Team Rab take the lead on day five of GODZONE

The battle for supremacy continues to impress at One NZ GODZONE today with adventure racing champions team Rabs, Chris Forne, Sophie Hart, Simone Maier with Sam Clark moving ahead of their youthful rival's team Fear Youth after the young team made a critical route choice that cost them the lead overnight.

In the early hours, while trekking the Stage 6 Wairau – Pelorus packraft trek in Marlborough's Richmond Ranges, Team Fear Youth followed a ridgeline to the left for several kms, only to backtrack less than an hour later.

When GODZONE media caught up with the Fear Youth team on the Pelorus River, team captain Josh Pearson said the error had cost them critical time.

'Finn, our navigator, was just cruising along the ridge track, counting clearings with the weather clagged in, so it was hard to see. We popped off the ridge and realised it wasn't the right one, so spun around to check, then decided to give it a crack anyway. That cost us around 40 minutes before no surprises, it didn't work out."

Pearson says the team has plenty of fight and are determined to push Team Rab to the very end.

"We think there is still plenty of racing to come with the last packraft leg through the Sounds pretty meaty. So, we have to set ourselves up for that, get some sleep at some point and then send it."

Team Rab's captain Chris Forne expressed interest on hearing Team Fear Youth were behind them at the take out on the Perlorus River.

"We hadn't seen anyone for a while, and I always get a little excited when there is no one about, but that's a bit of a surprise," said Forne.

The elite all-star team has collectively competed in every chapter of New Zealand's premier expedition race, One NZ GODZONE, to date, with Chris Forne and Sophie Hart members of the most victorious team.

Forne is unmatched, having forged an impressive legacy and won 10 GODZONE champion trophies. Simone Maier won GODZONE alongside Forne at Chapter 8 and is a five-time Coast to Coast champion alongside Sam Clark, who is also a multiple Coast to Coast champion.

One NZ GODZONE Race Director, Adam Fairmaid, says Rab and Fear Youth have stayed remarkably close, relentlessly trading positions and matching each other's pace.

"Neither team has managed to break away up until now, so it's been a captivating display of endurance and strategy. Everyone is glued to the GPS tracker watching this battle at the front with a significant packraft and trek stage coming up to the finish on the Marlborough Sounds."

First teams are expected across the finish line late Tuesday or early Wednesday morning.

Follow live GPS tracking here: www.godzoneadventure.com