Girls set to make Coast to Coast history

STACY SQUIRES

Two-day challenge: Christchurch Girls' High School pupils Chloe Thompson, left, and Beth Vanderhaven, both 16, have teamed up for the Coast to Coast.

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Months of training have ended for Christchurch schoolgirls Chloe Thompson and Beth Vanderhaven, who will create history in the 2009 Speights Coast to Coast at the weekend.

They are the first schoolgirl team to enter the two-day race and have just enjoyed a two-week respite from their tough training regime.

Their training diary follows: 

In the lead up to Christmas we competed in the Kaiapoi Classic, which was held on Beth's birthday, meaning an early morning start for both of us.

On our last day of school before study leave in November, Beth's discovery of the body of Tony Utteridge (who drowned in an boating accident in October) while training in Sumner, meant training in that area was hard for a while and distracted us from our focus on our external exams.

Christmas Day meant a well-earned break from training for both of us, although we were back on track on Boxing Day.

We decided to stick together for New Year. Although we stayed up to celebrate the New Year, the following morning we were out training.

For our summer holidays, Beth spent a week in Marahau (near Nelson) where she managed to fit in a hill ride each day and several sea kayak trips.

Chloe spent two weeks in the Marlborough Sounds which provided great hilly tracks for running, and on alternate days she rode the surrounding hills including a four hour run along the Queen Charlotte walkway.

Training became noticeably easier after the end of school for the year. We were able to follow our programmes almost exactly. This was also helped by having other commitments ending for the year.

In the second week of January, our training programmes dictated a week of 100 per cent intensity. This was the peak of the programme, which we have been building to. The week consisted of about 13 hours training each, which was extremely hard due to the fact that we were both holidaying at beaches and also spent many hours doing watersports.

Luckily the following week was relatively easy (only 40 per cent intensity) and we had time to recover before our training programme increased in intensity again.

After two days at home, we both headed off again, to Alexandra and Wellington respectively. In Alexandra Beth had the expertise of a previous coast-to-coaster to guide her in the final training build-up. On Lake Dunstan she completed four-hour kayak trips and kept up her riding while including a few small runs along the Clutha.

Chloe braved an early start on her birthday for a morning run in windy and wet conditions, as well as running on a few other days. It was a special day in another respect. Finally we were both legally old enough to compete in the race.

The focus of our holiday was definitely training, made possible by the support of our families running around after us.

We spent the second last weekend of January away with other friends competing, camping at Klondyke Corner, where we were able to put in a second training effort over the course, completing all stages from Aickens to Christchurch.

As of February our training tapered off considerably. Now we have to concentrate our effort into rounding up family, friends and school supporters to turn up for the race and at the finish at Sumner Beach on Saturday.

- © Fairfax NZ News