page_title: Coast to Coast (race)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Coast to Coast (race) / History
caption_attribution_description: English: This event, the Coast to Coast was created by Robin Judkins in 1983 as a multi-sport race (running, cycling, kayaking) from Kumara Beach on the West Coast to Sumner Beach on the east cost, but last year the finish was shifted to New Brighton due to less major intersections on the new route.
context_page_description: The Coast to Coast is a non-standard multisport competition held annually in New Zealand. It is run from the west coast to the east coast of the South Island, and features running, cycling and kayaking elements over a total of 243 kilometres. It starts in Kumara Beach and traditionally finished in the Christchurch suburb of Sumner, but since 2015 finishes in New Brighton. The event was created in 1983 by Christchurch personality Robin Judkins, who sold the rights to Queenstown-based tourism company Trojan Holdings in 2013. Richard Ussher took over from Judkins as race director in 2015.
context_section_description: The first Coast to Coast race was organised in 1983 by New Zealand sportsman Robin Judkins who had already been organising the three-day Alpine Ironman. The original race featured only 79 competitors and was considered a largely local event. Initially a two-day event for individuals and teams, and one-day event for individuals was added in 1987 known as the "Longest Day". Over the years, the races have increased in size, and by the race's 25th anniversary run in 2007 the field had increased to 840 participants and gained international acclaim as one of the premier adventure races in the world. Unlike some other triathlon events, drafting is allowed.
  At the pre-race briefing for the tenth race, Judkins made the following statement:
  When I set out to do this event I had no idea it would ever grow to this size. It's really quite stunning and the sense of satisfaction is still as great for me as it was then. The fun that was the very first event has been in every other event since then. It's a bloody great event because everyone who goes in it seems to have such a good time, well that's the way it looks to me. I'm absolutely chuffed. I'm very proud of the event.
  — Robin Judkins, 
  Richard Ussher, who had won the event five times, questioned prior to the 2013 event whether it was time for Judkins to step aside. After organising the race for 31 years, Judkins sold the rights in May 2013 to tourism company Trojan Holdings for an undisclosed amount. Judkins was the race director once more in 2014, but just days before that year's event, Trojan Holdings announced that they had appointed Richard Ussher as the race director, to take over from Judkins after February 2014.
  Dunedin brewery Speight's had the naming rights for 32 years but cancelled its sponsorship in May 2015, with Moa Brewing Company as the event's new beer sponsor. There was no naming right sponsor for the 2016 race, but in April 2016, it was announced that Kathmandu was the new naming right sponsor from 2017 to 2019.
caption: Robin Judkins in 2016
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