Godzone Adventure Race
Top USA Team ‘Adventure Medical Kits’ Brings International Strength To Godzone
News Release (Godzone) / 01.12.2015
The third ranked adventure racing team in the world, Team Adventure Medical Kits, formerly Team Tecnu, have signed up to compete at the 2016 GODZone being held in Tasman next April.
The USA based team are highly geared towards achieving a top five finish according to GODZone Race Director Warren Bates who says the upcoming international adventurers could give lead Kiwi teams a run for their money.
“ Team Adventure Medical Kits is led by young adventure racing gun Kyle Peter who already has a great following in the US and he will ensure they bring their A game out to New Zealand.
This year we had Team Columbia come out and do an excellent job trying to take first place away from the Kiwis but they were unsuccessful. Team Adventure Medial Kits could just bring the kind of world class international rivalry we are starting to expect at GODZone.”
More than 20% of the GODZone Chapter 5 adventure-racing field is made up of international racers. The event is now the largest expedition adventure race in the world.
Q&A with Team Adventure Medical Kits Captain Kyle Peter
What attracted the team to come over and race in New Zealand?
We see New Zealand as the ultimate adventure paradise. We grew up watching the Southern Traverse and the Eco Challenge and knew we wanted a chance to explore the country first hand. Once the GODZone Adventure Race was created we put it on our bucket list, and finally the timing and logistics have worked out for us to take part in Chapter 5!
Who are your team members and what are their strengths?
Name: Garret Bean
Resides: San Francisco, CA
Years with the team: 5
Bio: Garret discovered his knack for endurance sports late in life, but his years of being an adventurous child growing up in the San Gabriel Mountainsprepared him well. He keeps his teammates perpetually in hysterics as he leads the charge out on the racecourses. He is the first to crack a joke and lighten the tensest situations. It’s not all fun and games with Garret as he is an advocate of solar energy and “solves tomorrow’s problems today” as he likes to put it. Garret enjoys officiating weddings, Southwest Airlines, and home decorating.
Name: Mari Chandler
Resides: Anytown, USA (RV living)
Years with the team: 3
Bio: After a successful college track career, Mari moved to NorCal to run for the Nike Farm Team (the top Olympic development track club in the country). A broken ankle from running in circles led Mari to rehab on the bicycle, and she quickly fell in love with the world of multisport. She hung up her track spikes for good and took the AR world by storm. Mari is highly competitive, but it is her passion to explore and challenge herself that fuel her. Many consider Mari to be the best female in adventure racing.
Name: Rob Preston
Resides: Trafalgar, Victoria, Australia
Years with the team: 3
Bio: Rob is the father of a dirt loving 1 year old. He spent his childhood in much the same way his son is experiencing his. Family road trips in a campervan are the standard holiday for the Preston’s. Rob’s parents exposed him to the competitive sport of orienteering while he was still in diapers giving our team a leg up on the competition in the navigation department. Rob lives in Australia, a 2-hour drive outside of Melbourne. Maybe one would expect having a child to slow down one’s training, but Rob has been extremely successful at balancing family with training and racing.
Name: Kyle Peter
Resides: Oakland, CA
Years with the team: 8
Bio: ExploreCompeteLIVE predicted Kyle Peter to be the first big AR star of a new generation of athletes, and that prediction has come to fruition over the past 3 years while leading a dominating squad of athletes to many wins on the world stage. Kyle brings a wealth of experience and organization to the team. Since 2003 he has raced in over 140 adventure races with more podium places that he can count making him one of the most experienced and successful USA adventure racer on the circuit today. Whether Kyle is paddling his surf ski in the San Francisco Bay or mountain biking in the shadows of Mt. Tam, he strives to get outside every day to maintain his physical fitness as well as his mental sanity. The only thing Kyle might like more than adventure racing is a home-baked chocolate cookie. We call him the cookie monster!
What has been your most successful adventure-racing event to date?
The 2013 ARWC in Costa Rica has to be our most successful with a podium finish.
Tell us about your new sponsor Team Adventure Medical Kits?
Adventure Medical Kits is the manufacturer of all things the adventurer needs in order to explore the backcountry safely. Their moto is "Be Safe." They keep us well equipped out on the course with Ultralight & Watertight first aid kits,breathable and heat reflective bivvy sacks (Survive Outdoors Longer), insect repellents (Ben's Natrapel, & AfterBite), and a whole host of other safety products.
What do you hope to achieve at GODZone in 2016?
We would love to be the first non-kiwi team to win in New Zealand since Team Salomon/Eco-Internet!
Who are you looking forward to racing against?
We love racing head-to-head right up until the finish line, and we know we will find that competition at GODZone. I haven't seen a team list yet, but I am expecting it to be very competitive at the top!
Title Sponsor: www.adventuremedicalkits.com
Sub title sponsor: www.surviveoutdoorslonger.com
Team: www.teamadventuremedicalkits.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamAdventureMedicalKits
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