| nathan@tenevents.co.nz | |
| Te Anau, South Island, New Zealand | |
| http://www.springchallenge.co.nz/ | |
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The event is one of the gems of New Zealand adventure racing, where up to 480-teams of 3-women take part in a thrilling adventure that includes rafting / kayaking, mountain biking, hiking and navigation.
The event was the vision and creation of 6 x Adventure Racing World Champion, and winner of Eco Challenge ‘The World’s Toughest Race’
3-hour (beginner) – Introduction to Adventure Racing. Rafting, non-technical mountain biking, trail and easy off-trail hiking – a bit of a challenge but nothing too silly. Navigation is basic level. Time range 3 to 6 hours.
6-hour (intermediate) – Something to get your teeth into. Rafting, mostly non-technical mountain biking but can have a few rugged bits linking the course together – walking with bike an option in these sections if you're a bit of a Nana (or officially a Nana). Hiking mostly can be on and off trails, can contain rough ground to pass over, slippery stuff, cow poos, stream crossings. Navigation is intermediate level, map and compass knowledge needed. (Unless you trust the team in front of you and you tuck in behind them). Time range 6 to 12-hours.
9-hour (advanced) – The epic version of the Spring Challenge, expect a mission! Time range 9 to 20-hours.
DISTANCES
We don't like to focus on distances because they can be misleading, the 6-hour event for example will be a winning time close to 6-hours whether the course is 50km or 100km, because speed over terrain will vary so much. But as a rough guide, here's a few numbers to crunch.
3-hour Event: 10-15km Rafting, 15-20km Biking, 4-5km hiking
6-hour Event: 10-15km Rafting, 25-35km Biking, 8-12km hiking
9-hour Event: 10-15km Rafting, 45-55km Biking, 20-30km hiking