MULTISPORT

Wanaka's Braden Currie to tackle three gruelling events in three weeks

By Sally Currie

Wanaka athlete Braden Currie is a humble, Kiwi bloke at heart but next month he will embark on a series of quite extraordinary sporting feats.

The Red Bull endurance racer will compete in three of the most gruelling events in the Asia Pacific region over three consecutive weekends in February. He will be forced to adapt his racing style and tactics to firstly complete an epic multisport race, followed by an ironman and lastly an off-road triathlon.

Currie (28) has maxed out his calendar with the defence of his second consecutive Speights Coast to Coast title (run, road bike, mountain run, kayak and bike) from Kumara Beach on the West Coast covering 243km to New Brighton beach on the East Coast) on February 14. Then comes his first-ever attempt at a full ironman distance triathlon in Challenge Wanaka (3.8km swim, 180km road bike, 42.2km run) on February 22. He then rounds out the month with the OTU Cross Triathlon Oceania Championships (1.5km swim, 30km mountain bike and 10km trail run) in New South Wales, Australia, on February 28.

Currie’s ‘say yes and worry about it later’ attitude has prompted this three in a row attempt.
“After my first Coast to Coast win in 2013, I had to quickly decide whether to make sport my life or whether to just make it part of my life. I decided to make sport my key focus, with the goal of finding where my passion and ability lies on an international level. This is why I enjoy setting myself challenges like this one.”

When asked why he has chosen three events across such varied disciplines and distances, Currie says:
“Coast is a must for me. I was always going to do it, because I love racing Coast. Challenge Wanaka is a really quick way of pushing myself to the next level in on-road sports, as well as, competing in my debut ironman in an area I love racing in.  And Xterra and Cross-Triathlon are now my key focus and a huge challenge for me this year. I love the speed and technical aspect of racing on off-road courses and have really enjoyed improving my technical skills on the bike.  I have a big year ahead of me in the United States racing Xterra, so the Oceania champs are hopefully going to get me back in the rhythm for this."

Lining up in the early hours of Valentine’s Day on Kumara beach, Currie will be hoping to make it a three-peat Coast to Coast victory. He first won the Longest Day in 2012 and then after a blistering 33km mountain run over Goat Pass last year, he beat home five-time Coast to Coast winner Richard Ussher by 21 minutes, finishing in a time of 11hrs, 18mins, 37secs.
“When I first did the Longest Day I gained the understanding that I could do it, then the next year I knew I could race it. This year I am at the point where I can race it as hard as I can for 11 hours.”

However, Currie is prepared for it not to be an easy day out.

“I know that there’s a good group of guys that have committed a huge amount of time in their preparation for this year’s Coast. I also know that there will be a big target on my back – all these guys will be out to beat me. But that’s just more encouragement for me to train harder and push myself on the day.”

Coast to Coast race director Richard Ussher believes Currie will be “very difficult to beat.”

“He is racing really well and as long as he is healthy I think it will be hard to stop him making it three in a row,” Ussher says.

He also rates Currie as one of the quickest runners ever over the mountain run.

“It would have been great to see Braden and Keith Murray [current Coast to Coast record holder, now 53-years-old] going head to head in the run if they were both in their prime,” Ussher says.

The day immediately after the Coast to Coast, Currie will begin a rapid recovery programme to get himself in the right physical condition and psychological head-space to turn around and race a 226km triathlon the following Sunday. As the first Kiwi home in January’s Port of Tauranga Half Ironman, Currie was recently-crowned the New Zealand Long Distance Triathlon champion, so he is secure in the knowledge that he can comfortably switch over to the swim/bike/run discipline.

“It will be a tough mental game as the usual full recovery for me is up to two-and-a-half weeks after Coast but with good rest, nutrition and hydration for three to four days I should then be able to do some light training for Challenge.”

Currie realises there are plenty of people who think it is not possible to contest two gruelling and contrasting endurance races , within a week of each other but he doesn’t like to place limits on himself.

“I never wanted to be an athlete afraid to enter an event because I was worried about trying something new or being beaten. This year I raced in Europe and got used to coming second but all that did was fuel my motivation to come first next year. If you don’t lose, than it’s pretty easy to become complacent. I love competition, so I am really looking forward to all three events."

His final race of the month is familiar territory for Currie, as he once again changes codes to take on the cross triathlon format that he successfully trialled last year in Europe. In his debut season, he placed second overall in the European Xterra Championships, taking out an incredible five podiums in the six races he contested.

Like many of New Zealand’s great achievers, Currie – who has been named NZ’s best all round athlete by NZ Triathlon and Multisport magazine - will go about his trio of challenges in February one by one, trying not to place too much emphasis on what’s next. His wife Sally says that Braden’s inability to plan too much, is actually his greatest strength in competition.
“He never even thinks about how much the stage or the next event is going to hurt - giving him the ability to hurt more than most people I know,” she says.

All the more reason for spectators and supporters at this trio of events to give Currie a cheer as he flashes by and follow his progress as this freakishly talented athlete takes on this massive, triple challenge.



Wanaka-based Red Bull endurance athlete Braden Currie shared the Speights Coast to Coast finish line run with his son Tarn (6) when he claimed his second consecutive win last year.  Credit: Paul’s Camera Shop.



Wanaka-based Red Bull endurance athlete Braden Currie nimbly makes his way through the 33km Goat Pass mountain run, on his way to his second consecutive victory in the 2014 Speights Coast to Coast.  Credit: Paul’s Camera Shop.



Wanaka-based Red Bull endurance athlete Braden Currie powers his way down the 67km Waimakariri River kayak stage on his way to his second consecutive victory in the 2014 Speights Coast to Coast.  Credit: Paul's Camera Shop.



Wanaka-based Red Bull endurance athlete Braden Currie enjoys a cuddle with his daughter Bella (1), while proud wife Sally looks on, at the finish line of the 2014 Speights Coast to Coast.  Credit: Paul's Camera Shop.


Braden Currie’s upcoming event calendar
Feb 14 - Speights Coast to Coast.
Feb 22 – Challenge Wanaka.
Feb 28 - OTU Cross Triathlon Oceania Championships, Australia.
March 7 – Motatapu Xterra UDC Finance Triathlon, Wanaka.
April 11 - Paymark XTERRA Rotorua Festival.
April 18 – Asia-Pacific XTERRA Championships, Australia