Dare 2 Sweat Events has lodged a funding application with the Vincent Community Board for a grant of $20,000 to help fund the Goldrush event.
Dare 2 Sweat Events director Neil Gellatly said plans had been hatched for the event but it was all reliant on getting funding. Some money had to be spent to get the event under way and those costs were significant.
The company had told the board the cost of the event was $271,128 and it was asking for $20,000 to help pay for costs.
The company also runs other events in the southern region. It organises the popular Spirited Women all-women adventure race, which has attracted big crowds. About 1200 women lined up in a race around Cromwell, while an all-women adventure race brought in 2000 competitors to Wānaka.
Times were tough, and the funding was needed to make the event viable, Mr Gellatly said.
The Goldrush was once a mainstay of the adventure racing circuit. It first started in 1997 and though its first event had about 100 competitors this rose to 540 entrants at one stage. It has been so popular at times that entry has opened at midnight and has sold out in just a few minutes.
The event was run by a couple of Alexandra businessmen, Neville Grubb and Ritchie Bailey, who then passed it over to Tim Pearson, who won the event about 10 years ago. The event continued for a couple of years before it stopped.
The event attracted plenty of high-profile athletes over the years, Dougal Allan, Richard Ussher and Nathan Favae all competing.
The race had originally been for three days with night stops in the Upper Manorburn and Tarras and would include kayaking, mountainbiking, road cycling and running, Mr Gellatly said.
If it went ahead, the next event would be over just two days and be on Otago Anniversary Day weekend. The event would be centred around Clyde with two days of racing. They would be loop circuits, one going north to Bannockburn and then south to Fruitlands on the other day. There would be no road cycling.
Much of the race would be on private land and most landowners were happy for the event to go through their land, Mr Gellatly said.
The economic benefit for the region from these events was large, he said. More than a million dollars had been spent in the community from the all-women events in Wānaka and Cromwell, he said.
Dare 2 Sweat Events was also seeking $4000 for an all-women event in February next year.
Overall, the Vincent Community Board was asked to provide funding for seven different events in its area next year. The total amount requested was $76,308 but it only had a grants budget of $50,000. The grants budget for the board had risen from $41,500 last year.
The Blossom Festival committee requested a grant of $24,500 towards its budget of $254,167. The Wool-On event wanted a grant of $9900 to go towards a budget of $143,960.
The board is due to meet and consider the grant applications on Tuesday.
