Richie McCaw turns course designer for latest Godzone adventure race

“And also the fellow trustees that we’ve taken it back over with are all good people, they’ve all got the same passion for it, so it’s great to be involved with them.

Former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw is helping to design the upcoming One NZ Godzone course in the Aoraki Mt Cook area, having already competed in the event before. Photo / One NZ GODZONE

“But the thing is, what I got out of the race, when I was racing it, is the main part. You want to see it carry on so other people can have that chance.”

Godzone participants will be navigating, trekking, mountain biking and paddling across the Aoraki Mt Cook and the Mackenzie region, an area McCaw is keen to show off as much as possible.

“I grew up not far from there, just down the valley a bit, and I spent a lot of time flying gliders around the Mackenzie country and around Mt Cook, so I know that area really well,” McCaw explained.

Richie McCaw is keen to how off the best of the Aoraki Mt Cook area when competitors eventually arrive for the One NZ Godzone. Photo / One NZ GODZONE

“I’ve seen all the mountains and lakes and rivers from the air a lot, so to give other people from outside of the area a chance to come and experience it is very cool.

“I guess a lot of people live down those ways and we have to go through different landowners, so that’s always cool as well to speak to them, but having a bit of an understanding of who’s around has been a benefit; it’ll be spectacular.”

Despite only designing the course this time round, McCaw highlighted exercise as playing a major part in his life since he stopped playing rugby at the highest level.

Paddling, trekking and biking are all key parts of the adventure race. Photo / One NZ GODZONE

“I think when you finish playing professionally and that’s just your normal day, it would be easy to go, ‘I don’t need to do that anymore,’ but for me, it’s a thing that keeps me sane, keeps you healthy, and you get to do things like the competitive side.

“I did the Godzone, my wife and I have done some shorter adventure races, done the Coast to Coast, just having that little bit of competition and a little bit of motivation may not be as high as it could be, you think, ‘oh, I’ve got a race coming up,’ so that’s a part of my daily life now, as you get out and do a bit of exercise.

“I think whether you’re into competing or not, but just general well-being and health, exercise is a pretty good antidote to all the stresses that you get in life.”

Two-time Rugby World Cup winner Richie McCaw said exercise continued to be a key part of his life in his post-playing days. Photo / One NZ GODZONE

A trip over to South Africa to watch the All Blacks take on the Springboks didn’t deter him from fitting in a workout with former teammates.

“I convinced Dan Carter and Stephen Donald, instead of taking the cable car up Table Mountain in Cape Town, that we would walk it, and I said, ‘ah, it’s a gentle uphill’ – it’s actually quite a lot steeper, but we did that.

“It didn’t take too long, but it was a good steep climb, I just enjoy a bit of fitness, but also you get to the top, you appreciate the view when you’ve had to work a bit.”

The former captain said he was in South Africa for the first time in 11 years to do work related to the All Blacks tour and was able to see the first two tests, but didn’t have the desire to return to the field.

“You were reminded of how passionate the South Africans are about rugby and the hype around the tour, so part of me was going, it would have been cool to have had one of these tours when I was playing, but then I saw the nature of the games, how tough they are, and I was quite happy sitting in the stand.”

When the tour makes its return journey to New Zealand, McCaw has made it clear he’s happy to take a few of the former Springboks players up a couple of mountains around the country.

The former All Blacks captain is keen to see other competitors enjoy the event as much as he had previously. Photo / One NZ GODZONE

“I’ve already said to them that it’s on the cards.”

McCaw didn’t rule out participating in a future Godzone event, but suggested he could participate in a Coast to Coast in the meantime.

However, his priority was to help create a course competitors would enjoy and working through where the next Godzone event could be.

In the meantime, he was happy to share advice for anyone considering taking on the challenge.

Richie McCaw only had five months of training before he attempted his first Godzone. Photo / One NZ GODZONE

“It’s a challenge that will teach you a lot about all sorts of things in life, but if you prepare and put some time into a bit of training and some skills, I’d say probably half of it is around making sure you’ve got some fitness to be able to keep going, but then a lot of it’s around how you operate as a team, what your skills are like on navigation, just how you deal with tougher moments on the more mental side,” McCaw said.

“If you’re interested in a challenge, you can give it a go. I was like that when I first started, I didn’t really know what I was in for. I knew it was going to be tough, but I had about five months of training from when I finished playing to when I did my first one, and I managed to finish it.

“I was like, ‘wow,’ that was a massive challenge. I didn’t know that I’d be able to do it, but I had some people that mentored me a little bit, and I was able to achieve it.

Richie McCaw with teammates Sarah Fairmaid, Rob Nichol and Bob McLachlan at Godzone chapter seven in Fiordland. Photo / One NZ GODZONE

“Then you do it once, you go, ‘oh, I wonder if I can do a little bit better.’

“You go to places where you might not normally go to, you see amazing things.

“If you sit there and say, I’m not sure if it’s possible, you get out there and you just work your way through the next few moments, next few hours, whatever.

Former All Blacks hasn’t ruled out participating in a future One NZ Godzone event. Photo / One NZ GODZONE

“It’s amazing what you can achieve, and I think that’s the thing about anyone that wants to give it a go.

“It’s worth a crack.”