Friday, 04 February 2011 10:41
Speight's Coast to Coast top contenders
Robin Judkins has spent almost 30 years organising New Zealand’s favourite race. The Speight’s Coast to Coast created adventure sports and most of the worlds’ best have cut their teeth in the 243km world multisport championship race across New Zealand’s South Island. Judkins has watched them all and become an astute judge of talent and tactics, with his annual “Top 10” predictions becoming like a book-makers list of champions both current and to come. The race takes place from February 11-12.
“Richard Ussher and Dougal Allan Walker are the favourites this year,” states Judkins without a hint of hesitation. “Ussher is a three time champion, but he hasn’t raced the Speight’s Coast to Coast since 2008. Allan is a young guy who finished second last year but will be stronger and more experienced that before.”
Truer words have never been spoken. If Richard Ussher can recapture the form that won him the Speight’s Coast to Coast three times (2005, 06, 08), he will be hard to beat. But Dougal Allan is a young man on the rise who has focused solely on multisport.
Ussher returns to the Speight’s Coast to Coast after a three-year fling with Ironman Triathlon. He has some success at Ironman, recording the fastest time ever by a Kiwi, but not the same success he’d had in multisport. But more importantly, the Nelson-based professional athlete missed the adventurous nature of races like the Speight’s Coast to Coast.
Having first raced the 243k race across the South Island in 1998, Ussher is the most experienced contender. But Dougal Allan has more recent experience and specific multisport training and as a guy on the rise, Ussher will be uncertain of the capabilities of the 25 year old from Wanaka.
“Richard and Dougal are the guys to watch,” says Judkins. “But they’ll also have to watch out for a couple of hungry internationals.”
Internationals have won only five of the 28 Speight’s Coast to Coasts to date. This year’s threats include two-time Canadian multisport champion Jakob Van Dorp, who was 12th last year but has learned a lot since. The real threat, however, could be former three-time kayak marathon world champion Chad Meek from Australia. The 36 year old Victorian has enjoyed several podium spots in top Australian races since taking to multisport in the past two years.
“The last guy with that sort of kayak credentials,” says Judkins, “was Australian John Jacoby, who was also a three-time kayak marathon world champion who went on to win the Speight’s Coast to Coast three times,” (1988, 89, 93).
“So if Chad Meek can be within 15min of Richard Ussher after the mountain run, “says Judkins, “we could have very interesting battle on the water.”
The international factor promises to dominate the women’s race at this year’s Speight’s Coast to Coast, with defending champion Elina Ussher, from Finland but now living in Nelson, once again facing three-time champion Emily Miazga, a Canadian now living on the South Island’s West Coast.
Robin Judkins, however, warns that the women’s race will be anything but a clear cut race.
“Elina is the defending champion, but Emily Miazga has won the race three times and has raced the last seven Speight’s Coast to Coast in a row, so she has the experience. But there are up and comers like Sophie Hart from Nelson, who was third last year, and experienced athletes like Rachel Cashin from Taumarunui has been third, third and fifth in the last three years. And there are a couple of dark horses in Sia Svendsen, a Dane living in Christchurch who has won the teams race twice, and Brazilian champion Camila Nicolau.”
Judkins, however, wonders if the Usshers might have an extra piece of motivation up their sleeve.
“Elina and Richard Ussher have a really good chance of becoming the first husband and wife winners in the same year,” says Judkins. “Race record holders Keith and Andrea Murray are husband and wife, but they won on separate occasions, in 1994 and 1997.”
“If Richard and Elina Ussher could do a husband and wife double, that would be something special.”
Robin Judkins Top 10 Predictions
Men
1 Richard Ussher Nelson
2 Dougal Allan Foxton
3 Chad Meek Australia
4 Jakob Van Dorp Canada
5 Sam Clark Whakatane
6 Josh Scott Blenheim
7 Nathan Jones Woodend
8 Rick Martin Napier
9 Jari Palonen Sweden
10 Andrew Crowley Wellington
Women
1 Elina Ussher Nelson/Finland
2 Emily Miazga Granity/Canada
3 Sophie Hart Nelson
4 Rachel Cashin Taumaranui
5 Sia Svendsen ChCh/Denmark
6 Camila Nicolau Brazil
7 Skye Taylor Australia
8 Emma McCosh Papakura
9 Tanya Maitland Hokitika
10 Barb Campbell Canada
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