Kaikoura attracts worldwide adventure racing attention

The township of Kaikoura is attracting strong interest from the adventure racing community around the world in the countdown to entries opening for the 2014 GODZone adventure race next week.

When the event organisers made the decision to take the next edition of GODZone away from Queenstown and up to Kaikoura, they did so knowing that the location had all the ingredients to make it their best adventure to date.

“One of the most enjoyable aspects of putting on an event like GODZone for us is the course design and time out in the field exploring,” says Race Director Warren Bates. “We’ve been blown away by the terrain around Kaikoura and the teams will experience something unique and technically challenging.”

Few places in the world can boast of the natural wonders as offered by the land and sea in Kaikoura. The juxtaposition of high alpine mountains and rugged coastline is tailor made for a spectacular, awe inspiring, and unforgettable course.

Warren Bates says the GODZone group of directors have immersed themselves into the wilderness of the region over the past few months searching for the ultimate course to put the racing teams through over a period of seven days next March.

“ The event has certainly sparked local interest with teams from Nelson, Christchurch, Wellington and Kaikoura pressing us about entering. It is not all together surprising given the fact that Kaikoura is located a handy two and half hours drive from Christchurch, one and half hours from Blenheim and only two hours from Picton, which is the gateway to Wellington and the North Island.”

The buzz from the second Chapter of GODZone, which raced from Mount Cook to Queenstown this year, continues to resonate within the adventure racing and multisport community. Teams from all over the world have confirmed their interest in being part in the 2014 event. With entries limited to just 35 teams the expectation is that demand will be strong and that the allocated slots will sell out quickly.

“New Zealand continues to be high on the wish list of overseas teams as the country to race in and the base of national athletes is growing here at a healthy rate,” says Warren.  “It’s been fantastic to see new events spring up as GODZone has blossomed and the return of some dormant events in recent months is welcomed. New Zealand looks set once again to set the pace in world adventure racing.”

Entries for the 2014 GODZone event open on the first of July, 2013 and for more information please go to the website www.godzoneadventure.com or the facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/godzoneadventure