Reigning Ironman NZ champion Braden Currie is a late starter for this weekend's 40th Coast to Coast, returning to his roots for the iconic multisport race across the South Island.
On the same day organisers shortened the challenging paddle leg of the 243km bike-run-kayak journey - and the day after next month's Ironman NZ was postponed, due to COVID-19 'red light' restrictions - Currie has confirmed his comeback to the event that first launched him onto the sporting landscape.
Currie first won the Coast to Coast event in 2013 and completed a trifecta of victories two years later, before finishing second to Sam Clarke the following year. Soon after, wife Sally destroyed his kayak in an accident and Currie moved away from the river to pursue swim-cycle-run options.
In 2017, he won the first of his four Ironman NZ crowns and hasn't looked back since.
Next month's race has been delayed until perhaps December, leaving a hole in Currie's race schedule that needed filling. His next outing was the Ironman world championships in Utah in May.
Two years of frustration, navigating the troubled COVID landscape, has persuaded him to switch his focus, dusting off the now-repaired kayak for Saturday's anniversary race, where older brother Glen is race director.
"This year feels like it will be a good one, but making sure I have the opportunity to race frequently will be key, as I prepare for two world championship events this year," he says. "This race is as tough as it gets mentally and exactly what I need.
"Coast to Coast is the race that bought me into the sport, it's what first drew my attention to endurance, and it’s a race that I have a huge love and respect for.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to revisit my roots. I've made peace with the fact that my career is now somewhat based around spontaneity, dictated by the flow of the pandemic.
"I'm looking forward to a good weekend ahead."
The change in kayak course probably helped Currie, 35, make his decision.
High river levels have forced organisers to bypass the treacherous Waimakariri Gorge, lengthening the second cycle leg to 117km and reducing the paddle from 70km to 30km.
Kayaking is the most challenging aspect of Coast to Coast, with inexperienced paddlers often exposed on the river, so reducing its impact on the final result will likely affect the outcome.
"We've been monitoring the weather for the best part of two weeks now and while we hoped we could have run the original course, especially while celebrating the 40th anniversary of the race, it's simply not feasible," says Glen Currie.
