2010 Mission - Saturday 5th June

2010 ENTRY FORM NOW AVAILABLE HERE!

09 Race report - International Rower Wins the event

This year’s event got off to a great start with a mild Waikato winters day. However the northerly wind got up during the day and created a head wind for the kayak leg. The mountain track was reported to be reasonably dry but with many exposed roots to negotiate.

We had 256 participants on the day of which 63 were individual competitors. Most of the 73 teams had either two or three competitors per team, and we had an increase to six secondary school teams this year.

It was an exciting finish with three competitors paddling in together. International rower Carl Meyer (Cambridge) won the race being both the first individual and first competitor over the finish line, in 3hr 52:06 with Chris Morrissey of Tauranga close behind at 3hr 52:14. Carl was 2 minutes 57 secs behind Chris at the kayak transition but caught up with him to be neck and neck at Keeley’s Landing, and pull ahead to be first off the water. Their times are faster than the previous two years (3hr 59:10 and 3hr 53:08). They did not beat Brad Smith’s time of 3hr 45:39 in 2006, however this was on the old course with the shorter run.

Hard on Chris’s heels was Paul Dutton from the ‘Boatshed’ team in 3hr 52:16. Last year the first person over the line was as part of a team, so well done to Carl and Chris for holding off the team competitors.

Rachel Cashin won the individual female category in 4hr 39:09, over one hour ahead of the rest of the female field. The first female competitor to cross the finish line was Katie Rhymer in 4hr 29:44 from the ‘KK Double Teach’ 2 person team (team mate Kelly Maclarn).

First person into transition one from the 35km cycle was local team competitor, Cambridge cyclist Eric Drower in 52 mins 30, 2 mins 37 ahead of Rod Weinberg. Chris Morrissey of Tauranga was fastest over the mountain in 1 hour 32 minutes with team competitor Hugh Allison second fastest (two minutes difference). The fastest kayakers were local Cambridge team members Paul Dutton in 50 mins 59 followed by Hamish Lack in 55 mins 10.

The first three teams over the finish line were local Cambridge teams ‘The Boatshed’, ‘Professional Pools’ and ‘Two Hares and a Snail’. Twenty seconds separated second and third place. A St Peters School team won the secondary school category, 11 minutes ahead of Cambridge High School.

As planned this year we opened the water leg up to rowing skiffs. Four rowers participated as part teams and two in the individual women’s category. The skiffs are faster on the water and now we have some base times we can work on a handicap system next year to assimilate the rowing times with kayak times.

The top spot prize a 5.7 Eclipse Kayak sponsored by JKK Kayaks, Kevin Deane Harcourts Real Estate and The Boatshed Café and Kayaks, went to Hamilton team competitor Craig Brighouse. Competing in multisport events for over twenty years, Craig is delighted with this prize. He has chosen to spend a bit more money and upgrade to one of JKK Kayaks other models of kayak in order to conquer the ‘Coast to Coast’. The ‘Selectrix Retrovision’ DVD player was won by St Peters student Karen Verwey and the ‘Trek n Travel’ Camel Pak by a team competitor, Zola McDonald.

From the monies received in entry fees this year, over $2600 will be donated to the The Maungatautari Ecological Trust to help maintain the pest free enclosure and natural habitat for the re-introduced Kiwi, Takahe, Kaka and Kokopu.

We extend a big thank you to all of the volunteers and sponsors involved in this event.

Our Wonderful Sponsors for 2009:

You can visit the web sites of these sponsors via our friends page.

Maungatautari Mission 2008 results
Maungatautari Mission 2007 results
2006 results (in Excel format)