The Karapoti Classic is New Zealand's longest-running annual mountain bike event, started in 1986 by Paul Kennett.[1] The full course is 50 kilometres (31 mi) long and starts in Karapoti Park, Akatarawa, in Upper Hutt, and heads up the 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) Karapoti Gorge.[2] From there it begins a single 30 kilometres (19 mi) loop in the native and pine forest of the Akatarawa Ranges.
 One of the steep uphill passages (2006) | |
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | first Saturday of March |
| Region | Karapoti Gorge and Akatarawa Forest, Upper Hutt |
| Discipline | Cross country race |
| Competition | Mountain Bike National Championships |
| Type | single lap |
| History | |
| Editions | 32 |
| Most wins | Jon Hume (4 wins) Kathy Lynch (8 wins) |
| Most recent | Kyle Ward Samara Sheppard |
The 1986 Karapoti was New Zealand's first national mountain bike race and was self declared the National Off-Road Championships. The event was managed by the Kennett Bros until 2002.
The event differs from most races because it comprises a large single loop and the route does not change from year to year.
With two exceptions, it has since 1993 been held on the first Saturday of March every year.
Race records
edit| Rider | Class | Time | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anton Cooper | Men | 2:07:57[3] | 2014 |
| Kim Hurst | Women | 2:45:29 | 2014 |
Individual results
editMale and female winners since the inaugural race are shown in the table below.[4]
| Event | Date | Men | Women | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competitor | Residence | Time | Competitor | Residence | Time | ||
| 1st | 25 April 1986 | Tim Galloway | Wellington | 2:35:28 | Anne Butler | Wellington | 4:01:54 |
| 2nd | 10 May 1987 | Paul Kennett | Wellington | 1:45:00 | Phillipa Parsons | Wellington | 2:27:51 |
| 3rd | 27 February 1988 | Simon Kennett | Wellington | 2:54:30 | Alison Mitchell | Christchurch | 3:54:07 |
| 4th | 2 April 1989 | Grant Tyrrell | Hamilton | 2:38:50 | Kathy Lynch | Motueka | 3:15:58 |
| 5th | 30 March 1990 | Paul Hinton | United Kingdom | 2:40:18 | Kathy Lynch | Motueka | 3:10:12 |
| 6th | 23 March 1991 | Jon Hume | Tauranga | 2:30:47 | Kathy Lynch | Motueka | 2:54:40 |
| 7th | 28 March 1992 | Jon Hume | Tauranga | 2:34:50 | Kathy Lynch | Motueka | 3:13:26 |
| 8th | 6 March 1993 | Jon Hume | Tauranga | 2:33:13 | Susan DeMattei | United States | 3:08:18 |
| 9th | 5 March 1994 | Jon Hume | Tauranga | 2:22:04 | Kathy Lynch | Motueka | 2:49:42 |
| 10th | 4 March 1995 | Craig Lawn | Hastings | 2:28:00 | Kathy Lynch | Motueka | 2:51:12 |
| 11th | 3 March 1996 | Craig Lawn | Hastings | 2:36:27 | Kathy Lynch | Motueka | 3:13:08 |
| 12th | 2 March 1997 | Cliff Fellingham | Napier | 2:28:00 | Kathy Lynch | Motueka | 3:10:45 |
| 13th | 1 March 1998 | Kashi Leuchs | Dunedin | 2:20:46 | Ann Mahoney | Wellington | 3:07:56 |
| 14th | 6 March 1999 | Kim Eriksson | Sweden | 2:30:39 | Brenda Clapp | Nelson | 3:16:40 |
| 15th | 4 March 2000 | Julian Mitchel | Christchurch | 2:28:48 | Sadie Parker | Auckland | 2:59:12 |
| 16th | 4 March 2001 | Tim Vincent | Nelson | 2:29:39 | Sadie Parker | Auckland | 3:05:42 |
| 17th | 2 March 2002 | Kashi Leuchs | Dunedin | 2:23:06 | Susy Pryde | Auckland | 2:54:19 |
| 18th | 1 March 2003 | Tim Vincent | Nelson | 2:24:23 | Susy Pryde | Auckland | 2:54:16 |
| 19th | 6 March 2004 | Peter Hatton | Australia | 2:28:27 | Lisa Mathison | Australia | 3:01:00 |
| 20th | 5 March 2005 | Tim Vincent | Nelson | 2:28:21 | Rosara Joseph | Christchurch | 2:56:35 |
| 21st | 4 March 2006 | Peter Hatton | Australia | 2:18:01 | Nathalie Schneitter | Switzerland | 3:04:37 |
| 22nd | 3 March 2007 | Clinton Avery | Rotorua | 2:14:00 | Jennifer Smith | USA/NZ | 2:47:35 |
| 23rd | 1 March 2008 | Stuart Houltham | Wellington | 2:18:59 | Fiona Macdermid | Palmerston North | 2:47:41 |
| 24th | 7 March 2009 | Mark Leishman | Rotorua | 2:28:39 | Fiona Macdermid | Palmerston North | 2:47:54 |
| 25th | 6 March 2010 | Tim Wilding | Wellington | 2:21:39 | Annika Smail | Rotorua | 2:52:13 |
| 26th | 5 March 2011 | Anton Cooper | Woodend | 2:26:32 | Elina Ussher | Denmark | 3:04:59 |
| 27th | 18 March 2012 | Mat Waghorn | Feilding | 2:29:05 | Fiona Macdermid | Palmerston North | 2:55:32 |
| 28th | 2 March 2013 | Dirk Peters | Rotorua | 2:25:02 | Kim Hurst | Upper Hutt | 2:50:31 |
| 29th | 1 March 2014 | Anton Cooper | Woodend | 2:07:57 | Kim Hurst | Upper Hutt | 2:45:29 |
| 30th | 7 March 2015 | Eden Cruise | Porirua | 2:28:01 | Jennifer Smith | USA/NZ | 2:49:49 |
| 31st | 5 March 2016 | Jack Compton | Porirua | 2:07:57 | Kim Hurst | Upper Hutt | 2:42:12 |
| 32nd | 18 February 2017[5] | Kyle Ward | Australia | 2:17:40 | Samara Sheppard | Australia | 2:42:45 |
References
edit- ^ Edwards, Simon (11 February 2015). "History of Karapoti Classic on show in Upper Hutt". Upper Hutt Leader. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- ^ "The Classic – 50K". Karapoti Classic. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ "Records All Round at Karapoti". scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ "Karapoti Hall of Fame". MDJ Media & Events Ltd & Karapoti Classic. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ "Saturday 18th February 2017 Karapoti Park". The Timing Team. Retrieved 17 April 2017.