Team OrionHealth Adventure

How did I get into Multisport? From early childhood on I have been interested in sports...swimming, cycling running and exploring. Running or mountain biking around in the woods gives me great pleasure. New Zealand with it's abundance of green, the National Parks and rivers, beaches, hills and forests intrigued me very much. So I immigrated and joined the local Multi sports scene in 2001 when I entered a race that covered the length of New Zealand. It was called the Mizone Endurazone.

Back in those days I didn't know much about kayaking and it was rude awakening 5 months before race start when I went into an advanced boat and was able to stay upright for just 20 meters. I bought an entry level kayak and trained hard but it was not good enough to be competitive in the race. I still enjoyed the 25 days of racing. I still remember more or less every day and regard that event as my 1st ever Multi sport race. My kayaking skills have become better and so has my endurance. If you stick to something and are passionate about it you get better and that happened to me too. I joined teams for overseas races and we had good results. Winning the Mild Seven Outdoor Quest in 2004 in Borneo in Team Irule and winning the World Adventure Racing Champs in 2005 in Team Balance Vector have been my high lights so far.

I have acquired more skills like inline skating, rafting, mountaineering, caving, rock climbing, a little bit of navigation and so on. And it is fun learning more skills and becoming better at them. Visiting foreign places, getting to know their inhabitants and learning about their countries and cultures is grand as swell,it broadens one's horizon.

I am passionate about good gear: toys! Good MTB's and clothing, paddles, shoes, light systems, boats. You get to use these gadgets and it's great fun to see gear becoming better. Talking to fellow athletes about gear and exchanging stories about new toys is of great interest for me. I am a committed Vegetarian and it's hard for me to see what a lot of junk food and bad food gets sold and consumed. To be competitive in ones sport one needs to eat good food. A high performance motor needs high performance good quality fuel. It is essential to eat well.

Interview

Where did you grow up?
My 1st four years I grew up in BC/Canada,then we moved to Germany where I went to school for 13 years and then we moved to Ohakune/New Zealand.

What was your first Adventure race?
2004 Auckland Arrow 24 hour,in the Waitakeres.

Little known / unlikely fact about yourself?
Where shall I start???

What you will do when your knees finally give out?
Surf skiing and gardening and reading books.

Occupation?
Builder by trade, wanna be professional endurance athlete.

Worst Adventure racing experience?
Being sick from bad water/food in the Ecomotion Brazil 2006....had a brilliant team and I was soooo sick.

Biggest "blow"?
My rear tyre including the rim blew apart in the Wulong Mountain Quest in 2008 and our team had healthy 6 minute lead on the Ussher's and Gordon Walker...and I am certain that we would have won the race otherwise.

Favourite Adventure Racing food?
Nutcorners and a cold Clausthaler.

Best support crew moment?
My favorite support crew girl forgot my helmet for the MTB section....she made up for it after the race.

Favorite Race?
The Wulong Mountain Quest in China.

Results

2009
1st Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge
3rd Wulong Mountain Quest
2nd XinJing Individual Desert XC Marathon
1st XinJing Team Desert XC Marathon

2008
2nd Wulong Mountain Quest
1st Bimbache Extreme
1st Caneo Raid
2nd The Turas
4th Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge
1st Tararua Run
1st Kururau Krusher
1st Porirua Traverse
5th Coast to Coast
2nd MoehauMan

2007
3rd Wulong Mountain Quest
3rd Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge
1st Raid the North Extreme
1st Lake Mead 24Hrs
3rd Hidalgo Mexico
3rd Seven Cerros
4th Ecomotion

2006
3rd XRaid World Champs Canada
2nd Teva Games
2nd Primal Quest Utah
5th Ecomotion

2005
Adventure racing World Champion
3rd XRaid World Champion
1st XRaid Australia

2004
2nd Christchurch Arrow Adventure Race
1st MSOQ Borneo