Merrell Spring Challenge delivers epic adventure
The world’s original and longest-running women’s adventure race, the Merrell Spring Challenge, returned with its 19th edition in the spectacular landscapes of Glenorchy, Dart, and Rees Valleys on Saturday.
This year, 810-women in teams of three competed across 3-hour, 6-hour, and 9-hour events, tackling a true adventure racing trifecta of rafting, mountain biking, orienteering, and hiking.
The race moves to a new South Island location each year and this year, race directors Nathan and Jodie Fa’avae selected the Glenorchy area, famously known for its Lord of the Rings landscapes - towering snow-capped mountains, rushing rivers, and vast open valleys.
Stormy weather in the week before the race left much of the course sodden, muddy, and slippery, particularly on trails and creek crossings. Luckily, Friday brought clear skies, drying sections just enough to allow racing, though many stages remained physically testing and slow-going.
"I can’t speak highly enough of the positive attitude and resilience of all the teams this year," Jodie Fa’avae says.
"Even when the course was demanding, muddy, and physically gruelling, everyone faced the challenges with determination and camaraderie. After a week of difficult weather and planning challenges, it was a huge relief to see race day unfold as such a treat. The sun, the stunning scenery, and the energy of the teams made it a truly unforgettable day."
All teams began at Chinaman’s Bluff, rafting 6.5km down the Dart River / Te Awa Whakatipu. From the river, teams ran 2km to Paradise, where the orienteering stage at Paradise Trust challenged competitors with a mix of forest and open land navigation.
After orienteering, teams transitioned to mountain biking, with different courses for the three-hour, six-hour and nine-hour teams, in the mountains and valleys around Glenorchy, including the Rees Valley, Diamond Lake, Mount Earnslaw Station, and Temple Peak Station.
Nathan Fa’avae says while the courses aren't designed to break people, he places a lot of value on preserving the integrity of adventure racing.
"This sport, which started in New Zealand in 1989, was never meant to be easy. I think there’s a general softening of events these days, but that’s not the Spring Challenge.
"We work hard to strike the perfect balance, a course that is achievable, genuinely rewarding, and tests every skill and ounce of teamwork. Adventure racing should challenge, but also inspire."
Competition was tight and thrilling, especially in the 9-hour events.
In the 9-hour open, elite team Pure Sports Nutrition, including race directors’ daughters Jessie and Tide Fa’avae with Kaia Jorgensen, had a slow start due to rafting logistics.
This early delay meant they lost some of their advantage during the orienteering stage, even though it was their specialist discipline. They still started the bike leg with a 20-minute lead, but pre-race favourites Racing Donkeys worked hard to reduce the gap to 5 minutes, eventually taking control on the hiking stage to secure the win, proving that veteran experience remains a winning formula.
Meanwhile, the veteran team Wandering Wahine delivered a strong and consistent performance, posting the third fastest time on course, and pushing hard across every stage to claim a well-earned podium finish.
Other categories were fiercely contested as well, with tight finishes and impressive displays of endurance, teamwork, and strategy across all levels.
Next year's event is in Hanmer Springs. Entries open 1 October 2025.
Results
3-Hour Open
1st Backcountry Bandits – Victoria Eyles, Isabel Eyles, Clare Irons – 03:50:58
2nd Big Sharks – Janine Manson, Jocelyn Henderson, Helen Slater – 03:51:19
3rd Scrum Squad – Lucy Blackmore, Laura Thomson, Pip Andrews – 03:52:32
3-Hour Veteran
1st It's Whine Time – Maria O'Halloran, Karen Miles, Penni Hlaca – 04:07:44
2nd The Chicks y Dicks – Suse Tregenza, Nicky Hyslop, Caro Rhodes – 04:12:16
3rd Crash Test Dummies – Anna Marshall, Angela Campbell, Paula Drew – 04:13:30
3-Hour Super Veteran
1st Farm Girls – Emma Hopkinson, Kate Huttered, Jo Hopkinson-Haigh – 04:16:43
2nd Beginners Luck – Anna-Marie Stewart, Toni Sutton, Becky Johnston – 04:19:59
3rd Nut Free – Susan Mackenzie, Meghan Roy, Kathryn Cowie – 04:20:12
6-Hour Junior
1st The Blondinos – Cameron Bates, Scarlett Williams, Grace Kunath – 09:22:34
2nd Grit and Giggles – Abby Hurst, Lulu O'Sullivan, Amelia Smith – 09:34:36
3rd You Came to Party – Chloe Manson, Annie Ford, Maggie Croft – 10:30:13
6-Hour Open
1st The Hills Have Thighs – Savanna Handevidt, Sarah Skinner, Kate Spear – 06:53:29
2nd Boy Mom Warriors – Sheena Murtagh, Clare Barnfield, Gabrielle Patterson – 06:57:42
3rd The Dairies Chicks – Natalie Breading, Alice Breading, Sonia Hollands – 07:03:23
6-Hour Veteran
1st Backcountry Battlers – Anna Walker, Nicky Sygrove, Katherine Baguley – 07:42:05
2nd Twisted Sisters – Rachael Baxter, Catherine Mackie, Frances Mackie – 07:51:14
3rd Sweaty Witches – Marcella Robertson, Annemarie Townsley, Amy Hore – 07:52:37
6-Hour Super Veteran
1st Always an Adventure AAA – Jackie MacIntyre, Marjolein Edwards, Pamela Morris – 07:10:41
2nd Where’s My Double D’s – Chris Dixon, Abby Dixon, Steph McCue – 07:14:08
3rd Huff n Puff – Colette Doughty, Lesley Nicol-Rumball, Kerrie Galbra – 07:34:17
9-Hour Open
1st Pure Sports Nutrition – Jessie Faavae, Tide Fa’avae, Kaia Jorgensen – 09:33:52
2nd Blood Sweat and Gears – Alice Buchanan, Sarah Earwaker, Annabel Cleland – 11:35:20
3rd 2 Cups of Tea and a Unicorn – Nicola McCarthy, Natasha Clode, Amanda Rowe – 12:11:46
9-Hour Veteran
1st Racing Donkeys – Susie Wood, Eloise Fry, Jane Orbell – 09:25:07
2nd Wandering Wahine – Naomi Whitehead, Sally Josenhans, Rachael Voyce – 09:55:54 (third fastest time on course)
3rd Southern Traverse – Gwylfa Moore, Anna Murray, Sarah Dickie – 10:32:10
9-Hour Super Veteran
1st Crazy, Mad & Fast – Kate Rattray, Sheryl Fraser, Kate Anderson – 12:15:31
2nd Adventure Before Dementia – Jenni Blyleven, Louise O'Connell, Anne Frankland – 12:43:03
3rd Mad Mackenzie Mums – Kim Jordan, Karen Clarke, Twyla Kingan – 12:57:10
