Robin Judkins is finally learning to slow down.
The man who spent 33 years at the helm of the Coast to Coast — the multisport event across the South Island that has challenged thousands of competitors since it was first held in 1983 — had no choice.
Judkins handed over control of his baby to Queenstown-based Trojan Holdings in 2014, following a quadruple bypass.
Nine heart attacks later, Judkins effectively got a final warning last year.
"The surgeon spoke to me and said, ‘Now listen, Mr Judkins, I’ve seen too much of you. I’ve done the last three stentings and today I put a stent inside a stent inside a graft’.
‘‘He said I should saviour every moment.”
Five-time champion Richard Ussher and Longest Day bronze medallist Glen Currie have been at the race director helm in recent years.
The role defined Judkins, who turned the Coast to Coast — a 243km challenge from the shores of the Tasman Sea near Kumara to the shores of the Pacific bordering Christchurch in the east — into a bucket list event for all sorts of people.
The spark for the Coast to Coast was ignited while Judkins was living in Wanaka in the late 1970s, and his involvement with Treble Cone, as head of ski patrol, and a kayaking business inspired him to create unique events.
He cooked up the Alpine Iroman, the Powder 8 heliskiing event and the Dunedin Enduro, but the going was tough, and financial issues forced him to sell up in Wanaka and move with his wife and 3-year-old daughter to live with his mother in Christchurch.
Down but definitely not out, Judkins pursued the idea of the Coast to Coast, and from humble beginnings, it rose to become one of the world’s great adventure races.
Numbers had doubled a year later, and Judkins credits a documentary on the 1984 race, from Dunedin film-maker Ian Taylor, with giving the event a boost. Taylor captured dramatic footage over the whole course, including competitors neck-deep in water during river crossings.
"It rained all weekend," Judkins recalled.
‘‘It was a monumental doco. It was stunning.
‘‘A lot of people out there went: ‘I’d love to do that’. Suddenly, the whole idea had taken off like a rocket.”
Judkins said he kept the entry fee of the Coast to Coast high to make sure the event maintained its quality, and to ensure the safety of the competitors.
That became another huge focus in 1992 when the course was struck by a weather bomb.
Just 12 competitors made it through the alpine run stage, with the remainder all airlifted out.
Another feature Judkins incorporated in the event was a sense of fun befitting his ebullient personality.
He has fond memories of the "most outrageous” pre-race banquets at the Kumara Town Hall for all the competitors.
"At its height, we were feeding 1400 people in two sittings and had a marquee for the desserts which was bigger than the Kumara Town Hall itself.”
That added to a real sense of camaraderie among the competitors, Judkins said.
He also recalls pre-race briefings involving nine-time champion Steve Gurney, who would always have something funny to say — like the time he asked if it was permissible to use fairy wings on the kayak stage.
Although numbers became restricted because of Department of Conservation concerns, Judkins said safety was always paramount.
Along with 800 competitors on the course, he had 340 officials ensuring a safe passage.
"I used to worry like hell until that last competitor crossed the finish line.
‘‘In 33 years and 22,000 competitors, there were only eight hospitalisations, all of which returned the next year to finish it.
‘‘Thankfully, nobody went missing and nobody died."
As for post-Coast to Coast life, Judkins said: ‘‘It’s hard to keep the weight off. There’s no stress!”
He now focuses on his health and wellbeing, while rekindling his desire to finish writing a book and pursing his love of art and musical theatre.
Robin Judkins - the facts
