MAGNIficent Chat #2 (Nov)
- Bend Racing
- Nov 3
- 14 min read
The Magnificent Race 2026 - Chat 2
It’s been a whirlwind of Adventure Racing for us at the MAGNIficent since our last chat! Here in NZ we had our first official Winter Rogaine in partnership with Meridian Energy, then half of our DNA participated in the World Champs over in Canada, while the other half watched and provided commentary. And then Jason returned from Worlds only to change immediately back into his race directing hat to put on the sold out La Pine Loop (Oregon’s toughest little race), while Andy has had a few good course scouting missions involving the exploration of some prime hike-a-bike sections/bike-whacking territory.
Regardless of how we’ve been spending our time, we’re now fully back in the swing of things with eyes firmly set on next March, only a scant four months away! This chat will add a few bits and pieces to what was covered in Chat 1, including information on the Racer Portal, bins and bags (we’re already getting questions!), an update on our prize giveaways, PLB requirement, airport transfers, more course notes and training tips, our ‘navigation guaranteed’ clause, sponsor news, and an update on teams/entries. Lets get into it!
Racer Portal
Jess has been working hard in the back end creating our racer portal for MAGNIficent Edition 2. Links to each team’s portal page will be sent to the person from each team that registered for the event. In the portal teams will provide us details about team members, medical conditions, travel plans, contact information, as well as Team Name. As the event gets closer, any additional information that is needed will be added to the portal.
If you’re registered you should get the link in a separate email within the next few days. If you don’t, just get in touch and we can figure out what happened.
Logistics
Four months isn’t that long and some teams, particularly international ones, are already getting (or have gotten) tickets for the trip. It could be helpful to know a bit more about what to bring, bin weights, and airport transfers, so here goes.
Bins and Bags
Teams will be allowed 2 bins and one set of ‘Paddle Gear Bags’. The bins will be labelled Bin A and Bin B and will be moved separately around the course and must be SELF CONTAINED. This means that bin A is a single bin, not multiple bins. Because of our commitment to sustainability, we’re not keen on requiring a ‘one size fits all’ bins solution which necessitates teams purchasing specific bins for the event. We’ll allow duffels to be used in place of bins (waterproof duffels recommended) as these are often easier to travel with for international teams. There will be enforced bin weights for each bin. These weights are TBD but will not be less than 30 kg per bin.
Sets of paddle gear do not need to be self-contained and can include two ‘pieces’--a main bag for packrafts, paddles, and PFDs, and supplementary bag for wetsuits/drysuits (note, one bag for everything is ok). For the main bag, it’s ok if paddles/pfds are bundled and attached to the bag, rather than inside it, so long they are physically tethered together (and to the bag) and are clearly marked with a team’s number (if you don't have one of those fancy ARWS paddle bags, don't stress).
The paddle bag(s) will have a weight restriction and so long as the weight restriction is met, additional items (food, clothing) can be added to the paddle bags. In fact, there are several stages where a team won’t see either of their bins, but will have access to their paddle bag(s) and so this will likely be necessary.
In short, teams will get 3 items of gear, not including bikes, that organizers transport around the course for them: Bin A, Bin B, and Paddle Gear. Each of these will have weight restrictions on them but allow for some flexibility in terms of size/shape.
Airport Transfers
Gore, despite not having an airport itself, is pretty central. Teams flying to the race (either internationally or domestically) can choose to arrive at either Queenstown (2 hrs from Gore), Dunedin, (1 hr 45 min) or Invercargill (45 min).
There will be a place on your team portal page for you to add your arrival and departure details for teams that are flying in. We will use this information to support these teams via airport transfers as much as possible. This may involve scheduled ‘in house’ transport on the days immediately prior to check-in (i.e. Thursday and Friday Feb. 26-27) or us providing information to teams about 3rd party arrangements that will meet team requirements (i.e. bike boxes!).
Note that airport transfers, because they don’t apply to all teams, aren’t included in the event cost and charges for transfers will be applicable. In the case of ‘in house’ transfers, these will be charged on a cost-recovery basis. If third-party options are used, then it’ll be between you and the third-party provider. Regardless, we’ll do our best to help support teams arriving by air in getting themselves and their gear to Gore as painlessly as possible before the race, and back to their point of departure after it. That being said, there may still be some legwork involved on your part. For now, though, just make sure you provide the relevant details on your team portal page so we can put our minions to work creating the best and most affordable plan.
PLBs
Teams will be required to carry a Personal Locator Beacon in addition to the race provided InReach communication device. This is part of our health and safety plan, and satellite messengers will not fulfil this requirement. We are happy to debate the merit of this redundancy in person, but suffice it to say that PLBs are standard practice in the NZ wilderness, and have only one function - to get you help when everything else fails and your life is on the line.
Many teams (particularly NZ teams) will already have a PLB. You’re welcome to use this during the race. We’ll get your PLB details off you via the team portal and again as part of the check-in process on Feb. 28th. Teams who don’t have their own PLB will either need to borrow one or hire one for the duration of the event. While there are no hire locations in Gore, there are hire locations in Invercargill, Queenstown and Dunedin and these are relatively inexpensive.
For teams (particularly international teams) who aren’t able to borrow or hire a PLB, we will hire one on your behalf and have it at the race check-in. The cost for this hire will be $70 NZD (about $45USD). Hire must be arranged ahead of time (via the team portal). Last minute hire will incur additional costs. If you’re hiring a PLB through us, we’re only acting as the intermediary–you’ll need to sign a declaration of responsibility for the PLB and will be on the hook to cover any replacement costs should the PLB be lost during the race or not returned. A refundable deposit may be required at check-in (TBD). This responsibility extends to any accessories provided with a hired PLB (belt, carry pouch). Last year a number of belts weren’t returned and race organizers incurred the costs of replacing these, which we’re keen to avoid this year!
For now, see if you can source a PLB for the race. If not, make a note on the Team Portal that you’ll need one from us, by the end of January at the latest!
Mandatory Gear:
Check out the list (current as of this Chat) of Mandatory Gear for this event. Most of this is standard stuff for the ARWS events, but please note the few bits of added gear:
Wetsuit/drysuit for the ocean paddle and potentially coasteering section. (Per racer). A drysuit might provide more confidence in the ocean (particularly if things are cold and nasty) but won't be nearly as useful as a wetsuit for the coasteering, which provides floatation. Decisions, decisions
Boat tether (surf leash, sling etc) that attaches the boat to one paddler during the ocean stages. In case of capsize, the boat will not separate from racers. (per boat)
Marine Flare. “Red” version suitable for day and night use (one per boat). Marine flares are considered dangerous goods, meaning you likely can't travel with them on an aircraft. We have purchased enough flares (@ $20 each) to provide them for all of our international teams and will likely have a few for domestic teams flying down.
PLB (per team--see above)
Fun Stuff
Ok, you’ve waded through the logistics, now how about some more bits and pieces about the course itself?
Course Notes and Training Tips
We’re working hard on weather-proofing our course (to the extent possible) without dumbing it down. Our overall design and safety plan should allow for some pretty cool elements to be included, but these won’t be without some assumed (and accepted) risk on the part of participants. In particular I’m talking about our coasteering and coastal paddle sections. While we expect these could be modified or cancelled in certain extreme circumstances, we’re aiming to (through a combination of in-house safety apparatus, partial dark zones, sleep-cards, and self-selection options) have these sections operating in most conditions. As we’ve mentioned before, our aim is not to eliminate risk along the course. There may indeed be portions of the race that are beyond the perceived and/or actual skill level of some participants/teams and it will be up to the teams themselves to make good decisions throughout.
Towards that end, there are a few things that teams might want to be familiar with if they aren’t already:
Double packraft surf launches. While we’re not going to expect teams to packraft over 2 -meter breaking waves (impossible!), having confidence ‘getting out’ into the ocean either through manageable surf or via more sheltered rocky headlands/outcrops is an exercise in teamwork and timing that gets better with practice. So, take that packraft (and your teammate(s)) to the beach!
Surf landings. Sure, if you get this wrong it typically takes care of itself. That being said, if there is significant swell it can be terrifying ‘sitting out the back’ and waiting until things look reasonable. Experiencing a wipeout or two can go a long way towards instilling confidence to just go for it. And who knows, a capable team may even be able to cement their place in the AR hall of fame by surfing their tandem packraft down the unbroken face of a double overhead wave. Again, head to the beach and have some fun. At least in a packraft, there is no hard boat to hit you in the head, and at the end of the stage we have less destroyed boats to deal with!
Bike-whacking. As we mentioned, for teams pursuing PRO points there will likely be a spot during the race when they’re faced with a choice between a ‘bike whack’ and a rather lengthy detour. We’ve done both and reckon the bike-whack is significantly faster. Easier? Well I guess that depends on what you mean by easy! The course vetters who first trialed this section had differing opinions as to what would be best (i.e. fastest) but both ideas involved doing a bit of bike modifying–from turning the handlebars to be parallel with the top tube, to taking off the pedals, to removing (or otherwise securing/protecting) the rear derailleur. Long story short, have a think, then take your bike for a wander into the densest bush you can find. And then send pictures.
Swimming. There is likely to be a swim test during the check-in, involving treading water in the deep end of the Gore pool before swimming a length, all without touching the bottom. There will be a time limit. The idea is that we NEED to see water confidence in our participants, particularly if they are to be allowed to do the coasteering sections. Failure to meet the requirements of the swim test may mean that you need to skip certain sections of the race and/or will need to skip them during a certain level of adverse conditions. For example, teams not passing the swim test may only be allowed to pursue the coasteering section on either side of low tide. The time limit for any test won’t be restrictive (you don’t need to be an Olympic swimmer) but will require you to actually be able to swim. For example, the test may require treading water for 80 seconds before swimming 25 meters in 40 seconds.
Bike-Rafting. We don't want your new skills from MAGNIficent #1 to go to waste! You'll be transporting your bikes on one pack rafting section so brush up on those attachment strategies and maybe take your boats on a nice easy paddle or two between now and March. The section will be moving water, but not significant whitewater - perfect for bikerafting! (check out the definitive guide book here!)
Biking, Paddling, and Trekking. Here are a few more details about the general make-up of the course to help teams looking to tailor their training. There are some longer bike stages. While there is some technical biking, you’ll be more rewarded for showing up with solid bike fitness and a team that moves consistently and together, whether through weight sharing, drafting, or towing. There aren’t as many huge climbs as there were last year, but there is still plenty of climbing. Looking for totals? For biking - somewhere north of 300km and 5000m of vert all up. We also expect that for strong riders (and with the handful of km of hike-a-bike excepted of course), it’ll pretty much all be rideable. In terms of paddling, you’re looking at somewhere close to 100km all told. It’ll all be moving (either river or ocean!) but not necessarily in your favor. There will be short sections/drops of whitewater in the rivers, up to GII. The rivers will likely not be dark zoned, and teams will need to think carefully about what that means in terms of race strategy, especially for the later stage paddles. The ocean paddling section was addressed above. Trekking distances will vary significantly between teams pursuing the mandatory CPs and all or some of the PRO and orienteering points. Much of the trekking is off trail, or on trails so bad you’ll likely opt to bushwhack. Teams chasing all the points will walk a bit more than 75-80 km, or much more if they get lost. In terms of trekking, while fitness is obviously important, your running speed is less so. Rather staying found and being able to move efficiently and consistently through difficult terrain will win the day(s).
Navigation Guaranteed
We've been listening--to the feedback we got from teams participating in MAG 1, and in particular those teams that have done our event and also other big expedition races, whether GodZone or other ARWS/ARWC events. One thing that has come across strongly is the desire for significant and challenging navigation.
We think there are three elements that are important in terms of having a race with enough 'navigation'.
Significant route choice. A well-designed course, in our opinion, will (at least occasionally) have multiple viable routes between CPs, especially in bigger or longer stages. Take the valley or stay high? Use the trail or take the bush-bashing shortcut? These opportunities are what gets the teams navigator fizzing, and lets a team 'roll the dice' on a bold route choice.
Routefinding. A bit different than having multiple viable route choices leading between CPs--routefinding requires a navigator to be able to look at a map and find a viable route--period--through difficult terrain.
Micro-Nav. Challenging orienteering/rogaine sections within a longer expedition race are not only highlights for teams who love navigation, but when put midway or later they offer a final litmus test for good teams and a potential way to 'make up' for earlier mistakes. On the other hand, a fast team that burns the candle at both ends can often be caught out by a tough late-stage Rogaine. Teams need to stay sharp much longer!
The MAGNIficent will have a good balance of all three elements that make a navigator's heart go pitter-patter. In fact. We're so confident that no one who does our race will be feeling that it was 'light on nav' that we're prepared to offer a $1000 credit towards MAG 3's early bird entry fee to teams that don't “get lost”.
This offer is valid for teams completing the full course and not “getting lost” for more than 30 minutes looking for any CP. Tracker data will be used to determine, at the RD's discretion, whether this threshold is met. We're rooting for you. This isn't a gimmick--if you nail the nav and go the distance, we want you back, and will give you 20% off to prove it. Navigation, Guaranteed!
Teams and, er, other stuff…
Four months out isn’t really that far away, is it? No, it’s really not, particularly looking back to see how quickly the last six months have gone. Yep, it was back in April that we started a monthly prize draw for registered teams. Here’s a recap on how that’s played out…maybe you missed the memo and don’t even know you’ve won something!
Stuff
Month | Sponsor | Prize (per team) | Winners |
April | Map Boards | 1 x Fibril map board per team | Sally Shaw + Chris Hanson |
May | Rab NZ | $300 RAB vouchers | Moose Knuckles + Backcountry Studio |
June | Backcountry Cuisine | Assorted freeze dried meals and shakes | Supernova + Team MAGNIficent Youth |
July | 4 Hour Fuel | 3 bags of 4HF + Expedition Mash | Charlotte Hoetjes + Jonty Mckinnel |
Aug | Bee Fast | Pack of race gels and bars! | Forever Forests + Mixed Nuts |
Sept | That’s It | Skin protection pack for Adventure Racing | Antiques Roadshow + Swazi |
Oct | Squirt | Chain lube and tire sealant pack | TBD |
Teams
We’ve got a great field of teams turning out but we’re not yet full. Since World Champs have ended and the international field has turned attention to next year’s calendar, we’ve picked up a few more teams from overseas though which is cool. East Wind will be returning again to try their luck in the Southern Ocean, as will Tactical Foodpack from Estonia, and team 4 Hour Fuel from the USA - all strong teams on the global stage.
We’ve also picked up a third youth team as part of our initiative, so 3 of those 5 spots are now filled, with a fourth possibly lining up from across the Tasman. We’d LOVE to have all five youth spots taken to have a proper battle of young'uns, so give your favorite budding adventure racers a nudge and a bit of encouragement, eh?
We won’t release a full team list yet–we’ll wait until the Team Portal is live for a couple of weeks so we can get the team names and member details. Suffice to say though, we’ve got a pretty competitive field thus far including most of the top NZ teams lining up, with the most notable absences being Chris Forne and his mates (Chris, surely, you’re not sitting another one out?) and some version of Tiki Tour. Who’s gonna put the screws on these guys, eh?
Payments
Teams should have paid their second installment by now ($2500), bringing the amount due/paid up to $3000. Many of you have done so already, so thanks for that. If you are still oweing $$, feel free to just flick it through to our MAGNIficent account with your team code (from the email you should have received after registration) and we'll take it from there. The account number is:
Fiordland Endurance and Adventure Racing Society 02-0965-0038793-003
If you forget, well, we'll send a follow up email to teams with outstanding balances along with the racer portal email, so keep an eye out!
If you've already paid in full, thank you! We really appreciate it!
Sponsors
The MAGNIficent is supported by some awesome brands and companies. Please consider supporting them in return! Some of these brands have special discount codes for racers too - so it's even easier to show them some love! Just hover your mouse over the image below and see what you can save!
Bee Fast Energy Gels Code: Mag15 for 15% off | ||
Clutha Regional Development Fund | Gore District Council | Jimmy's Pies |
That's It (20% off when you use the link above!) |
Closing Thoughts
It was a remarkable and inspiring month for those of us on the MAGNIficent staff with the recent World Championships in Canada. We feel blessed to have had two of our course designers inside the race as competitors and learning from the experience as racers. We also had almost our entire media crew working behind the scenes. The other part of our RD team was watching and analyzing from the outside - with a keen eye on the Kiwi teams of course.
It’s incredible to have a huge part of our Magnificent staff so deeply involved in the World Champs and in expedition racing this season in general. We continue to strive to learn from our experiences and integrate improvements as well as commit more fully to our own values. We're really getting excited for out second edition of the MAGNIficent, and hope you are too!
As always, happy training!
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