Coast to Coast Attracting Cantabs and Internationals Alike

The 2014 Speight’s Coast to Coast is still 11 months away, but entries for the 32nd edition of the 243k race across the South Island are almost 25 percent ahead of this time last year.

Speight’s Coast to Coast race director, Robin Judkins, says that early entries for the 2014 event indicate that the event and its region are on the road to recovery.

Following the Christchurch earthquakes and continuing recession, the Speight’s Coast to Coast has suffered alongside the rest of Canterbury.

“It’s understandable,” he says. “The earthquakes of the past 18 months have been the biggest social and economic impact in the Canterbury region since World War II.”

“Prior to 2011 Canterbury participants always made up more than 34 percent of total entries. But since then they have dropped to almost 25 percent. But 2013 was a significantly better entry and we had a really good event, which always augurs well for the year ahead.”

Indeed, entries in 2013 climbed back to 625 people from 21 countries and entries thus far for 2014 are indicating Canterbury will be close to one third of total entries again.

Earlier this month the event released early bird entries for the 2014 Speight’s Coast to Coast. Entries prior to March 31 receive a $100 discount and of entries so far, 15 are from Canterbury, 29 are from overseas and the total entry is 24 percent ahead of this time last year.

“Those entries don’t include a contingent from Great Britain’s Coldstream Guards who informed me this week that they’ll be competing in 2014,” adds Judkins.

“If the Coldstream Guards turn up it’ll solve our security problems for Pippa Middleton,” he laughs, referring to the Speight’s Coast to Coast’s "Pippa-Gate" incident this year when the royal-by-marriage said on a blog that she was keen to take on the Speight’s Coast to Coast.

“It was incredible the amount of interest we received surrounding Pippa,” says Judkins. “Obviously she didn’t turn up, but we’ll certainly be making enquiries to see if she is keen for the Speight’s Coast to Coast in 2014.”

International interest in the event that created adventure sports isn’t anything new for Judkins. The Speight’s Coast to Coast was recently featured in Worlds Toughest Endurance Challenges, by world leading publishers, Bloomsbury (www.bloomsbury.com).

The book divides the world into eight continental-type regions and lists the 50 toughest endurance events, with the Speight’s Coast to Coast and Queensland’s Crocodile Trophy mountain bike race the only two Australasian events to make the cut.

Judkins has also had contact from an American production company who has selected the Speight’s Coast to Coast to feature on a television documentary featuring seven epic endurance events on seven continents.

“I spoke to their executive producer last week,” says Judkins. “They are following one competitor who will race all seven events, including the 240k Marathon des Sables across the Moroccan Desert. Having them at the Speight’s Coast to Coast really does confirm the stature of the event.”

In the three decades since 1983’s inaugural Speight’s Coast to Coast more than 20,000 Kiwis have participated in New Zealand’s favourite endurance race. Almost 7000 of them have been Cantabrians, while more than 2000 people from 26 countries have chosen the event as their taste of Aotearoa.

The 32nd Speight’s Coast to Coast will be held on the 14th and 15th of February, 2014.