The team that looked strongest on paper lived up to expectations by winning the Macpac 24 Hours of Southern Traverse on Saturday. Aurum Survey, comprising New Zealand orienteering representative Bruce McLeod and top multisporter Phil Wood, won the open section in 19hr 42min.
In what race director Geoff Hunt said was a good sign for the future of multisport and adventure racing, an under-23 team finished on the podium.
The One2Onemultisport.co.nz team of Dougal Allan, Mike Walker, Mattie Graham and Emmah Ussher, who cut their teeth at the Classic Southern Traverse in Hanmer this year, finished second in the open section in 22hr 21sec.
The 24hr race was held in challenging conditions and terrain at the head of Lake Wakatipu, starting at midnight on Friday at the Greenstone, with a 14km trek to Lake Rere and Mt Bastard.
The next stage was a 10km paddle from Greenstone to Kinloch, followed by a 21km mountain bike stage from Kinloch to Paradise.
The next stage, a 9km trek in Paradise Conservation Park alongside the Dart River, proved to be tough going, Hunt said.
"The leaders were slower than I anticipated and they all found this section a major navigational challenge."
From there, the course headed back to the Dart River, where competitors paddled across to start the 11km trek on Sugarloaf.
A final paddle followed the Dart River for 7km to finish before a 2km run to the finish line at Paradise.
Two teams withdrew from the event at Chinamans Bluff after the howling nor'wester got the better of them, and three teams completed a short course.
The eight-hour adventure challenge, introduced for the first time this year, involved paddling, trekking and biking and was won by Mike Kelly, of Queenstown, in 4hr 9min ahead of Aaron Scott, of Christchurch, in 4hr 22min.
