The Longest Day
The longest day is the name given to the Individual One-Day Coast to Coast competition. FLTLT Blair Oldershaw gives a competitor’s eye view of the gruelling South Island competition.
FLTLT Blair Oldershaw at the top of Goat Pass. Photo: courtesy Pauls Camera Shop.
Few events have been named so aptly and iconic race director Robin Judkins chose well when selecting a name for the event 26 years ago. The race begins on the west coast in Kumara, just south of Greymouth, and finishes in Sumner Beach. It consists of 243km comprising a 3km run, 55km bike, 33km mountain run, 15km bike, 67 km kayak and a 70km bike to finish off.
My goal of competing in The Longest Day began over a year ago after a posting to a ground tour gave me the opportunity to commit to the training required. With the training load reaching over 20 hours per week leading up to Coast, having a predictable and consistent routine is relatively important. I spent the first six months building the skills required such as white water kayaking and developing my endurance with long, low intensity runs and bikes. The six months leading to the event involved continuing to develop endurance whilst incorporating higher intensity training sessions to begin imitating race conditions. The final six weeks are referred to as speed work, and consist of high intensity training sessions and multi-discipline training sessions.
The hype and buzz that surrounds the Coast to Coast is second to none, with over 800 one and two-day competitors plus teams. There are literally thousands of competitors not to mention the support crews. Once the registration and briefing process is completed on Thursday 7 February the one-day competitors have to wait until Saturday the 9th to finally get underway.
Kayaking through the Waimakariri Gorge. Photo: courtesy Pauls Camera Shop.
The race kicked off at 6.00am which required a 4.00am wakeup. This normally wouldn’t have been ideal but as I’d hardly slept a wink I wasn’t too concerned. Competitors drop their bikes off at the bikes stands ready for the first cycle and walk to Kumara Beach to prepare for the start, all this happens in pitch black and is relatively chaotic as hundreds of competitors, support crew, race staff and media converge on Kumara Beach. 6.00am rolled around and I was well and truly sick of waiting.
The race was started by Robin Judkins and the first 3km was run at a frenetic pace in order to get into the faster bunches of cyclists that leave first. I initially got stuck in the middle of the pack but slowly worked my way forward just behind the lead bunch of runners consisting of 40-50 competitors. My transition onto the bike was a little slow as I had opted to use road shoes for the ride hoping the extra speed they gave me would pay off later. Little did I know I would need it straight away as I worked hard with a few other stragglers in order to catch the lead bunch which had already formed. After about 10 minutes of cycling well above my race pace heart rate we finally caught the bunch and things got easier - little did I know I would pay for that overexertion later in the day. Staying with the bunch was relatively easy and things went well into the transition for the run.
The Red Checkers were on hand at Sumner to entertain the crowd. Photo: courtesy Andy Heap.
I took my time in the transition being careful to take on food and fluid. I headed off on the run confident I could put my training into effect and have a strong run. I started well and managed to find a small group of runners who knew the run very well. Route knowledge is critical in the run and can make a difference of 30 minutes if you make poor choices. I followed the group until close to the top of the run when the track becomes more defined, at this stage I was feeling strong and decided to push on reaching Goat Pass in less than two and a half hours. I was hoping to complete the remainder of the run in less than 1 hour 20 minutes but my earlier efforts on the bike caught up with me and I struggled to push myself, finishing the final portion instead in 1 hour 40 minutes.
I finished the run in poor condition and felt uneasy after taking on two litres of high concentrate carbohydrate fluid in the later section of the run. I quickly got on my bike and endeavoured to take on as much solid food as I could to get my body back to optimal energy levels. About 10 minutes into the bike I realised I had overdone my refuelling and vomited right in front of some stunned tourists who were kindly moving aside for me. I felt slightly better after this and concentrated on re-hydrating to replace the fluids I had just lost.
I entered the kayak worried about my energy state but enthused there was only two legs to go – albeit one of them was a 67km kayak! The kayak leg proved to be long and slow with the river flow at its lowest ever levels for race day. This did have the added bonus of ensuring the rapids that the Waimakariri River is famous for were more benign than usual. The water on the Waimakariri is considered safe to drink and I made a conscious effort to take on large amounts of water to restore my negative hydration balance. Once I had finished the kayak leg I was feeling better again and was looking forward to getting off my carbon/ kevlar seat. Although strong and light it lacked in the comfort department. At the transition into the final bike my legs decided they no longer wanted to work and I had to be assisted out of my kayak and made the slow journey to my bike up a small hill. Once on my bike it felt good to be moving my legs again and my nutrition on the kayak paid off as I passed several competitors on the final ride. The final stretch into Sumner was a magical feeling as I allowed myself to contemplate finishing, something that had seemed so distant and impossible before then.
FLTLT Blair Oldershaw at the finish line with Steve Gurney. Photo: courtesy Pauls Camera Shop.
The final run over the finish line was a mixture of relief and exhilaration as Steve Gurney handed me my Speights and shook my hand fourteen and a half hours after I began. I made my way to the water to ensure I had indeed gone Coast to Coast and my thoughts quickly switched to a shower, a bed and food in no particular order.
The Speight’s Coast to Coast event is a very achievable goal for anyone prepared to put in the effort required. Plenty of literature is available on the training required, and with the event having run for so long you are bound to know someone who has done it. I would encourage anyone interested to talk to previous competitors and find out as much as you can. One thing all previous competitors have in common is a willingness to share their Coast to Coast experience with you.