Imagine buying one of New Zealand’s biggest, most iconic off-road events, then having to cancel the first two on your watch.
That’s why Queenstowners Gemma Peskett and Craig Gallagher, who bought Motatapu off Ironman in 2020, will be beaming ear to ear when runners and riders set off on six different races tomorrow.
Those Covid-induced cancellations having been financially and mentally draining, Peskett’s current favourite saying is, ‘‘third time’s a charm’’.
Almost 4000 athletes/weekend warriors will be heading to the finish-line at Arrowtown’s Wilcox Green — about 2000 bikers for the 47km mountain bike race and 700 for the 42km marathon, both setting off from Wānaka’s Glendhu Bay, 700 for the 15.7km Miner’s Trail run/walk, 200 for the 52.5km ultra run, 180 for a mountain bike race on the new 56km Coronet Loop and 100 kids for the 4km junior trail run.
The most recent Motatapus were over two days, but this one’s back to the one-day format.
‘‘We just think the vibe with the one-day is awesome, everyone’s altogether and that finish-line is just buzzing,’’ Peskett says.
To avoid mountain bikers potentially clashing with marathoners, the former will head off from Glendhu Bay two hours earlier.
Given some runners suffered troubles during last week’s Southern Lakes Ultra, Peskett gives an assurance they’ve got ‘‘a lot of procedures in place to keep people safe, but at the end of the day, people are heading into the mountains and they need to be responsible for their
own safety and make good decisions for themselves’’.
Though Motatapu clashes with the third day of the NZ Open golf at nearby Millbrook, Gallagher says they’re ‘‘two different events, two very
different audiences and two different lots of suppliers and volunteers’’.
Pooling together for a fundraiser
Whakatipu Youth Trust’s entered a three-person Motatapu marathon team as a fundraiser to replace the ‘‘hot-glued’’ pool table at its Remarkables Park drop-in centre.
From left are trust chairman Joel Peasey, who’s stepped in for a youth worker with an Achilles in jury, youth worker and 2018 Commonwealth Games boxer Richie Hadlow and youth team leader Lee-Ann McKenzie.
A Motatapu regular, Peasey recently attempted the 102km Tarawera ultra, but pulled out at the 38km mark due to an untimely infection.
Hadlow and McKenzie have only run half marathons, the former tackling his at the local Shotover Moonlight Mountain Marathon just after his Comm Games experience — ‘‘it was a killer’’.
McKenzie says having a fundraising goal — via a givealittle page — gives the trio ‘‘accountability, basically’’.
Hadlow notes their pool table has to be repaired weekly — ‘‘we just wish it well, every day’’.
“Someone’s always playing it, and it’s always a great game to get alongside the young person to kind of speak about whatever’s going on for them.”
