David Kyle Finishes the Race
We at Mastering Mountains were thrilled to learn that David Kyle, the 2022 grant recipient, crossed the finish line, completing his goal of finishing the Karapoti Challenge.
David (second from right) with his son and mates. Photo credit: ATPhoto
The Karapoti 20k is a classic New Zealand race, covering a 20km off-road course with a long climb, a technical descent and river crossings at the start and finish. David's goal is a formidable challenge for anyone, much less someone with multiple sclerosis. Read more about David's story here.
David put in tremendous effort to reach this point, with multiple training sessions each week for nearly a year. His grant contributed toward the cost of a new e-MTB and covered the cost of specialist cycling coach Steve Bale from Fitlab, who supervised his training. Working with his coach and a Mastering Mountains mentor, David found ways to manage leg weakness, fatigue and heat-management difficulties.
The race, completed with friends, went well, despite the wet conditions. Crossing the finish line, David felt "pure elation", he recalls. This accomplishment was enormous for David, setting up to once again participate in mountain biking missions with friends and family.
A huge thank you to Andrew Turner from ATPhoto for providing the images.
