ADVENTURE RACING

AR World Champion Nathan Fa'avae Joins GODZone for 2016 Course Design

By 100% PURE Racing




The 2016 GODZone expedition race being held in Tasman is set to benefit from adventure racing legend Nathan Fa’avae’s expert advice with the world’s number one assisting with the course design.

GODZone Race Director Warren Bates says Fa’avae’s experience and knowledge of the Tasman District is second to no one and he welcomed the opportunity to collaborate.

“ When Nathan told me he was not planning on racing GODZone with team Seagate in 2016 I immediately thought we could work together to create a world class course.

There are so many varied elements to consider when putting an expedition of this nature together and Nathan’s skill as the worlds best adventure racer combined with his intimate knowledge of Tasman has been a real coup for us.”

As four-time winner of GODZone, Nathan Fa’avae has been instrumental in bringing the race to his home turf and he says while New Zealand provides an amazing experience for adventure racers, the Tasman District offers a diverse coastal twist.

“It is most famous for the Abel Tasman National Park for outdoors sports but there is also two other national parks and essentially, it’s where the Southern Alps end and drop off into the ocean so its unique.”

Fa’avae says teams in the 2016 adventure event will experience something not found elsewhere in the South Island. 

“ Every stage of next years GODZone here will have a very special feel to it and that is not the case for most other adventure races. The climate in Tasman is very good, its typically warm and settled weather and racers are going to experience a smorgasbord of microenvironments all in one region. What we have here is like no other area with the diversity of rivers, lakes and mountains.”

Entries for the 2016 GODZone open on the 1st July, 2015 with limited spaces available for two categories of racing, the Pure and Pursuit categories. Fa’avae says it will be a good race for inexperienced teams to step up to.

“ Tasman is a fantastic place for adventure athletes of all levels whether you’re racing to win or racing for the experience. What’s good about this region is that the terrain is not extreme or as intense in comparison to other parts of the Southern Alps. Here in Tasman, there are major wilderness areas and amazing places but they are less extreme which is good for adventure racing in general.

It nurtures the athlete, is less rugged and more accommodating which means racers are not having to battle the extremities so much, they are not being beaten up by the terrain. It lends itself to very enjoyable racing.”

Fa’avae says if he had been going to race GODZone, Race Director Warren Bates would have had a hard time coming up with a course he did not already know.

“If I had been racing there would have been only very small parts of this area that Warren could have taken me too. Nelson and Tasman are my home ground, its where I have trained for adventure racing all my life, its where I recreate and its also my work environment.

It's a fairly unique situation to be part of the GODZone course design, and for someone with my racing background it's great to encourage international racers to travel out here and experience what has been my training ground for my whole life. I think that will appeal to those keen to come and explore my home territory.”

GODZone Race Director Warren Bates agrees and says the area has massive appeal.

“ We are in a unique situation with the 2016 GODZone where we get to showcase Tasman, which is effectively Nathan’s backyard, to the rest of the adventure racing world. This is a once in a life time opportunity to come and race on a course designed by both of us but which ultimately carry’s our world champion’s blessing. “

For more information on how to enter go to team entries go to http://godzoneadventure.com  or the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/godzoneadventure