Weather to challenge Coast to Coasters

RAIN OR SHINE: Robin Judkins (pictured at the 2007 Speight's Coast to Coast) says athletes should be prepared for bad weather.

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Athletes hoping to traverse 243km of rugged South Island terrain this weekend may find their biggest challenge is the weather, the MetService has said.

The annual Speight’s Coast to Coast will be held on Friday and Saturday, but competitors will be watching the weather after a heavy storm warning was issued for the West Coast and Canterbury high country for those days.

The Metservice informed Speight’s Coast to Coast race director Robin Judkins of a heavy rain warning on the West Coast for this Saturday morning with 30mm of rain forecast between 6am and midday with North West winds of up to 50 knots at 5000ft (Goat Pass).

In the afternoon a southerly change occurs on the East Coast with rain in Timaru at Midday reaching Christchurch by 4pm.

Defending champions Gordon Walker and Emily Miazga will be back to defend their title, but they’ll both be thinking back to 2004, when similar conditions saw them struggle in eighth and third placings respectively.

That year only half the field finished the world championship One Day race amid torrential rain and unseasonal cold.

In 1992 Judkins was forced to abandon the mountain run and kayak sections in favour of running the competitors over the Arthur’s Pass Road before cycling all the way to Christchurch.

Judkins said One Day competitors should be prepared for cancellation of the mountain run in favour of a road run from Aickens to Klondyke Corner over Arthurs Pass Road (Plan B).

"At this stage I don't anticipate changing the kayaking section. But final decisions will be made on early Saturday morning," he said.

Judkins doesn’t think the forecasted weather will affect the Two Day Race, but said that on Friday morning the two day competitors may experience some showers and mid level cloud on the West Coast with North Westerly winds increasing.

"It may be warm but not hot for the mountain run and fine at Klondyke," he said.

“On Saturday morning the two-day participants may have a strong North Westerly tail wind down the Waimakariri River and then a side wind and rain from the southerly change in the afternoon on the last cycling section.”

Judkins does warn, however, “Everyone is going to get wet so come prepared for rain and wind and tie your tents down.”