I first heard of the Coast to Coast race in New Zealand over 10 years ago when I watched a Trans World Sport feature on Kiwi athlete Braden Currie. The footage of him running through rivers, bounding from rock to rock and scrambling over boulders got my appetite going. It looked rugged, adventurous and the complete package of running, cycling and kayaking across the South Island of New Zealand. Over the following eight years I started to tick off all major multisport and adventure races throughout Ireland and some abroad, without ever thinking that I would get the opportunity to race in New Zealand.
It was then in the summer of 2021 that I got a random phone call from Arthur Mc Mahon at Donegal Oil asking would I be interested in a sponsored trip to NZ to tackle the race. With Covid shutting down NZ travel we eventually got to race in 2023; I never got around to writing a race report that time but there wasn’t a day since where I didn’t play parts of the race over in my head.
I went to Coast in 2023 on the back of having won the Irish national adventure race series for a second time and I was confident that I was in “good” shape to at least get through the course in a respectable time. The major unknowns of the technical aspects of the course, both the run over Goat’s Pass and the paddle down the Waimakariri river were a big worry and constant energy drain.
I really can’t explain the “run” over Goats Pass, it’s 31kms of rock hopping, river crossings, boulder scrambling and rooty trails, it’s technical and gnarly but simple stunning.
While the 70km kayak stage down the Waimak is unique, with braided sections, rock gardens and a 30km gorge section of rapids and bluffs makes for a challenging paddle.
So why go back in 2025?
I had a solid race in 2023, nothing really went wrong, I had a swim free paddle and no major nutrition issues but I felt that I had left some time behind me; a chunk of minutes in the run and kayak stages in particular. I also wanted another crack at the race whilst I was still in reasonably good race shape, having turned 40 at Christmas I figure it’s only going one way, so better to do it now than regret it later.
Thankfully I had the support of my wife Rachael who would be at home juggling two young kids and work for the two weeks that I would be on the other side of the world. Not to mention the months of training and planning in the lead into the race.
Training was mostly done early in the mornings, making it back in before the kids surfaced for school. Dragging yourself out of bed at 5am when the hailstones are hopping off the roof isn’t pleasant but when you have a big target and have invested so much, then being disciplined and holding yourself accountable is crucial.
Preping for 2025
My running training focused more on strength with a sprinkling of speed work. I trained more with my loaded race vest, which includes the mandatory gear, weighing at 1.2kg when loaded minus water/food. That’s as light as I could make it while still meeting the gear checks, a pair of Rachael’s tights for leggings and surgical gloves some of the lighter options!
I trained on the roughest terrain I could find, such as the shore line in Ards between the friary and luckyshell, trying to move quickly and efficiently over slippy wet rock.
I tested different runners and choose to use the Finnish brand VJ speedlight, which boldly claim to have the best grip on the planet, and I have to agree.
I also made sure I was getting in the kayak at least twice per week, not easy when the west coast of Ireland is getting battered by Atlantic storms throughout the Winter. There were days I paddled when a sensible person would have stayed in the safety of a gym but physically, technically and most importantly, mentally, I had to get time on the water. I knew from 2023 that my paddling was a long way off the average kiwi, and although I mightn’t be able to match the technical aspects of the paddle, I could at least make sure I was physically strong and fit enough to maintain a good paddle stroke for 70km.
Overall training had gone well, I did pick up a grade 2 hamstring tear at the beginning of October but once recovered I had 12 weeks of consistent 14-18 hour weeks. I somehow managed to avoid any coughs and colds which I usually always pick up in school but I think my focus on good sleep and eating much more and more of the right things helped my immune system.
The planning and logistic that go into a trip like this can be stressful and expensive. I decided to arrive in Christchurch seven days before the race in order to get over the jetlag, get acclimatised and to get a couple recce days on the river.
The long journey to Christchurch began with a flat tyre on my van on route to get the airport bus; the bus then broken down and we had to wait two hours to get the next one. Then my flight from Dubai to Brisbane was delayed which meant I missed my connection, so I got the added bonus of an additional flight via Auckland and a two day delay on my bike luggage. Not a great start but I was hopeful that all the bad luck was now out of the way!
Expectations
Let’s face it, the standard of multisport athlete in NZ is exceptional and you expect the very best to be racing the world championships and expect them to be in their best shape. So realistically the top 10-15 places are taken by the elites and those training on the course on a regular basis. My goal was to take a big swing and see where it got me… possibly top 20, I was going to push myself in the first half of the race and then see what the river had in store for me on the day.
I once again used the excellent Team CP as my crew. These guys take the stress out of the logistics, sorting out the gear bags for transitions and transporting bike and kayak along the course flawlessly. I decided to use a Flow Aspire kayak from River Ninja rentals, the same boat I used in 2023, I did try a faster tippy boat but wasn’t comfortable so resorted to the more sensible option. For anyone traveling internationally I would highly recommend reaching out to both companies as they really take care of you from start to finish.
Race morning starts at 3am with the first challenge of the day, breakfast. Trying to consume a good feed to fuel for a 12+hour race is not the easiest on a tummy of nerves. It was warm but raining, great I thought, better than being cooked right from the start.
A short drive to rack my bike at the first transition, rehearsing the entry and exit so I wouldn’t get mixed up amongst the hundreds of bikes and then a walk down to the start line.
The race starts at 6am in the dark, on the West coast at Kamara Beach. The 2.1km run starts with a scramble off the beach onto a gravel road and climbs up to the first bike transition. Most people set off at a sensible pace considering it’s the first 2km of 243km, but in order to make the lead bike group you have to run around 3.15min/km to make the selection getting into transition and on the bike.
I decided to use old-school toe clips on my pedals for the first and middle rides, this meant I’d save time and stress of having to change shoes 4 times.
I made the front group of around 20 and settled in, riding in the front half, doing a couple turns and trying to get my heart rate down from the run. One thing I’ve learned from years of racing my bike is you don’t want to be that idiot that is mixing the race with the eventual podium athletes and messing with their race, you know your place and do your thing. I did my turns when they came around and I made sure to give the favourites and others the space they deserved.
Then ping, my front gear cable snapped, my chain dropped down into the small ring and I found myself spinning like a hamster. This meant I was hanging on for dear life at the back of the group on the fast descents, trying to hold the wheel and being as aero as I could! When the pace settled, I followed the line to the front, doing a 30 second turn on the front, I then peddled softly waiting for the next rider to come around, but when I looked around there was a gap of about 100 meters. No one had obviously followed my wheel and no one cared to close the gap so I just pedalled thinking “surely they’ll ride up to me in the next minute”.
With my gear problems it was actually easier for me to ride at my own pace and cadence than be yo-yoing through the group so I decided that I’d keep a sensible pace and let the group catch me when they were ready. This didn’t happen and I rode about 10-12km off the front, coming into the second transition at Aikens Corner on my own. It was a cool experience and something I will never get to do again, albeit it was a bit embarrassing, as I knew it would be short lived and only a matter of time before the big hitters came steaming through. But it did give me a gap to settle into the run and get through the first few river crossings before I fell into line with some runners that I could match pace with.
Knowing when and where to cross the river is crucial, you loose so much momentum, time and energy when making decisions all the time. This time I made sure that I hung onto a group of three runners that were steadily picking their way through the boulders and across the river as the race helicopter flew over head.
One good thing about this run is you can stay cool by dunking yourself in the river and drinking water directly.
At Doreen Creek checkpoint I met past champion Sam Manson who was doing media coverage this year and shouting words of encouragement, a top athlete and all round sound guy.
As I reached the high point of the run at Goats Pass hut, I was delighted that I hadn’t given away too many placings once the initial fast guys had passed me in the early stages. This was better than 2023 when I was being passed every few minutes. The second half of the run is more runnable and there are sections where you get to stretch the legs. It also sees you on the eastern side of the great divide and this means hotter and sunnier weather! I push on as best I could getting into the Klondyke Corner transition in around 12th place.
The crew have my bike and gear ready and I’m told that I now have the luxury of only using the big ring as my gear shifter was screwed and not fixable mid-race. In fairness the big ring was needed for the remaining rides, just as long as I didn’t start to cramp.
By the end of the 15km ride I was 30 minutes up on my 2023 times, getting into the kayak before midday.
My crew of Eddie and Jo, got me into the boat super quick and off I went down the Waimak. This time I knew what was ahead, however, sometimes ignorance is bliss. I knew certain channels to take and how to approach certain rapids to give me the safest and fastest lines. A few guys passed in the first hour and I eventually tailed a guy in a similar boat to mine, matching his speed and following his lines, making life easier when it came to making decisions. The water levels were really low this year, some parts were a scrape with lots of exposed rocks to dodge. It also meant that there were less chicken routes around rapids, you had one channel and you were committed to it.
At 30km you enter the gorge and the first significant rapid called Salmon rapid and my first swim of the day! Pissed off, I swim hard in the flow and clamber to the river bank with paddle and kayak in tow. As quickly as I can I empty out the water and get straight back in… within 5 minutes I’m swimming again, this time I need a throw line from the river bank to haul me back in. At this point I could have got super frustrated and spit out the dummy, but that wasn’t going to get me to the finish any faster. There was no Plan B.
My confidence was shot and my left butt cheek took a nice hit on a rock but otherwise I was fine. I took a minute to sort my nutrition, empty the boat again and jumped straight back in, knowing the worst of the rapids was behind me. I actually enjoyed the final 20km of the paddle, holding my own and making sure I kept on top of nutrition being 10+hours into the race.
The final bike stage is 70km of flat, windswept Canterbury plains. I get into the aero bars and set a pace that the legs and stomach allow at this stage of the race. I see a couple of bikes up ahead and set my sights on reeling them in. As the kilometres tick by I begin to puke, not the usual projectile type, but a kind of polite, every few minutes mouthful. I stop eating or consuming gels and try to stay hydrated by sipping little bits, knowing that I’ll make it home on what’s onboard already.
I catch two more athletes on the final few kilometers into the finish before I hop off and run the final stretch to the finish line. Mission accomplished, body empty having squeezed everything out over the previous 13hours to finish 27th.
I’m greeted by Sandra and Richard from Team CP and then I hear a couple of Donegal accents shouting my name. I’m delighted to see an old school friend of mine John White and Letterkenny man Kieran McGlynn who have both settled in Christchurch. It meant so much knowing they and their families had taken the time to come down to the finish and cheer me home.
The next morning at the prize giving I actually picked up my first old guy prize, 3rd in the vet category! I also got chatting to multisport legend and four times winner Sam Clarke who is keen to come race in Ireland in the next year or two.
So the Coast-to-Coast box has been ticked, I can’t see myself racing it again for a couple of reasons. It’s a massive commitment of time and money, and hard to justify when unsponsored. I also feel that I’ve gotten the max out of my skill level and fitness for this race, unless I was to massively improve my kayaking or move to NZ for six months, then the results are still going to be similar! I’m content that I gave it all I could in the lead up and on race day, and I appreciate how lucky I am to be able to do these amazing races. Maybe one day I’ll do the team event if Joey or Anna are up for it.
For now, I’m going to enjoy some down time, keep the body moving and put my energy into getting Balor Multisport Race up and running… Thanks for all the messages and support!
Shaun Stewart 