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Pete Melling recently completed the Rodney Coastal Challenge, almost 20 years after he first ran it in 2005.
The event, which is celebrating 25 years, sees more than 300 competitors run, paddle and cycle across Rodney, from Woodhill Forest to Wenderholm Regional Park. It is run by the Kaukapakapa Scout Group as a fundraiser and Pete says they deserve a huge pat on the back.
“Multisport has suffered greatly from health and safety regulations, which makes it expensive to hold a race now,” Pete says. “So bless the scout group that organises this. You have to take your hat off to them. That’s why I support it – also because it’s local and I love multisport.”
Before he started entering multisport races, Pete was a kayaker and runner.
“Cycling came later, and is my weakest link,” he says. “And the training locally can be dangerous – there aren’t a lot of good off-road cycle trails.”
Pete joined the Hibiscus Coast Harriers and Triathlon Club around 20 years ago. His fellow club members know him as Pukeko Pete, after a pukeko flew into his front wheel while he was on a training ride in 2010. The incident was fatal for the pukeko and Pete broke his collar bone and lost a lot of skin.
“I’ve never been allowed to forget that one,” he says.
He says good cyclists do well in the Rodney Coastal Challenge, as it has a 10km run and 8km kayak but 55km of cycling.
“There are a few flat bits, but most of it is hilly, with some steep and big climbs. The Puhoi River is great fun in a kayak, so I make up some time there.”
The semi-retired retirement village groundsman says he is pretty competitive and does some form of training five days a week. One year, he won the Rodney Coastal Challenge’s Over 60s category, and in 2014 he won the Over 60s One Day Coast to Coast event.
The 75-year-old says this year’s race, on November 19, was “a bit of a learning curve”, with cycling again causing issues.
He finished within his target time, in 5hrs:10mins, but says he got a lot of cramps and realised that he had been “a bit light on the cycle training”.
“At the end of the race, I said ‘I think this might be the last one’,” Pete says. “But it was a great day and now I’m thinking I could do it again, but next time work a bit more on the cycling.”
