Race Day 2020 - Saturday 29th February
35th Anniversary & the first ever Leap Day Karapoti !
Venue
Race Day is based at Karapoti Park on Akatarawa Road in Upper Hutt. To find Karapoti Park...
> Take State Highway 2 past Upper Hutt
> Approx 4km north of Upper Hutt city centre , approx 500m past Caltex Service Station, turn onto Akatarawa Rd
> Follow Akatarawa Road for approx 5km to Karapoti Park
> Walk/ride into Karapoti Park where you'll find the main marquee, food, coffee and sponsor displays.
> Massage is available post-race - $20 for 15min. Bring cash.
> On race day there are various food, drink and sponsors retailing.
Car Parking
There is no parking in Karapoti Park or on Karapoti Road. But we have arranged ample car parking in surrounding farm paddocks...
> Officials will direct you to the closest car park area. Please obey officials
> If forced to park on Akatarawa Road, park only on the west side (river side) of the road. Vehicles parked on the east side of the road will be towed
> Do not park in any resident or farm entrance unless directed to do so by an official.
> Please be patient. We have 1000+ vehicles to park while ensuring access for emergency and avoiding disruption to residents and normal traffic.
Race Day Timetable
| RACE BRIEFING - ALL RIDERS | |||
| 9:30am | Karapoti Park | All Riders Must Attend! | |
| START - 50K CLASSIC | Category | No. Range | No. Colour |
| NB: All 50K riders start lined up along the eastern bank of the Akatarawa River. | |||
| 10:00am | Elite-Expert Men | 1-899 | Black |
| 10:05am | Tandem, Uni, Single Speed, Retro, Cycle-X, Fat Bike | 900's | Green |
| 10:10am | Elite-Expert Women | 1000's | Pink |
| 10:15am | Weekend Warrior - 3:00 to 3:30hrs | 2000's | Red |
| 10:20am | Weekend Warrior - 3:30 to 4:00hrs | 3000's | Yellow |
| 10:25am | Weekend Warrior - 4:00hrs Onward | 4000's | Light Blue |
| START - 20K CHALLENGE | Category | No. Range | No. Colour |
| NB: All 20K riders start lined up along the eastern bank of the Akatarawa River. | |||
| 10:40am | All 20K Challenge Riders | 5000's | White |
| START - KIDS' 5K KLASSIC | Category | No. Range | No. Colour |
| NB: All Kids' 5K riders start on the far side of the Karapoti Rd bridge, lined up in school year groups. | |||
| 10:50am | Age 10 & 11 - Girls & Boys | 6100's | Orange |
| 10:52am | Age 9 - Girls & Boys | 6900's | Orange |
| 10:54am | Age 8 - Girls & Boys | 6800's | Orange |
| 10:56am | Age 7 - Girls & Boys | 6700's | Orange |
| 10:58am | Age 5 & 6 - Girls & Boys | 6500's | Orange |
| POST-RACE | |||
| 11:10am | First Kids' Klassic Finisher Expected | ||
| 11:35am | First 20K Finisher Expected | ||
| 12:15am | First 50K Finisher Expected | ||
| 11:30am - 3:30pm | Free Lunch, Expo, Entertainment, Special Competitions | ||
| 1:30pm | Kids' Klassic Prize Giving | ||
| 3:30pm | Karapoti Prize Giving | ||
| 4:30pm | Help Organisers Clean Up ;-) | ||
Prize Pool
> Every finisher wins a commemorative medal.
> Every entrant competes for a $30,000 prize pool made up of cash and product.
> Spot prizes will be awarded to every 20th rider across the finish line.
> Novelty prizes will be awarded for Best Fancy Dress and Worst Luck - nominations to the Race Director prior to 3:30pm.
> The Elite and Expert categories race together for overall honours among both men and women, with top-10 being awarded on-stage. Prize money is awarded to placings 1st to 5th and product from 6th to 10th.
> A $1000 cash bonus will be paid if the overall winner among men and/or women break the overall race record.
> The Expert categories will also have awards in their 10-year age groups, with placings 1st to 3rd being awarded product prizes.
> The Weekend Warrior categories have product prizes for the fastest five men and women.
> The Unicycle, Retro, Single Speed, Fat Bike, Cyclo-cross and Tandem categories will be awarded product prizes for 1st Place.
> The Team categories will have product prizes awarded for 1st place in each team category. Teams must have three or more riders to count toward team results, which are calculated by combining the times of the fastest three riders in a team.
Postponements
It is unlikely that Karapoti would be postponed or cancelled, but it has happened once. In the case of unseasonal flooding and/or gale force winds - or any natural disaster - the following contingencies are in place:
PostPonement: This decision would be made by 8:00am Saturday and posted on www.karapoti.co.nz, our Karapoti Facebook Page and emailed to participants. If weather forecast for the next day is positive, the event would be postponed 24hrs to Sunday.
Cancellation: If forecast for Sunday is not positive, or if Sunday dawned no better, or if the course is deemed unsafe, the event may be cancelled. This decision would be made by 8:00am Sunday and posted on www.karapoti.co.nz, our Karapoti Facebook Page and emailed to participants.
Refunds Policy: In the unlikely event of postponement or cancellation, entry fees are non-refundable. This has happened only once since 1986.