World Champion to take on new Aussie Multi-Sport Race

WORLD CHAMPION USSHERS TO TACKLE MAINPEAK MULTISPORT

World champion multisport athlete, New Zealander Richard Ussher, has confirmed that he will compete in the new Mainpeak Multisport when it races through Western Australia’s Swan and Avon Valleys on Sunday 25 September, 2011.

Ussher is the undisputed king of multisport racing, having won nearly every major multisport event going. His CV is laden nearly exclusively with first placings in the multisport and adventure racing world: four Coast to Coast (NZ) multisport titles, two wins in China’s Wulong Mountain Quest, three Lake to Lighthouse Challenge (NZ) wins, four Abu Dhabi Challenge titles, an Anaconda Adventure Race Series win, top of podium in the Keen Adventure Race, victory in the Xterra race 2009 (NZ), World Adventure Racing Champion in 2005 and 2006 along with wins in Primal Quest and too many more adventure, multisport and Ironman events to list. An all-round sportsman, he even represented New Zealand at the 1998 Nagano Olympics in moguls skiing.

The women’s field will also host one of the world’s best female endurance racers in the form of Richard’s wife, Elina, who held the World Multisport Champion title in 2010, and has won every major multisport and endurance adventure event worth vying for.

“We’re looking forward to returning to Western Australia to experience the new Mainpeak Multisport race,” says Richard. “It sounds as though it'll be a tough day out, with plenty of discipline changes and the twist at the end being able to run or paddle the first 7km of the initial paddle - I'm sure the locals will have their strategies sorted, we may just have to wing it.”

Without the benefit of a course reconnaissance, it will, Ussher admits, be hard for the couple to judge what surprises the event has in store. 
“It looks as though it will be a similar to an Ironman race in terms of time on course, with the 30km of paddling at the end sure to test mental stamina as well as physical. It will be a relief I'm sure for many to get off their feet after a hefty day of running and biking prior.

“Elina and I will be looking to give the Aussies a good race for the top spots,” says Richard.

Come September, the Usshers will be returning from a European summer of competition where their focus will be more on recovery than on racing following several years of back to back seasons.

“Both of us should be fit and refreshed ready to push hard come the September race date,” says Richard.

Rapid Ascent’s Sam Maffett expects a powerhouse performance from the couple. “We’ve seen the racing strength of Ussher at our events before. They are both amazing athletes and will be hard to beat, but I reckon that there will be a few Aussies on course capable of pushing them to the end.”

“There’ll be some tight racing at the pointy end, and for those individuals completing the Mainpeak Multisport more for personal challenge or fun, it’ll be a talking point at least for them to tell people they shared the start line - if not the finish line - with a man that will certainly be recorded by sporting historians as one of the all-time greats.”

Mainpeak Multisport combines the pursuits of trail running, road cycling and paddling together into one epic 158km journey through stunning environments, starting at Toodyay (85km east of Perth CBD) and finishing within cooee of downtown Perth at Guildford (16km east of the CBD). 
Mainpeak Multisport will be open to individuals and team entries. The event is designed such that a range of athletes (or non athletes) may participate by biting off the challenge that matches their abilities. Teams can be of up to 6 people. Teams of 2-5 may mix and match which legs they attempt.

MAINPEAK MULTISPORT OVERVIEW
What: Mainpeak Multisport, 158km multisport endurance event
Where: From Toodyay, 85km east of Perth CBD, to Guildford, 16km east of the CBD
When: Sunday, 25 September, 2011
Who: Individuals and teams
Course:
·         7.5km Toodyay trail run
·         58km Julimar road ride
·         24km Avon Valley trail run
·         33km Chittering Valley road ride
·         7km Bells white water paddle OR Bells trail run
·         16km Swan Valley Vineyard River Paddle
·         12km Guildford River Paddle

www.mainpeakmultisport.com.au

Text: Chris Ord

Image: Rapid Ascent