Lake to Lighthouse invites teams to Crush an Ussher

Can YOU Crush an Ussher?

Okay, solo, you’d probably have about as much chance of beating Richard or Elina Ussher as you would of winning Lotto three weeks in a row, and then scoring Big Wednesday the following week.

After all, they’re the best men’s and women’s multisporters in the world.

But hang on. Think lateral. Get cunning.

Maybe, just maybe, if you race as a team, with team mates who are right on their game ... your team could down an Ussher in the mighty Genesis Energy Lake to Lighthouse Challenge.

That’s a challenge put out by Lake to Lighthouse race organizer, Chris Joblin: can you (and your mates) crush an Ussher?

Imagine the glory of such success, in one of New Zealand’s iconic multisport races.

“I remember the day I beat Rich Ussher...” you’ll be able to drop casually into conversation from here till about 2030.

Or maybe it’ll be: “Elina looked a bit tired so I put on the gas at Panakeri and left her behind”.

Slam dunk. How sweet would that be?

Admittedly, it’s not quite a level playing field. Up to four team members versus a single Ussher. Eight legs versus two.

But all’s fair in love and multisport. It’s not triathlon, after all.

Crush an Ussher and you and your teammates will be multisport legends—in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way.

You’ll get an Ussher Crusher certificate from the Lake to Lighthouse team, to commemorate the achievement, presented to you (with a broad grin no doubt) by ... Richard and Elina.

Hey, how hard can it be? On the Lake to Lighthouse’s highlight stage, the magnificent 46 km run around Lake Waikaremoana, Richard averages only about 9 km an hour. Elina cruises along at 8 km an hour.

The run can be split between two teammates. A veritable cinch. Surely….

The run travels right around one side of the lake, and includes the towering Panakeri Bluff, which on a fine day has views that are nothing less than gob-smacking.

Of course you won’t be wanting to stop and admire the panorama, if Richard is hot on your tail.

You, or your teammates will also get the chance to paddle on the pristine lake Waikaremoana waters, and mountain bike on some stunning tracks over private land.

Lake to Lighthouse has been tagged one-of-the-best events around, by athletes such as Trevor Voyce, Sam Clark, and Gordon Walker. The Usshers? After winning the two-day race three times in a row, they reckon it’s a cracker.

They’re more than ready to take on their potential crushers.

In addition to a big weekend of physical effort (mountain biking, lake and river paddling, road cycling, and running) at Lake to Lighthouse you’ll experience great entertainment and food, based at race headquarters in Tuai, below the lake.

Check out the Day 1 and Day 2 videos to get a taste of the Lake to Lighthouse experience.

Then get a team together and enter here. Yours could be a two, three, or four person team. It could be all men, all women, or mixed.

If you beat either Elina or Rich, or the two of them, your team will be acknowledged as official Ussher Crushers.

Of course, you are very welcome to enter the Genesis Energy Lake to Lighthouse Challenge as an individual. It’s a mighty accomplishment and you’ll well deserve the finisher’s medal.

But as we said at the outset, unless you recently won a couple of Lottos, crushing an Ussher one-on-one might be just a little tricky.

Get full information and enter at www.laketolighthouse.co.nz