Three weeks before the race, Swannanoa vegetable grower Kiesanowski dropped an attachment hose full of water with a metal buckle on the end onto his right foot. He broke his fourth toe and also suffered a fracture to his fifth toe with surgery recommended straight away.
Iain McGregor/Stuff
Ryan Kiesanowski cools himself on the mountain run of the Coast to Coast. Coast to Coast veteran Kiesanowski, who has competed in 14 races across the longest day, two-day and teams events, opted to put surgery on hold to line up on the start line. His 2020 race didn t go well, having to withdraw on the mountain run after copping a stray branch to the head. Not featuring in this year’s longest day was never an option – even with a busted toe.
“I did get caught up in it last year and I sort of raced Sam Clark the man rather than Coast to Coast the course and that didn’t work out for me,” he said. “That’s been a big focus for me this summer and it s definitely the mindset I want to take into Saturday.” The 35-year-old Allan will be lining up in his ninth Coast to Coast, having first competed in 2008. With a young family (he and wife Amy are parents to Flynn, six, and Matilda, four) and endurance coaching business, he wasn’t sure how many future events he had left in him.