Press release:

October 3rd 2016 (TBC)

New Zealand’s premiere all-girl multi-sport race heads north

New Zealand’s most successful all-female adventure race, the Torpedo 7 Spring Challenge will be held in the North Island for the first time in its ten year history, when it takes place in Rotorua on Saturday, 8 October 2016. The South Island event, which has been at full capacity for the past three years, was held in Golden Bay, on Saturday, 24 September 2016.

Four-time World Champion Adventure Racer and Event Director, Nathan Fa’avae, says that the South Island event can no longer keep up with demand as more Kiwi women and girls are looking to challenge themselves in the sport of Adventure Racing.

“The Torpedo 7 Spring Challenge has exploded in popularity in the South Island with participant numbers growing from 327 in 2007 to 1350 in 2015 as more women discover adventure racing as a rewarding, achievable and fun way to challenge themselves,” says Fa’avae.

Participants will travel from throughout the North and South Islands to participate in the inaugural Torpedo 7 Spring Challenge North event. The precise location of the course is kept secret until the day prior to the race so that local participants will not have an advantage over those travelling from outside the Bay of Plenty region.

Along with first-timers, the event has attracted some of the country’s best adventure racers including Debbie Chambers, captain of New Zealand’s most experienced all women’s adventure racing team, Girls on Top.

The Torpedo 7 Spring Challenge sees teams of three navigate a three, six or nine-hour course completing cycling, rafting, and hiking sections while orienteering themselves through set check points. Participants in the nine hour event will cover more than 75km of New Zealand’s remote wilderness and it’s expected that teams may take up to 18 hours to complete the course.

Fa’avae says that the race courses have been designed to cater to all levels of ability.

“Our experienced team works hard to ensure that the courses will be achievable but challenging enough that participants feel a genuine sense of achievement when they cross the finish line. Teams complete each section together, working as a single cohesive unit, which is one of the more rewarding, and most challenging, aspects of the event,” says Fa’avae.

The North Island event has so far attracted 483 entries with many participants who missed out on the South Island Challenge making the trip north to compete in Rotorua.

Major Events Manager for Rotorua Lakes Council, Martin Croft, says that growing the Rotorua region’s profile as a premiere destination for events like the Torpedo 7 Spring Challenge is a key part of their vision for the District.

“Hosting an event like the Torpedo 7 Spring Challenge, which has proven its success and built a solid reputation, is fantastic for our region. Not only will it contribute to our local economy but it will expose a range of new visitors to what Rotorua has to offer,” says Mr Croft.

To find out more about the Torpedo 7 Spring Challenge – North Island, visit www.springchallenge.co.nz.

First time adventure racers, Northlanders Jane Young and Kylie Going, will team up with Sacha Deleuran from Denmark (centre), for the inaugural Torpedo 7 Spring Challenge North.

Key facts about the Torpedo 7 Spring Challenge

• By the end of 2016 approximately 6,500 Kiwi women will have completed a Spring Challenge with many of those participating multiple times. The 2015 event held in Wanaka attracted a record 1350 participants.

• Spring Challenge has been running in the South Island since 2007 and is the brain-child of husband and wife team, Nathan and Jodie Fa’avae.

• The event sees teams of three navigate their way through a set route using a map and compass completing hiking, mountain biking and guided-rafting sections.

• Participants choose from 3, 6 or 9 hour courses. Courses cover roughly the distances below:

o 3-hour Event: 10-15km Rafting, 15-20km Biking, 4-5km hiking

o 6-hour Event: 10-15km Rafting, 25-35km Biking, 8-12km hiking

o 9-hour Event: 10-15km Rafting, 45-55km Biking, 20-30km hiking

• Within each event there are several divisions:

o School (15-18 year olds) 3-hour only

o Junior (combined age less than 60-years) 6-hour only

o Open (combined age 61-119-years)

o Veteran (combined age 120 or more years)

o SuperVet (combined age 150 or more years) 6-hour only

© Scoop Media