We woke up with pouring rain pounding the roof and blowing wind whipping. The night before, we received text messages that the race would very well be the alternate course. But I think I was in denial. Nevertheless, we went through some alternate plans with the support crew IF the course would be changed. As fate would have it, at about 5:55am on the start line, the word was pretty much out and confirmed that YES this year's Speight's Coast to Coast would be "Plan B".

So rather than following the rocky mountain pass and feisty river route, we were relegated to the roads for the majority of the trek across the Main Divide and into Christchurch, only to finish with a frustratingly shallow and boring paddle on the Avon River. Sometimes Mother Nature simply cannot be reckoned with!

I felt like I was in the best shape of my life with experience on my side, but I was totally unprepared for road running, as well as the run/ride format that unfolded. We went through the usual start with the 3k dash to the bikes (in the pouring rain). It was hard to motivate to sprint in the foul weather. On the 55k bike, I felt like I was in a good position: within sight of the lead pack with 2 other women ahead including Elina Ussher, who went on to win the race. I was not interested in being in a big bunch in the horrendous conditions for fear of a crash, so I was happy where I was.

Once running, I was maintaining the gap between myself and Elina, and was running well with Sophie Hart, a top runner and athlete, not to mention a super cool chick. However once we started climbing the Otira Gorge, I started to lose pace and was falling behind. My legs were starting to feel the pounding on the unfamiliar road and by 2 hours my legs seized up.

The rest of the run downhill into Arthur's Pass village and to Klondyke was pure torture. How on earth was I going to keep going?

over Arthurs Pass, with flooded river in the background

Mitch my husband passed me as well as what seemed like everyone else in the race and I just felt like I was going backwards! It was a very tough mental position to be in. 

In the Klondyke transition, I told my crew that I was really hurting, but I didn't need to say anything - they already knew it. When I was told the time gap was over 15 minutes to Elina, I was disheartened, but I knew that if I pushed hard, there was still a chance I could make it up if I had a good ride. I've done it before!

But then the news came, "Em, you're allowed to draft." This was a terrible let-down, because I knew this took away my advantage as a good time trial rider and would change the race, especially for the women who could draft the men.

in perfect weather on the East side of the Southern Alps

 I rode most of the 135km by myself but once I hit the Canterbury Plains, I connected with one other man, and we shared 5 minute pulls. Thanks Dion! We picked up a couple other men, and Jodie Fa'ave, but no one was in a position to help with the workload, so me and Dion continued pulling the others along. We made up over 10 minutes on my husband who got away from me on the run. But it certainly wasn't enough to catch the leader who was in a good group, and not only maintaining her lead but smashing it with every pedal stroke! Even though I was getting beaten, at least I got satisfaction knowing that I rode the 2^nd half of the ride like my old self and helped out a couple of friends in the process.

The kayak leg was a token gesture in comparison to the amazing Waimak River; a 2 hour flat water paddle on the shallow, weedy Avon River.

down the Avon River which runs through Christchurch

It just all seemed out of place, and it certainly didn't feel like the real Coast to Coast. Kayaking was frustrating, fighting with the constant drag of weed getting caught on my rudder, which pulled my steering all over the place. I think I did more sweep strokes and railing than actual paddling. After we reached the entrance to Estuary, we had to get out of our kayaks and cycle the final 10km to the finish in Sumner. My glut muscles were screaming. I felt like a helpless victim in the movie "Hostel", like someone was driving a power drill into my sides! I knew I was almost home, and that's just where I wanted to be. It couldn't have come sooner.

Winning is really fun, but you don't learn nearly as much as you do from losing.

In the end I was the 4^th woman. I have to admit that I had expectations of retaining my title. I knew that "expectation is the mother of all crisis" but deep down, maybe I did have expectations, despite resisting? I accepted that this was not my day. I was untrained for road-running and I did zero run/ride training, and the draft rule didn't suit my specialist time trial riding ability. All things considered, I was happy with assessing the damage as the race unfolded and just finished the race in the best position I could. The main thing was that I didn't quit even though I was getting my arse kicked - not an easy thing to swallow when you're in my position, being the 3x returning Champ.

The next day at the Awards Ceremony, I was accosted by many people saying such kind and sympathetic words to me. The one that took the cake (or cookie!) was Chloe and her Mum. Chloe had just done the School Girls' Teams 2-day Coast to Coast, and they wanted a photo with me. Even though I was not the winner, I was still their hero and that made all the suffering and pride-swallowing worth it. It was a powerful reminder of why I do this race! Thanks Chloe - you really made my day and taught me a valuable lesson!

Thanks to everyone else for the countless text messages and emails of both "good luck" wishes before the race, as well as the continued support afterwards. Thanks to my support crew and my husband Mitch.