Spring Challenge is an all-women adventure race that’s been running in the South Island since 2007. Last year, 1350 women rafted, mountain biked and hiked their way around Golden Bay, with another 540 women taking part in a similar event on the North Island.
One of those racing at Golden Bay was Natural High’s Cecileah, who was a last-minute injury replacement for a friend’s team. Despite her late call up and rainy conditions, Cecileah loved every minute of the event, especially the mountain bike section.
“The best part was the sense of achievement completing all the disciplines – rafting, mountain biking and running rogaine plus surprise canoe towards the end!”
Cecileah and her team took part in the six hour event. There’s also a three hour and nine hour event to choose from, depending on your ability level. Each team consists of three women, and the team stays together throughout the course.
This year, dates and locations for Spring Challenge are:
South Island: Geraldine, 29 September – 1 October 2017.
North Island: Auckland region, 13 October -15 October 2017.
Both the South and North Island Challenges involve elements of mountain biking, hiking, rafting and navigation.
Based on her experience, Cecileah recommends plenty of strength and endurance training, as well as map reading skills and rogaining. Her teammates also booked some mountain bike skills training with Natural High, which helped improve their confidence and riding ability.
Entries for this year’s Spring Challenge open at 7am on Saturday 1 April and book out fast, so if you want to get involved make sure you’re poised over your keyboard bright and early. You’ll find full entry details on the website: springchallenge.co.nz.
You will need a mountain bike to compete in this event. If you’re travelling from overseas or another part of New Zealand, we have top-quality models available to hire. We also offer mountain bike skills training on local hills in either the South Island or North Island, so if you’re not a confident rider or would like to improve your riding technique and gain an edge on the competition, get in touch today.
Have a great week,
Steve
Image: Cecileah and her teammates on the finish line of the 2016 Spring Challenge.
