Torrential rain and a violent lamppost couldn’t stop Queenstown Constable Max Freer from conquering the 2022 Coast to Coast race.
Max was entered into the single day ‘longest day’ section of the notoriously gruelling event, which sees competitors tackle rugged terrain to complete a 2.2km run followed by a 55km cycle, a 33km run, a 115km cycle and a 30km kayak, before finishing with a third cycle leg of 15km.
It was on that final cycle leg, only a kilometre from the finish line, that Max met his most painful obstacle of the course.
A lamppost.
“I’d had my head down on the T-bars, riding pretty close to the curb of the footpath, then I looked up and, I’m not really sure what happened,” say Max, “but I collided with a lamppost pretty hard.”
It was a collision that separated Max’s AC joint in his shoulder, on the same side as a previously sustained injury where he had broken his collarbone.
“I knew it wasn’t right, but with the help of some of the roadside spectators I got back on my bike and just kept going.
“It was only a kilometre to the end, and I’d been through quite a bit to get to that point.”
'Quite a bit’ might be the understatement of the century when talking about the individual single day Coast to Coast event. Especially more so considering this year’s second cycle leg had an extra 100 kilometres added to it.
“That second cycle was tough. There’s about a 1000 metre elevation too, so the climbs are pretty hard going,” says Max, “but I had an awesome support crew of mates who kept screaming at me – keeping me going.”
If the course didn’t have enough challenges already, the weather came along to play its part too.
“It started pouring with rain during the kayak and that just continued right through to the finish, which made things pretty tricky at times.”
The ‘longest day’ event this year saw about 33% of entrants drop out along the way of the 243 kilometre course, which proves to be an extreme test of physical fitness and mental strength.
“There’s a cut-off time for competitors at the end of the kayak, so if they don’t make that, they’re out. Thankfully, I made it with about an hour to spare.”
Max had been working towards the Coast to Coast race for a year, committing to countless hours of training, and working to a professionally set programme for six months.
All that work paid off for Max, who finished with an impressive time of 13 hours 47 minutes.
“It’s a long day, that’s for sure," he says. "And I’ve got to say the burger and beer waiting for me at the finish line went down extremely well after a day of eating gels.”
Completing the course is a gigantic achievement for the young constable, and one he hopes to improve on in the future.
“There’s plenty for me to work on for next time. But I will probably skip next year’s race, just to get some of my life back for a while.”