Team CPNZ - Endurance Sports Podcast

In this episode we catch up with Letecia Hughes who has an incredible story to tell, which is one of adventure, pushing the limits and choosing what is important in life. I have worked with Leticia for a number of years and she has recently come back on board after a couple of years away sailing in the Pacific Islands.
In this podcast Leticia shares her story of what that was like to up sticks and go and live on a boat in the tropics cruising amongst the islands. It all sounds pretty idyllic.
But It was on the way home from the islands 300NM north of Cape Reinga when they had to make the call to abandon ship with nothing more than the clothes that they were wearing.

THIS EPISODE of Community Connect, we're catching up with TeamCPNZ athlete Helen Gillespie.
Helen is an athlete who loves a challenge, thrives on adventure, and always makes sure she's having fun along the way. Earlier this year, we shared her Longest Day build-up story on our Kathmandu Coast to Coast podcast (S7E6, published February 8, 2026).
In this episode, we reflect back on that build-up, how race day unfolded, what she's been up to in the seven months since, and her plans to take on the 2027 Kathmandu Coast to Coast.
Helen is an amazing human, and one we felt our community could learn a lot from, which is exactly why we wanted to share her story.

Richard is back with our next podcast in the Whaka 100 2026 series.
In this episode, we sit down with Marewa Sutherland from Pure Sports Nutrition to talk recovery nutrition.
Let's be honest, for most of us, race day "recovery nutrition" is a beer and a burger, lying on the grass at the finish line soaking in a great day out. This episode isn't about that.
Instead, we're digging into how to approach recovery nutrition day-to-day, so you can get the most out of your training week and show up strong for your key sessions. What to eat, when to eat it, and why timing matters, this one will help you dial in your recovery and train smarter, not just harder.

TEAMCPNZ MEDIA
Richard Greer – @ric.greer
https://www.teamcp.co.nz
@teamcpnz
https://www.facebook.com/teamcpnz

WHAKA 100
https://www.whaka100.co.nz/

PURE SPORTS NUTRITION
https://www.puresportsnutrition.com/

We are back with our next podcast in the Whaka 100 2026 series.

We sit down with Amelie Mackay, one of the elites currently making waves in the New Zealand MTB scene.

Amelie has raced on the world cup circuit and is fresh back from competing in Korea at the XCO MTB World Cup. Last year, she came second in the 100km elite category, and this year she's lining up to go one better - aiming to etch her name alongside the who's who of NZ mountain biking from the past 19 years.

TEAMCPNZ MEDIA
Richard Greer – @ric.greer
https://www.teamcp.co.nz
@teamcpnz
https://www.facebook.com/teamcpnz

WHAKA 100
https://www.whaka100.co.nz/

Today in the podcast we are joined by Ric van Wachem, TeamCPNZ athlete based in Adelaide, Australia who recently returned from tackling the Tour Divide which traverses the backroads of America completely self supported. This was Ric’s third crack at the event and the goal was to complete the full 4,345km with 61,000 metres of climbing. Let’s just think about that for a moment - backroads, self-supported, no peloton, and more vert and distance than the Tour de France. Ric shares his story. From the background to his build-up, why he lined up again, and how his adventure unfolded.
This is a story of perseverance and pushing the envelope.