There’s still time to enter the inaugural Challenge Wanaka Multi race at the end of the month but be in quick as it’s already 95 per cent full.

The new race features a 25km kayak, 43km mountain bike and a 12km trail run for individuals, tandems or three person teams, and is being pitched to athletes as a great way to assess how the winter training has gone before the spring racing calendar gets into full swing.

Race organisers said they’ve deliberately capped entries at 100 across all the events and they already have 95 entrants, with a third from the local district, and most others from Southland and Canterbury, plus a handful from the North Island.

Challenge Wanaka media manager Sophie Luther said planning was going well, and there has been positive feedback from the athletes and the community. 

‘Our sponsors have been very supportive through this whole period - we are very lucky with our loyal partners,” Sophie said. 

They have prepared for and worked through the various protocols which will come into effect if alert level two is imposed but for now, under level one, “things have become easier”, she said.

The first leg of the race is a 25km kayak. Starting at the Wanaka Watersports Facility on Roys Bay, the contestants will cross Roys Bay, paddle around Beacon Point to the Outlet, before heading down the Clutha River, finishing 2.5kms above Luggate’s Red Bridge.

The second leg is a 43km mountain bike stage. It starts at the Clutha River, goes along the Newcastle Track to the Hāwea River swing bridge, on to the Albert Town campground and the Deans Bank Trail, then along the Dublin Bay 4WD track around the foreshore to the Dublin Bay road before turning onto the the highway to Hāwea, crossing at the dam to the Hāwea River track, heading back to the swing bridge and finishing beside the Albert Town bridge.

The third and final leg is the 12km trail run which begins under the Albert Town bridge and follows the Outlet track past the Outlet Motor Camp, onto the Beacon Point track along the foreshore, then finishes back at the Wanaka Watersports Facility.

In ideal conditions, the fastest time is predicted to be around 4hrs 25 minutes.

The organisers acknowledge much of the race is held on tracks and trails from which the public cannot be excluded.

“We are happy to share,” Sophie said. “We will have a lead biker coming through to let anyone know that there is an event on [and] we will also have signage and arrows up for competitors.”

Course information is available here for the public to assess in advance.

Challenge Wanaka Multi was originally scheduled for March 28 but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 restrictions. The race will also double for the 2020 New Zealand Multisport Nationals.

The Integrity Homes Challenge Wanaka Multi will be held on Saturday October 31 and while registrations close on the Friday before (October 30) the organisers are expecting the race to be full before then.