Cameron Harcourt Coast to Coast. Photo supplied.The Mid Canterbury district will have strong representation in this year’s Coast to Coast multisport event.

A huge number of local competitors will line up on the start line at Kumara Beach next weekend to take part in one of the toughest multisport events on the calendar each year – and a race which Mid Canterbury has a proud record in over many years.

In information released to the Guardian by event organisers, there is a strong local flavour in all aspects of the event with a wide-ranging group of categories and age groups – catering for all forms of thrill-seekers.

While there are no entries locally in the elite one-day event, age group wise there are a number of familiar names.

Cameron Harcourt, Mark Summerfield, Matt Amos and Samuel Clements-Stewart are all tackling the one-day event.

The two-day individual men event will see Jarrod Coutts, Mark Cressey, Ben Aldridge, Chris Reid and Paul Sinclair competing, while the women’s version of the same event has Germaine Shroy, Jackie Dwyer, Rachel Reid and Rachel Schmack all in action.

The teams events have 17 local names featuring, including three young Mount Hutt College students and some well-known Mid Canterbury locals.

As well as the entire course, there is the hugely popular mountain run in which this year Ian Blakemore, Jaimee Kearney, Jicinta McBain, Tom Kearney and Kate and Steve Overend will all compete.

The race begins with a three kilometre run from Kumara Beach, followed by a 55 km cycle up State Highway 73 to Aickens.

The next segment of the race is a 33-kilometre run up the Deception River, through Goat Pass and then down the Mingha River to the Bealey River and SH 73 at Klondyke Corner.

For the two-day event, competitors overnight here.

From Klondyke Corner, the 15 kilometre cycling leg along SH 73 brings competitors to the Waimakariri River at Mount White Bridge.

From there, competitors kayak 67 kilometres down the river to the Waimakariri Gorge Bridge (Route 72).

The race is rounded out by a 70-kilometre cycle to Sumner Beach.

The race will be run for the first time this year under the directorship of Glenn Currie, who himself is a past place-getter in the iconic multisport event and brother of multiple winner, Braden Currie.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 1 February 2019