ADVENTURE RACING

GODZone To Start Downtown Queenstown

By QT Magazine

Chapter 6 of GODZone will start in downtown Queenstown this weekend.
 
Organisers confirmed today that the seven-day expedition race would start from the spectacular Queenstown Bay, in front of the new Eichardt’s building, on Saturday morning at 7am (NZST).
 
It's the first time the adventure-racing event, the largest in the world, has been held in the Queenstown region and over 280 competitors have converged on the resort ready to line up on the start line.
 
“ We are absolutely thrilled to have enticed so many adventure racers to the adventure capitol of the world and this is going to be one of the most spectacular journeys of their lifetime,” says Race Director Warren Bates.
 
“ We really want the people of Queenstown, Wanaka, Glenorchy and Cromwell to come out and show their support for these teams. Many of them are international and very excited to be here racing in New Zealand,” says Bates.
 
The teams will discover exactly where the expedition course will take them at the official GODZone registration being held up at Skyline on Friday (tomorrow). Destination Queenstown CEO Graham Budd will address the competitors and welcome them to the region.
 

Bates says there are plenty of local teams who will appreciate a good crowd turning out to cheer them off on the adventurous expedition.
 
“Over 20 local teams from Queenstown and Wanaka are in the field and I am sure they are proud to be starting in their own backyard. There will be plenty of room along Queenstown Bay, by the Memorial Gates, for spectators to come out and give them a great send off this Saturday morning.”
 
As one of the most technically challenging expeditions in the world, GODZone teams will be racing for up to seven days and navigating their way through a distance of approximately 420km with over 10,000m of ascent.
 
Each team of four must stay within 100 meters of each other at all times as they kayak, mountain bike, trek, raft and climb across some of New Zealand’s most iconic landscapes.
 
For more information on GODZone teams list go to
http://godzoneadventure.com or the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/godzoneadventure