Two-thousand riders from around New Zealand and internationally have signed up to compete in the challenging high country race on March 8, 2014 – with race organisers having to close the field two weeks earlier than ever before.
“It’s fantastic to see that so many people are signing up to the Speight’s Summit 47km Mountain Bike event so quickly. Next year we celebrate 10 years of the Motatapu, so it just goes to show how popular the event has become,” Motatapu Race Director Gemma Boyle says.
The Speight’s Summit 47km Mountain Bike race starts at Glendhu Bay on the shores of Lake Wanaka and traverses spectacular countryside through the magnificent Motatapu, Soho and Glencoe Stations before finishing at historic Arrowtown. The track follows a route used by early Maori for hunting and gathering.
The inaugural Motatapu was held in 2005, offering a mountain bike or marathon option and attracted 1,000 participants. Now over 3,700 people take part in five different events, all held on the same day. Next to the Speight's Summit 47km Mountain Bike, event options include also: Icebreaker Off Road Marathon, Arrowtown.com 15km Miners Trail, XTERRA UDC Finance Triathlon, R&R Sport 49km 2-Person Adventure Run, R&R Sport Multisport (next held in 2015). All on March 8, 2014.
Source: Motatapu website and FB profile Thanks to Naomi Lindsay Photos: Nathan Secker
