Southlander takes over running of Motatapu event
Southlander Gemma Peskett is the proud new owner of one of the south’s most-loved sporting events.
Peskett, who has been living in Queenstown for the past few years but comes from Winton and attended Central Southland College, has bought the Motatapu off-road sporting event with business partner Craig Gallagher from Ironman Oceania.
A thrilled Peskett, who has been involved with Kathmandu Coast to Coast and Winter Games NZ for multiple years, confirmed the Motatapu would return to a one-day multi discipline event on Saturday 6 March, 2021.
‘’The change in date now means we don’t clash with the A&P Show weekend in Wanaka, which we believe is an excellent way of spreading visitors to our region and allowing both events to flourish as well as the local economy.”
Peskett hopes to see a great number of regulars return for its 17th edition. ‘’We have both worked on this iconic event and as a past Race Director I feel I can bring a real passion and knowledge to Motatapu.
‘’We want to be able to support our local community and bring in participants from all over New Zealand, maybe Australia too, border depending, to enjoy this epic slice of paradise. We are lucky to work with generous land owners who open up their Station for just one day allowing athletes to compete in this bucket-list event.”
Gallagher who has his own events company, Summit Events, confirmed a 2021 price drop for competitors. ‘’We wanted to make it easier for all athletes, especially in current COVID times to enter and enjoy the event, whether it be the Mountain Bike Race, Off-Road Marathon, Ultra Run or Miners Trail option.’’ Gallagher is well known locally for managing QLDC’s New Year’s Eve, co-managing LUMA and for eight years was involved in the Queenstown Winter Festival.
Motatapu will continue its work with the Queenstown Trails Trust, the Official Charity Partner, with $7 of every entry going towards the ongoing maintenance and development of trails within the Wakatipu Basin.
“We’re absolutely stoked to hear that the Motatapu is set to open entries this week for the 2021 event under new ownership. IRONMAN Oceania have done an impeccable job of running the Motatapu for the past three years and I can’t think of anyone more qualified than Gemma and Craig to take over the reins. I’m sure it will be business as usual as far as the event goes, with the $7 per head donation to the Trails Trust set to continue for the benefit of more trails for our community,” said Mark Williams, CEO, Queenstown Trails Trust.
