It’s back again, and organisers are promising that next year will be the best yet.
‘’With new categories, a new event village location and a few innovative refinements, we are confident that the 2019 challenge will truly cement MCL Construction Triple Peaks as an iconic event for the region,’’ comments Emma Buttle, Co-Director for the event.
As one of Hawke's Bay's longest running, challenging and rewarding events, Triple Peaks will be in its 31st season, and next year will be held on Saturday 9 March.
Organisers Emma Buttle and Richard Mills, of Bennelong Mountain Bike Club, took the reins for the event last year, and haven’t looked back since. ‘’The positive response following 2018 MCL Construction Triple Peaks just blew us away. However, we will continue to refine and refresh the event format to ensure it’s a well oiled machine that both surprises and impresses our entrants,’’ comments Ms. Buttle.
‘’Triple Peaks encompasses everything that we love about Hawke’s Bay, with breath-taking views and fantastic rugged terrain,’’ comments Ms. Buttle. ‘’It is an intensely rewarding challenge – a great event for the bucket list!’’
‘’It is an event that has deep roots in Hawke’s Bay, proceeds going back to Te Mata Park Trust for 2019, says Ms. Buttle. ‘’It's essential that the event retains its local flavour.’’
“Fundraising is the primary goal for this event,” comments Mr. Mills. “We are excited about supporting such a wonderful community asset, and the One Giant Chance campaign to buy new land, and plant more native trees for the Park.’’
“Whilst 2018 was a resounding success with over 770 competitors, we are making a few adjustments for next year, with a new Duathlon category and E-Bike Category,’’ adds Mr. Mills.
As the person responsible for course design, Mr. Mills is already planning which route to take. “We want to ensure that the course is seriously good, with new tracks and trails, never experienced in the event before.’’ Another change for 2019 will be the location of the event village. “Havelock North Village Green will transform in to a vibrant, lively and fun event village, with entertainment and activities for all the family,’’ comments Ms. Buttle.
Keen to extend their reach, organisers are also promoting MCL Construction Triple Peaks beyond Hawke’s Bay. ‘’Whilst 26% of our entrants were from out of town in 2018, we believe we can further expand on this, attracting significant numbers of competitors from out of the region, with their friends and families, enjoying everything that Hawke’s Bay has to offer,’’ comments Ms. Buttle.
‘’The One Peak Explorer category is also open for 2019,’’ adds Ms. Buttle. ‘’This was hugely popular this year, and with numbers limited for this category to only 150 people, we encourage people to sign up to the One Peak Explorer as soon as possible, as it’s filling up quickly.’’ Organisers are encouraging people to sign up sooner rather than later.
‘’All entrants before 30 November will receive a free quick dry T shirt, so commit to your training plan, round up your friends, and visit our website to register,’’ adds Mr. Mills.
Competitors can run, walk or mountain bike the 55 kms course, either solo or in a team of 3 people. ‘’Participants will traverse private land on Mount Erin, Mount Kahuranaki and Te Mata Peak,’’ comments Mr. Mills. ‘’The views along the course are simply spectacular.’’
