June 5, 2009

To All Contact Epic Competitors

Congratulations once again on completing this challenge, and thanks for your contribution to a great day out. Without the good-humour and sense of adventure you bring to this event it would not be the same.

It is one of the most challenging courses out there with the distance, varied terrain, remote environment and the Dingle Burn Café all making this event unique. Those that get through it can rest assured they can handle one of the toughest rides in the country.

Thank you all for supporting the race ethos of self-responsibility. We will make the event as safe as possible but want to fight the move toward the cotton wool, overly dictated rules, compulsory bike / gear checks etc. The better you prepare and manage yourself out there the more we can keep people thinking about these issues and keep the tough, rugged, adventurous kiwi spirit alive. Well done to you all again on this.

For those who rode in the inaugural event and are contenders for the Last Man Standing kitty, there is now about $650.00 in the pot. We will send out a news letter in July when entries open for 2010. This will include the names of all those still in the running.

We also have two Contact Epic jerseys left in medium size if any one missed out or may be interested in purchasing them.

Next year’s event:
Next years event will be on Anzac weekend, April 24, 2010. Entries will open online this July.
Go to www.contactepic.co.nz

Survey:
We have created a survey form that takes about 4 mins to fill out. It will assist us to provide the ultimate event for 2010! We want to continuously improve this event and need your help with ideas, suggestions and feedback. All you need to do is fill in this form online and push the send button.

Access the survey by clicking on this link: http://www.lakehaweaepic.co.nz/survey2009

Event highlights / low lights and anecdotes:
We were very pleased to see so many locals on the course and so many featuring on the podium. We had attracted riders from as far away as England, Aussie and USA which means you are all spreading the word well!

It was also fantastic to see riders from all over NZ with some big groups coming from Tauranga and Wanganui.

We have to make mention of the plus 60yrs that entered and completed the course. In particular we acknowledge our oldest competitor, Andy Middendorf at 70yrs old who completed the Epic and our two youngest riders, Declan Pearson and Nakia Randle, 15yrs that raced in the Classic. It’s great to see these people pushing their respective envelopes, so to speak, at both ends of the scale.

We only had two serious injuries to contend with this year, a gentleman on the old highway below the Lake Hawea lookout came a cropper and busted his collarbone, a few ribs and his thumb, that’s got to hurt! Another in a high speed wipe-out knocked himself out and bit the end of his tongue. He said the surgery to stitch it back together was worst than the accident it’s self but he is very keen to race again next year. That shows commitment and the sort of people we want to attract to this event.!

On the minor side one poor lady broke the forks off a borrowed bike just minutes from the Classic start line. (It was on the top of her car and got caught on greenery!) But in the spirit of the day, we raced back to the tail end charlie vehicle on the Epic leg and got the spare bike, half an hour later she was off trying to catch the people that did start on time and duly rode to the finish line with a great sense of achievement. A ‘no give up attitude’, we like that too.

There were a number of other scrapes and bangs by the looks of those crossing the finish line. Blood, sweat and tears, what a wonderful combination so long as it has a happy ending. Thank you to all those competitors who stopped to help their fallen comrades, we know it’s hard for some to stop but that’s what it’s all about. Remember it might be you that needs a helping hand next time.

We received a lot of positive feedback regarding this so, for those who made someone else’s day that little bit better, accept this pat on the back.

Of course the memories for each person will be different. I gather one chap caught up with an old Lincoln varsity flat mate from 30 years ago at the Dingle Burn ‘Cafe’ and, I daresay Jim McMurray and Bruce Thompson are unlikely to forget this particular birthday! There was a good compromise between the hard core racers, those taking on the challenge of just getting to the finish line and also those out to enjoy the scenery. Well done again to you all.

Prize giving:
The prize giving and the finish line had an overhaul this year and if you have any feedback on this see the survey page above.

Sponsorship:
Sponsors are an essential element in the success and viability of this event and we again would like to thank them. A special mention to our principal sponsor Contact, for their support for the event and the funding to the Hawea Community groups for the volunteers and financing the merit prizes in each of the sections. Also for the big step up in support of the competitors with the free photo and massages. I can’t recall too many other events that offer this.

Our gold sponsors Radio Wanaka, Edgewater Resort, Paterson Pitts and the ODT, do a great job in supporting this event and their contribution is essential for this event to grow.

If you check out our sponsor page and cast your mind back to all the sponsors banners and products that were on offer at prize giving, you will see that we have a great selection of sponsors offering some top of the line prizes. The best thing we can do as athletes is to support those businesses that support us in our sporting endeavors.

Other LMS Events:
To keep you focused and training over the winter, have a look at this other great Wanaka endurance event that LMS Events have been running for the past 5 years.

Mountain 2 Mountain – 13 September 2009 at the Treble Cone Ski field
It’s a fantastic and fun Multi Sport Event with 6 stages of Skiing, Running, MTB, Kayaking and Road Biking from Treble Cone Ski Field to the Snow Farm in the Cardrona Valley. This is a big day out for individuals who are wanting to keep motivated over the winter and is proving a particularly popular event for teams of 2-6 persons who now occupy the largest category of this event. Entry details will be in the July Newsletter.

Keep the rubber on the road! See you all in 2010 if not before!

The LMS Events Team

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