Monty's Revenge

9 June 2012

Multisport and Duathlon options available.

2012 Entry information

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2011 results click here

2011 EVENT REVIEW

What a great day. Congratulations to those who achieved their goals. Check out this review from Jim Robinson.

Karen Hanlen showcased the strength she has gained from racing on the mountain bike world cup circuit, by finishing third overall in today's (Saturday) Monty's Revenge multisport.
 
The only individual athletes who beat Hanlen to the line in the Whakatane Great Outdoors sponsored event were Sam Clark and Gary Clunie, who won the open men's and veteran men's divisions.
 
"I love racing back at home," Hanlen grinned broadly, at the bustling finish area beside the Whakatane river. "I really enjoyed it. I was really happy with how it all went."
 
After 8 km of running over Ohope hill, 25 km of tough mountain biking and 15 km of paddling, Hanlen finished in 2 hrs 36 min. Anyika Thomsen of Taumarunui was second woman in 3 hrs 15 min, with local Shona Steel third in 3 hrs 23 min.
 
The men's race was also cut and dried - albeit on a course with copious amounts of deep, sloppy mud. After the first-stage run, Clark trailed only teams' competitor Daniel Jones. Jones handed over to brother Brad who led the way on the mountain bike, but other than him, Clark was soon well clear.
 
After a storming paddle down the flood-brown Whakatane river (48 minutes for 15 km), Clark stopped the race clock at 2 hrs 21 min. Forty-year-old Clunie was second individual across the line (2 hrs 34 min) while Craig Jones and Jason Derecourt took second and third spots in the open men's category.
 
The sweet bonus for Clark, paddling a K1 kayak, was that he reeled in Daniel and Brad's father and teammate - Neil - 400 metres from the finish line.
 
"The whole [paddle] I was trying to chase down Neil. I could see him way ahead but until I was near the end it was hard to tell if I was actually closing," Clark said.
 
"I loved the mountain bike course. I've recently got a really nice mountain bike from Blair at Whakatane Cycle Centre [as part of a sponsorship]. It's a 29-er [29 inch diameter wheels] and I'm absolutely sold. So a huge thank you to Blair," Clark enthused.
 
Hanlen was equally positive about the mountain bike, which frankly had some competitors at their skill-limit due to the slippery conditions and washouts. Whakatane might be the reigning sunshine capital of New Zealand, but right down to the night before the race, the rain was pelting down.
 
Still, race day itself was clear and mild: continuing something of a Monty's Revenge tradition.
 
"I train up there on the mountain bike [in the hills behind Whakatane] all the time, Hanlen said. The mother of two and aspiring-Olympian passed Clunie near the end of the mountain bike, and entered the bike-run transition marginally in front of him - only to be passed back on the river.
 
That's hardly surprising. Hanlen had only done one kayak training session in the months beforehand.
 
Hanlen leaves New Zealand on Monday for two world cup mountain bike races over the next two weeks, in Canada and the United States. In Canada, she'll start with a world ranking of 40 but if she can avoid crashing, as she did in her previous series international in Britain a month ago, she's definitely top-20 potential.
 
Which means that multisport's on the backburner again ... for now.
 
The teams' racing at Monty's Revenge was perhaps the tightest of all. Almost keeping up with the Joneses but not quite (2 hrs 21 min), Team Cycle Obsession was less than two minutes behind.
 
The accompanying Monty's Gu Duathlon (run, mountain bike, run) men's open section was won by Oliver Shaw (2 hrs 22 min), with Wendy Gatward (3 hrs 23 min) winning the veteran women's section as first woman across the line.
 
Like all multisport, Monty's is of course about getting a new experience and giving it heaps, as much as it is about the podium. So hats off - in a hard case kind of way - to the local bloke in a business team who got halfway down the river before he realized he was holding the paddle backwards.  
 
Results: http://results.racetectiming.com/default.aspx?CId=34&RId=183

by Jim Robinson

Multisport Run 10km/ Mountain Bike 23km/Kayak 15km

Duathlon Run 10 km/ Mountain Bike 23km/ Run 8km

Didymo Treatment: All kayaks must be treated. They can be treated at the Friday night registration or on the day at the Kayak transition from 7:30am

T1  Run/Bike transition at Maraetotara Reserve will be open from 7:30am

Prize Giving:      Estmated to be at 3pm but depends on last finisher. Whakatane War Memorial Hall Complex, Short St.

Active Timing will get accurate and speedy results!