Broken but not down

As many of you know I unfortunately broke my ribs in the weekend before Coast to Coast in a momentary lapse of concentration while kayaking. While it was obviously disappointing to be injured and forced to pull out of Coast and GODZone, at the same time I was relieved as it could have been a lot worse.

I'm beginning to think Coast just isn't my race since this is now the third time I have had to pull out due to injury in five attempts at the race. My dad ended up racing for me at last minutes notice with a little persuasion and despite no training and having not paddled in 2 years, he finished a very credible 3rd place in Open Men, proving that anyone is capable of not only completing but also being competitive at Coast if they put their mind to it.

Thanks to the support of many people over the years, I know what I'm capable of achieving at this race, its just going to be a case of making my own luck and building on my current fitness to be as prepared as possible. I love what I do and I love the thrill of the racing so I am more determined than ever to succeed next summer

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Motivation from setback

The last time I wrote on here I was just about to go into a hand operation to sort out my dexterity issue after breaking it earlier in the year. At the time I stated I felt like I was capable of more but unfortunately may not get a chance to prove it for awhile. I never expected what the next 12 months would bring, and to be honest, despite the further injuries and setbacks, I'm not sure I would change a thing. So what have the last 12 months involved? A few months recovery and physio from hand surgery That classic thing called covid and its impacts And a little slip on ice resulting in fractures to my T6/7 and a seizure... It's definitely not all bad though. I'm now working as the Christchurch station manager for St John Ambulance. I've joined the committee of Arawa Canoe Club as the race coordinator. I've organised 28 kayak events with all proceeds going towards supporting juniors (and another 7 events planned between now and Christmas). I've also received ...

Topsport Prologue Series #1

With my K2 partner heading to South Africa to see family and do some racing (lucky bastard), I finally lined up at a major race as a solo competitor. With hand surgery in a couple of weeks potentially wiping out the next few months of races, I wasn't sure whether I'd even bother to enter this race but the racing bug bit hard! While it was a warm morning, the wind was blowing hard! It was enough to make me slightly concerned about parts of the course, so I felt pretty bad for the novices, they were certainly in for a wake up call on what the Waimak can be like on race day! In the wind storm that was the 2011 Coast to Coast, I had managed to get to Woodstock dry, before swimming many many times in this final 15km due to the wind. There's really only two strategies for wind, paddle at the speed of it (or faster) so it doesn't impact you, or be at the heavier end of the scale so it doesn't affect you as badly. Unfortunately most of the time both of these strategies ar...

Coast to Coast 2016

This year has already presented itself with plenty of high's and low's. I went in to the event feeling as prepared as I had ever been and thankful to actually make it to the start line (for once). I had a good win in the legs from Around Brunner, however I also had my first swim in the Waimak in 5 years... fun times. Overall I was looking forward to getting out there and enjoying the day. My plan for the day was to start steady to ensure I got to the run feeling fresh and ready to run hard. I had no intention of coming off the bike in the front bunch. So when I found myself dragged up the road to the first bunch after a very steady run (9:00 vs the leaders 7:30), I was surprised and happy to be in a good position. It was now just a matter of sitting on the back, doing very little work, and letting the race be decided later. It was the best ride I've had in years, super relaxed atmosphere and a nice consistent pace to keep the legs feeling good. I actually mus...

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