Entries Open For Second Wild Descent Kayak Race Down The Clutha River

News Release / 21.08.2013

Excitement and anticipation is already building as entries opened this week for the second running of the annual Wild Descent kayak race down the Clutha River. The first flurry of team entries have been received by race organisers for the event to be held between the 9th and 12th of January, 2014.

Wild Descent Race Director Warren Bates says the early interest has shown the impact last year’s inaugural event had amongst the New Zealand’s kayaking community.

“The river is New Zealand's largest by volume and creates the perfect backdrop for an event of this kind with a mixture of high flows, long sections of rapids and stunning scenery. We always knew the river would be good for an event of this nature but we didn't realise just how good.”

The event takes place over four days with teams of two kayaking the length of the Clutha River from Albert Town to the Pacific Ocean, a distance of 261km. Last year the event produced some fast and fierce racing from some of New Zealand’s kayaking elite and this year the field is expected to be just as competitive.

“If you come here to race, you'll get an adventure and expedition thrown in for free,” says Warren.  “If you come for the adventure then you'll feel like you're on an expedition and will end up racing a team with similar speed. Some will want to be the fastest ever team down the Clutha, others will use the event as training for the Coast to Coast and many will just want to enjoy an epic journey on a special river with a highly social flavour.”

Entries for the January 2014 event will remain open to national and international teams until the field is full and one of the unique factors of the Wild Descent is that the organisers provide good quality kayaks for all participants.

“This makes it very easy for competitors, particularly the Aussies because they don’t have to travel with their kayak. We meet you at the start, we give you your kayak, load your equipment on board and then set off,” says Warren. “The journey is broken into four stages (one long, one short, one long, one short) with designated camp sites next to the river. From the finish line we'll even take you all the way back to where you started.”

One change to this year’s Wild Descent format is the inclusion of a short time trial stage below the Roxburgh Dam on Stage Two. This removes the need for teams to make a rapid portage to below the dams but will result in teams gaining or losing a few seconds here and there.  This could make a big difference to how the remainder of the event is approached.

With a lot of interest already gathering for the 2014 event, Wild Descent is growing in popularity and has the potential to become a domestic and international classic on the kayaking calendar.

For entry details please go to http://www.wilddescent.com  or the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/wilddescent 

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