2009 Results
Over 250 starters faced up to the starting line at Rawhiti in the outer Bay of Islands on Saturday in excellent running conditions for the annual Cape Brett Challenge adventure runs. The event which is composed of two runs – 37km and 17km – passes through some of NZ's most spectacular coastal scenery, but requires runners to take on bush tracks, parts of them rough and fearsomely steep. The signature 37km event , which is now in its 5 th year has quickly developed a reputation
as one of the toughest off-road runs in NZ with a significant proportion of the field each year failing to survive the demands of the course or the time cut-offs imposed by the organisers in the interests of safety.
Veteran runner, Mark Bright, of Waiheke Island took line honours in 2009 with a clear cut win over Tim Cochrane from Auckland and Simon Walters from Puhoi. Bright led virtually from start to finish and always looked comfortable in spite of a spectacular tumble in front of the photographer stationed out at Cape Brett. Bright has a long and successful off-road running career with podium placings at some of NZ's best adventure runs, including the 60km Kepler Challenge in Fiordland. Sonya Clark of Auckland ran a more measured race catching champion marathon runner Adi Ngawati close to Cape Brett before powering away to finish well clear of vet Christine Carleton from Gisborne and Ngawati from Whangarei. Clark is a tough competitor and the female member of The Powered by Velvet adventure racing team which won the Southern Traverse in 2008 and qualified for the world champs in Brazil. The Explore NZ relay version was won in its first year by Chris Lenssen and Karl Schimanski of Auckland. The organisers recognise that the full course is achievable only by a limited group of athletes and that a more easily do-able version is desirable - the relay version allows a team of two runners to split the course between them with the second runner being taken out to Deep Water Cove by boat for the changeover.
The 17km Outdoor Action Whangamumu Classic was won by NZ orienteering representative Jourdan Harvey of Auckland in his first year as an open man (he holds the current junior record) from womens winner Amy Burke (Whangarei) and junior winner Matthew Paul (Auckland) in third place overall. Burke ran a fantastic race to beat the current women's record (held by expatriate Russian representative runner Oksana Isavina) from 2007 and came home comfortably clear of Kate Wood (Whangarei)and Bridget Leonard (Auckland).
The event attracted runners from all over New Zealand, with a number coming from as far south as Queenstown and Invercargill to enjoy the delights of the Far North.
