Coast to Coast race adopts 'Plan B' to beat wild weather

Iain McGregor Stacy Squires Iain McGregor Iain McGregor Iain McGregor Stacy Squires Stacy Squires Richard Cosgrove Iain McGregor Richard Cosgrove Stacy Squires Iain McGregor

Dougal Allan sets off on the beach in Kumara in torrential rain.

Eventual winner Gordon Walker battling the elements near Kumara.

Gordon Walker (left) draughting behind Dougal Allan.

Cameron Durno getting off the viaduct in Otira Gorge.

Martin Flinta in the one day event.

Winner of the womens 1 day Elina Ussher (Nelson) finishing the river leg

A group of paddlers head for the finish of the river leg

A competitor kayaks down the Avon River

Adam Herbstritt from Christchurch in the two day event paddles past punters in the Avon.

Competitors in the 2010 Coast to Coast multisport race, kayak down the Avon River for the first time in the events history after heavy rain and wind forced the abandonment of the Mountain run and Waimakariri Kayak sections.

Team Deloitte/Thule: Fleur Pawsey Hawarden (L) and Sia Svendsen Christchurch get a hug from judkins after crossing the finish line.

Gordon Walker met by his family at the finish.

« Previous« PreviousNext »Next »

Coast to Coast competitors were forced to take a detour this year after wild West Coast weather caused "the full Plan B" to be enacted for the first time in the event's 28-year history.

Race director Robin Judkins changed Saturday's multisport route from Kumara to Sumner after forecasters predicted 140 millimetres of rain in the nine hours from midnight Friday.

Forecasters warned the rain could go to 45mm in one hour.

"ECan's [Environment Canterbury] hydrological officer advised us late on Friday that the Waimak could be expected to rise from 42 cumecs to 200 cumecs today [Saturday], and that's the upper limit for me. We can't cope with flash floods."

The changes affected the second half of the two-day race, and the longest day.

With the Waimakariri River running dangerously high, the kayak stage was switched to the Avon River, where competitors had to dodge tourist punts rather than the river boulders they were used to negotiating.

The scheduled 33-kilometre mountain run, over Goat Pass, also fell victim to the weather.

Instead, the longest-day competitors cycled 55km from Kumara to Aickens, followed by a 31km run to Klondyke Corner where they got on their bikes for a 145km ride to Hagley Park.

The race ended with a 17km paddle along the Avon River and a 10km cycle from the Pleasant Point Yacht Club in South New Brighton to Sumner.

The two-day athletes left from Klondyke, having completed the mountain run on Friday. "I'm both pleased and disappointed," said Judkins, as he waited at Klondyke for the arrival of the one-day runners on Saturday.

"I'm disappointed that we can't do the run or the kayak.

"But I'm very, very pleased that the met services provided us with accurate forecasts," he said added.

Police had to scramble to ensure protection on the revised cycle route through Christchurch. Senior Sergeant Peter Laloli said with good communication, the changes were not a problem.

Judkins said compared with other bad-weather years like 2004, 1992 and 1984, the standard of weather forecasting had skyrocketed.

"Plan B is a very good plan and it's been interesting to put it into operation."

 PicturesA4, A5

ResultsB9

Clear winnerB15

- © Fairfax NZ News