in there that were really gruelling but we have had that before in other GODZone’s.”
She said the diverse nature of the landscapes the race went through was a highlight.
“You can cover all sorts of different landscapes in the single race like this and we started in Jackson Bay and then got to head over the stunning Southern Alps and now here we are on a scorching hot day at Brighton Beach. One of the highlights for me was going over Park Pass -??it was??phenomenal alpine environment up there and the weather added to the awesomeness of it so I really enjoyed that section.”
Earlier in the race on day three as the team completed the 155km stage three packraft and trek over the Main Divide Fa’avae questioned whether they had taken the right route choice.
“Chris was really onto it with the navigation but there was a couple of points there were we were not quite sure if the route we were on was the best one but I think overall we moved pretty efficiently.”
Avaya have multiple back-to-back success at GODZone winning every chapter they have raced together including??Chapter 1 -Milford Sound, Chapter 2 - Mt Cook, Chapter 3 - Kaikoura,??Chapter 4 - Wanaka, Chapter 9 in Rotorua and Chapter 10 –??Jackson Bay to Brighton Beach.
Nathan Fa’avae paid credit to his Avaya??team mates at the finish line.
“This particular team is pretty unique and experience plays a big part of that - we have done a lot of racing together. We bring all those skills together and shave?got very good at recognising our strengths which gives the team a lot more confidence going forward.”
“There is a lot of unity - we are all mates and hugely supportive and encouraging of each while being fully committed to pushing hard to get the absolute best possible outcome for the team.”
The team looked in fine form at the finish line as they celebrated receiving the GODZone Champion Trophy with a few pies and beers.
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“One of things I think about a lot when racing and training is our racing intelligence of how to race the course in the smartest way possible. While racing we are trying to work out how to collectively get the team from A to B in the quickest possible way to get the best results.”
Fa’avae said GODZone was successfully carrying on the legacy of adventure racing that started in New Zealand in 1989.
“What makes GODZone so good is obviously it’s here in New Zealand and with the unique Southern Alps at its doorstep. Kiwis have always been good at the sport and GODZone has stepped in and carried on that baton.”
“New Zealand is the home of adventure racing and the GODZone courses are tough. The Southern Alps are rugged places to go and adventure racers are people who seek out hard things to do and GODZone delivers that.”
Both Chris Forne and Stu Lynch notched up their tenth time competing at GODZone having raced in a variety of teams over the past decade.??Avaya navigator Chris Forne has won every chapter he has competed in bar Chapter 6 in Queenstown when he lost to team Tiki Tour.?
ENDS
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Margo Berryman
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