True West Harihari Adventure Race

True West Adventure Race: Whitewater, Headwinds and a Long Way to the Coast

What an epic. That river was something else!

TrueWest is known for being a serious test of adventure racing skills, but this year’s edition on the West Coast of the South Island delivered something special. Big landscapes, wild weather, and a river that demanded respect.

Our team came together at the last minute after an injury forced a change to the lineup. That meant some of us had never actually raced together before the start line. As it turned out, it was great preparation for what lies ahead later this year when we head to Corsica for the Adventure Racing World Championships, where Dave will take on the role of lead navigator.

The race started at 3:00am on Friday morning with a long trekking leg. Conditions were calm at first, the sort of quiet West Coast night that feels almost peaceful before the weather rolls in. By the time we reached the high point, the promised southerly had arrived with rain and cold. The descent back toward the Wanganui River was… slippery to say the least. Then came the packrafting!

The river delivered proper whitewater and demanded our full attention. At many points our “non-bailing” packraft required we had to pull over to empty out a surprising amount of water. Despite that, we stayed upright, stayed warm, and kept moving downstream.

Halfway down the river we reached the portage around the grade four section — and a welcome moment to refuel. A Back Country Cuisine Mocha Smoothie went down perfectly. Quick energy, and exactly what was needed in the middle of a demanding leg.

The downstream paddle continued all the way toward the coast where things slowed dramatically. The river widened, and a strengthening headwind meant progress came the hard way.

Leg two was another packraft and trekking section. On paper it was supposed to be half the distance and half the time of the first leg. In reality, it took longer for most teams.

This is where experience tells you to carry a backup plan. I always keep a spare meal at the bottom of my pack in case a leg blows out beyond expectations. This time it was the Back Country Cuisine Yogurt and Muesli. I’m a big fan of good muesli — I often make my own when I have the time — and this one always feels a bit like home on the trail. It’s also one of those meals you can stomach even when your body is deep into race mode.

As it turned out, the tide eventually turned in our favour and the pace picked up again. The reserve meal stayed in the bottom of the pack this time.

From there the race moved into the bike, a lake paddle, and a final bike to the finish. Compared to the earlier legs things felt almost straightforward. We managed to hold our position in fourth place, keeping the third-placed team in sight for most of the race but never quite closing the gap.

In the end we finished after 36 hours of racing, just 15 minutes behind third place, which made for some pretty tight racing across the field.

For a team that had barely raced together before the start line, it felt like a strong performance and a great learning experience. We’ve already identified a couple of areas to improve before the next race — smoother transitions and matching packraft setups will be high on the list.

Personally, it was also the first time I’ve ever been in a packraft on such serious grade three whitewater. An adventure experience I won’t forget in a hurry!

What I do know is that it was a privilege to move through that wild West Coast landscape with good teammates, in a well-run race, and come away with stories that will last a long time.

Adventure racing doesn’t get much better than that.

And breakfast on Sunday morning – Yogurt & Muesli of course!