Field wide open for the North Face Peak to Peak

Defending The North Face Peak to Peak champion Dougal Allan will not be contesting his title this year, paving the way for competitors who gave him a run for his money last year, to go for line honours in the 2010 event on July 24.

Second placed Gavin Mason (Wanaka) says that with Allan currently in Canada he might have a better chance this year.

“But while I won’t have to worry about him I must admit he has given me some excellent ski tips and I will certainly use them seeing they helped him to win the Peak to Peak a couple of times!”

“But there are always other people who come out of the woodwork and certainly Mike Kelly of Queenstown who came fifth in the Coast to Coast one day event this year will be hot to trot on his home turf. Matty Graham (Dunedin) has a troupe of solo athletes coming up from Dunedin and he and Jim Cotter will be hard to beat, especially with their army competing behind them.”

This year’s Peak to Peak, which is the country’s oldest winter multisport event, has attracted a diverse mixture of elite and recreational athletes.

“While it is an event for top athletes it is also very much designed for friends and business colleagues to compete together in a spirit of friendly rivalry,” says Race Director Geoff Hunt. “The whole idea of the race is to make it accessible to a range of people and age groups.”

The race starts with a 2km ski or snowboard on The Remarkables finishing at the access road, followed by a 17km mountain bike road down the high altitude road to Lake Wakatipu. A 7km paddle to Queenstown Bay leads to a 9km run from Queenstown via Arthurs Point to a changeover point near the foot of Coronet Peak for the final 9km cycle ride to the base buildings at the top of the ski area.

Competition is open to men and women competing in open and veteran individual classes. The teams’ section includes male, female, mixed, business house, veteran or school.

The Queenstown based Thompson family of Colleen and Phil Thompson, their sons Fynn 14 and Zen 12 along with neighbour Karen Perry, are the first family team ever to compete.

“We all love sport and thought it would be good to give it a try and have fun doing the race as a family,” says Fynn.

While the Peak to Peak is locally focused it also attracts a number of out-of-town sports people, including Australian Stuart Colquhoun who has crossed the Tasman specifically to compete in the race as an individual.

Hilton Haulage, a Timaru and Christchurch based company, is entering two teams who will compete against each other as well as the overall field.

“We entered in a corporate rowing event in Timaru and enjoyed it so much we thought we would try another event. Being able to come to Queenstown and have a weekend away as well is part of the attraction.”

Last year’s winner of the Open Team’s section the Outside Sports Dream Team, led by leading Queenstown multisporter Jim Hawkridge is back to try and regain its title in a faster time than 2hours 10 secs which it clocked last year. The R& R Sports team Whippets is expected to put up a solid performance in the women’s teams section but will face a strong challenge from a Dunedin team which includes sisters Steph and Carla Laughton, both national surf life saving title holders.

The business house teams’ titleholder, Team Rationale will be attempting to make its presence felt it two years in a row and will be challenged by a number of local companies, including two teams fielded by the Queenstown Lakes District Council.

“The women’s and veterans’ individual and teams sections will also attract some well known athletes and we are looking forward to some exciting action on the day,” says Hunt. “The reason people keep coming back to The North Face Peak to Peak is because it is such a distinctive Queenstown event and people of all sporting abilities can give it a go.”

The North Face Peak to Peak is supported by the Remarkables and Coronet Peak, Export 33. More FM, Smith Optics, K2 skis, R & R Sport, Queenstown Gym, Dalbello, and Peak Projects. Also by Kawarau Jet and Whittakers.