Race rookie 'a bit nervous' | Rotorua Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Rotorua

It may still be a week out but Rotorua adventure racer Becky Law says the nerves of competing in her first Speight's Coast to Coast have already set in.

The 23-year-old entered the event on a dare one night while out drinking with friends.

Law enlisted the help of multi Coast to Coast competitor, Rotorua's Neil Gellatly in her training regime.

The FMG Insurance Company rural manager told The Daily Post yesterday, she was fit and ready to take on the challenge dubbed the Longest Day.

"I've done everything I can. It's just a matter of getting down there and going for it. I am getting a little bit nervous but I'm looking forward to it. I'm just tapering down on my training now."

Law will head down to Christchurch on Wednesday to do some training on the course.

Event creator Robin Judkins, who has spent 30 years organising the race, has released his top 10 men and women picks for the event.

Judkins' annual "Top 10" predictions have become something of a book-makers must-have come race day.

"Richard Ussher is the favourite for the 30th Speight's Coast to Coast," Judkins said without a hint of hesitation.

"He's a four-time champion, his win last year was his most impressive yet, and he's the most experienced contender."

Judkins is right. If Richard Ussher can recapture the form that won him the Speight's Coast to Coast in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2011, he will be hard to beat. And having first participated in the 243km race across the South Island in 2000, he has as much experience on the course as his main competition combined.

Judkins, however, warns against Coast to Coast complacency, saying. "Richard learned that the hard way in 2007.

"He had won the two previous years, but in 2007 Gordon Walker from Auckland turned the race upside down by attacking right from the start."

In 2007 Gordon Walker attacked the opening 55km road cycle, a tactic not often used and never before successful. It succeeded in undermining Ussher's speciality, the following 34km mountain run, and Judkins said the man most expected to challenge this year might try the same race plan.

"The last two years Dougal Allan from Wanaka has been the best of a group of young up and comers and his strongest discipline is cycling. If he takes it to Richard in that opening stage, it would change the face of the race just like Walker did in 2007."

Allan, originally from Foxton, has finished second for the last two years. But the 26-year-old is just one of several fast-improving young men, such as Aucklanders Carl Bevins (4th in 2011) and James Kuegler (8th in 2011), and Marlborough multisporters Jeremy McKenzie (6th in 2011).

Additionally, standout internationals, such as adventure racing world champion Jacky Boisset from France, Scottish Coast to Coast champion Andy Blow, Swedish multisport stars Olaf Sunstrom and Simon Niemi, and Trinidad multisport champion Clarence Tobias will provide dark horse interest.

But Judkins said the real dark horse is Lower Hutt builder James Coubrough, a former New Zealand representative runner who won the 2011 Two Day Coast to Coast.

"Last year was this guy's first serious go at multisport and he won the Two Day race," Judkins said.

"If you look at the results he did each section in similar times to Richard Ussher. Guys like him and Dougal Allan have shown they have the ability, so I think this year's race will be all about Richard's Ussher's experience."

Judkins also expects experience to be the difference in this year's women's race. With defending champion Sophie Hart not entered, favourites are former champions Elina Ussher (Nelson) and Fleur Pawsey (Christchurch), who between them have done almost 20 Coast to Coasts, and intriguingly, both have finished first and second in the world title race.

Ussher, second last year while Pawsey was in the winning women's team, would be favourite on recent form. But both are specialist mountain runners so the competition is likely to be fierce throughout. Judkins, however, wonders if the Usshers might have an extra piece of motivation up their sleeve.

"Elina and Richard Ussher have a really good chance of becoming the first husband and wife winners in the same year.

"Race record holders Keith and Andrea Murray are husband and wife, but they won on separate occasions, in 1994 and 1997."

"If Richard and Elina Ussher could do a husband and wife double, that would be a great way to crown the 30th anniversary of the Speight's Coast to Coast."

Robin Judkins' Top 10 Predictions:

Men: 1 Richard Ussher Nelson, 2 Dougal Allan Foxton, 3 James Coubrough Lower Hutt, 4 Carl Bevins Auckland, 5 Jeremy McKenzie Blenheim, 6 James Kuegler Auckland, 7 Andy Blow UK, 8 Dan Moore Picton, 9 Paul Avery Stratford, 10 Simon Niemi Sweden.

Women: 1 Elina Ussher Nelson/Finland, 2 Fleur Pawsey Christchurch, 3 Rachel Cashin Taumaranui, 4 Sia Svendsen ChCh/Denmark, 5 Camila Nicolau Brazil, 6 Tanya Maitland Hokitika, 7 Myriam Guillot France, 8 Anyika Thomsen Taumaranui, 9 Louise Hales Wellington, 10 Dannielle Roberts Australia.