Event News

The spring-like conditions across the country might have been disastrous for the countries ski fields, but the organisers of the Motatapu event believe it has contributed to a record number of first-day entries for the March 2012 event, when entries opened last Friday 1 July.

“It might just have kept peoples minds firmly on warmer weather activities,” says Event Director Gemma Boyle.

“The spring weather here in Queenstown has certainly been keeping everybody on their bikes, with cherry blossom in the garden peoples minds are focused on continuing with their biking and running fitness through the winter”, she says.

Gemma Boyle says the new start rules for the mountain bike sport field also rewarded early entries with a good start position. “Entries have been strong across all of the five events, including the new XTERRA Motatapu Triathlon, which is a qualifying race for the XTERRA World Championships”, she says.

“Over a quarter of the Speight’s Traverse Mountain Bike field is now full, and as many people entered the XTERRA Motatapu Triathlon on the first day, as competed in the inaugural triathlon last year”.

Numbers for the 42km Icebreaker Off Road Marathon were also strong, along with the Arrowtown.com 15km Mountain Run. “The first two teams to enter the demanding R&R Sport 49km Adventure Run were from Australia”, she says.

Gemma Boyle says since the event started in 2005 the Motatapu Speight’s Traverse Mountain Bike has reached its maximum entry limit and usually closes off towards the end of November or in early December each year, but if entries continue to remain strong entries may close early this year.

The Motatapu comprises of five events held on the same day including; New Zealand’s largest off road mountain bike event, the third largest marathon to be held in New Zealand each year, a 49km high altitude two-person R&R Sport Adventure teams Race, the Arrowtown.com Miner’s Trail 15km mountain run and the XTERRA Motatapu Triathlon.

For more information visit www.iconicadventures.co.nz

Photo by Camilla Stoddart

Motatapu event organisers, Iconic Adventures, today announced the biggest shake up of the Motatapu mountain bike, since the inaugural event in 2005.

“We have made two radical changes, which we believe will have a dramatic impact on the start line for 2012, and hopefully add a new dimension to the race for a lot of competitors,” says Event Director, Gemma Boyle.

“For the first time we will be reducing the number of mountain bikers in the field from the self imposed limit of 2,000 we have had in place since 2006, to 1,700 for 2012. This also includes a reduction in the elite field from the 140 that competed in the 2011 event to 100.

“The biggest change however will be the starting waves for the sport class which is 75% of the field. Previously the sport waves have set off in age groups. Now the order that you enter in determines your start position for the 2012 Motatapu Mountain Bike, with 200 bikers per wave.

“It’s first in - best start,” says Gemma Boyle.

Gemma says the new start sequence will ensure that there is a mix of ability, age and gender in each wave. “Consequently the entire field will be strung out more’.

“It will also allow competitors who want to compete alongside friends, spouses and family members to collectively enter at the same time and be in the same wave start,” she says.

Gemma Boyle says that the race for podium places in the competitive sport categories will become more of a time trial than a stage race. “To be assured of a podium finish you will have to race the clock rather than the people around you,” she says.

Gemma Boyle says competitor feedback lead to the decision to change the wave starts. “The number one thing the people who enter early want was a decent start position.”

Director of Iconic Adventures, Geoff Matthews, says the reduction in numbers in the mountain bike field was also to create space for the new off road half ironman distance triathlon trialled in 2011.

“The new off road half ironman distance triathlon will be both an individual and a team event with a maximum field of 150 individuals and 150 teams. The triathlon field as with last years trial will set off before the mountain bike field,” he says.

Geoff Matthews says introducing the team triathlon event will also give those people returning to the Motatapu for the 4th, 5th or 6th time something new to consider and to compete in.

“It starts with a 2km swim in Glendhu Bay in Lake Wanaka, then joins the 47km mountain bike field to cycle from Glendhu Bay to Arrowtown through three high country stations, before completing the 15km mountain run over the historic Arrowtown.com Miner’s Trail, he says. “The triathlon proved to be a hit with the inaugural competitors, with a flat swim, a fast bike ride and an extremely tough run section.”

Entries are exclusively online and open at 9am on the 1st July 2011 at www.motatapu.com for the March 10, 2012 event.