On Saturday 15 February, Makara Peak hosted the Wellington MTB Club's “Judith Collins Crusher-Duro”, part of the Wellington Enduro Series. The air was warm, the wind was negligible, the trails were in prime condition and the new carpark had just been opened.

Entrants had to post a time on either 3 or 5 stages, for the easy and hard categories respectively. The trails included classic old school lines like Lower Leaping Lizard and Vertigo, as well as some of the newer tracks in the park such as the new SWIGG and Starfish. As the stages could be finished in any order the park showed a sponge-like ability to absorb over 200 riders with minimal queuing throughout the day, and marshals wondering just where everyone was.

Timing was taken care of with WMTBC's chip and transceiver system, giving all riders their stage times as soon as they finished, and overall results as soon as the last rider arrived. In the end Jessie Cseh would take the Men's overall by just two seconds over Eden Cruise, while Khulan Tumen stamped her authority over the female classes. Competitors spoke very highly of the tracks, from old hands to out-of-towners experiencing the park for the first time. Although the figures are yet to be finalised, somewhere in the region of $4000 should be donated back to the park from the entry fees!

Thanks to Dan Sharpe (www.visualsby.me) and Lisa Ng (@lisangphoto) for the photos, and the general public for waiting until after the event to enjoy your casual ride, walk or run in the park.