Recently I was fortunate enough to be involved again in the Great Adventure Race for Cure Kids. Alan Nelson had once more put together a thoroughly challenging course which ran from the Firth of Thames into the Hunua ranges and back to Orere Point on the coast.
An interesting drive in the dark saw me there at 6.30am and heading out onto the course with some of the support crew. All volunteers, they are an amazing bunch of individuals with a wealth of outdoor, search and rescue knowledge. Oh and did I mention one of them is in his eighties, extraordinary and inspirational people!
Covering the event with another photographer, the plan was for them to photograph all the transition areas while I headed out on the course with the teams. This was not a job where I was going to be short on exercise!
Hiking out onto the course as the sun rose was just magical, with amazing views out across the Firth of Thames to the Coromandel. I ran, trekked, climbed with teams as they navigated their way from the coast into the hills across the first five checkpoints to a river crossing. Fast paced and ever changing light kept me on my toes!
From here I returned to the start to pick up my car and headed to the first transition station where the teams switched from foot to pedal power. Always surprising how quick the first teams go through, no chance to catch your breath or you miss the action!
Next was a mad dash to the FourFourty Mountain Bike Park to catch the competitors as they headed into the forest. The challenge here was catching the action in the low light of the dense trees, without everything looking overpowered by the flash. Much to their delight teams found me lurking behind trees at the bottom of steep drops, which gave me some great shots.
Back into the car and a drive out to the coast gave me my first breather of the day and the chance for a sandwich! With my water bottle refilled and a change of cards in the cameras I set out along the coast from Orere Point to Puatiti point. More stunning views and not a soul around, I positioned myself in amongst the rocks i knew the teams would have to negotiate and waited…and waited.
I knew it would take even the fastest teams a while to get to me, but you are on constant alert. After what seemed like an age, repositioning myself many times as the tide went out, suddenly some heads appeared amongst the rocks and the PWC Wellington team clambered fully into view. Within seconds they were past, onto the beach and in the home stretch to the finish line. Close behind them came the Fonterra Flyers who somehow still had big smiles on their faces, just as I remembered them from the previous year!
Once I had shot as many teams as I could in the coast section, I raced back along the long stretch of beach to my car and headed to the finish line. Teams arrived in various stages of exhaustion for the next couple of hours, to a fantastic reception from everyone at the finish line.It really is an amazing event to cover and I take my hat off to all the teams, support crews, course officials and everyone from Cure Kids who make it happen! Just brilliant to be a part of something so worthwhile.
A 15 hour day, 12 hours on my feet, I slept well that night!
An interesting drive in the dark saw me there at 6.30am and heading out onto the course with some of the support crew. All volunteers, they are an amazing bunch of individuals with a wealth of outdoor, search and rescue knowledge. Oh and did I mention one of them is in his eighties, extraordinary and inspirational people!
Covering the event with another photographer, the plan was for them to photograph all the transition areas while I headed out on the course with the teams. This was not a job where I was going to be short on exercise!
Hiking out onto the course as the sun rose was just magical, with amazing views out across the Firth of Thames to the Coromandel. I ran, trekked, climbed with teams as they navigated their way from the coast into the hills across the first five checkpoints to a river crossing. Fast paced and ever changing light kept me on my toes!
From here I returned to the start to pick up my car and headed to the first transition station where the teams switched from foot to pedal power. Always surprising how quick the first teams go through, no chance to catch your breath or you miss the action!
Next was a mad dash to the FourFourty Mountain Bike Park to catch the competitors as they headed into the forest. The challenge here was catching the action in the low light of the dense trees, without everything looking overpowered by the flash. Much to their delight teams found me lurking behind trees at the bottom of steep drops, which gave me some great shots.
Back into the car and a drive out to the coast gave me my first breather of the day and the chance for a sandwich! With my water bottle refilled and a change of cards in the cameras I set out along the coast from Orere Point to Puatiti point. More stunning views and not a soul around, I positioned myself in amongst the rocks i knew the teams would have to negotiate and waited…and waited.
I knew it would take even the fastest teams a while to get to me, but you are on constant alert. After what seemed like an age, repositioning myself many times as the tide went out, suddenly some heads appeared amongst the rocks and the PWC Wellington team clambered fully into view. Within seconds they were past, onto the beach and in the home stretch to the finish line. Close behind them came the Fonterra Flyers who somehow still had big smiles on their faces, just as I remembered them from the previous year!
Once I had shot as many teams as I could in the coast section, I raced back along the long stretch of beach to my car and headed to the finish line. Teams arrived in various stages of exhaustion for the next couple of hours, to a fantastic reception from everyone at the finish line.It really is an amazing event to cover and I take my hat off to all the teams, support crews, course officials and everyone from Cure Kids who make it happen! Just brilliant to be a part of something so worthwhile.
A 15 hour day, 12 hours on my feet, I slept well that night!
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