Athlete Profile – Sam Clark
Athlete profile: Sam Clark. Keep an eye out – more athlete stories to follow.
Bringing a taste of New Zealand to Australia is Sam Clark. Sam is a phenomenal athlete having just competed in Speight’s Coast to Coast, where he put in an amazing effort to finish just minutes behind the winner, Braden Currie. Sam has a wicked sense of humour and we look forward to seeing what he brings to Adventurethon Magnetic Island.
Have you always been active?
I have been competing in one form or another since primary school, and have steadily progressed to taking on greater and greater challenges.
Why Adventurethon?
I enjoy competing in new places and meeting new people plus It’s a refreshing change to compete where so much of the local wildlife might actually kill you.
Tell us about why do you do off road events:
Roads are great if you want to go fast, but the magic happens when you hit the trails.
Do you come into the race expecting to win?
I have just come off a very hard block of training and racing, so Adventurethon isn’t something I have been able to train specifically for. I hope to get through the event without my body filing any formal complaints or anyone really old beating me; like Guy Andrews.
Where do you feel your strengths lie?
My strength lies in being well rounded and having a good race strategy. If it get it right I can push myself right to the red line all day.
Who inspires you to push yourself?
My Competition, they force me to keep improving myself.
Where do you live and play?
Whakatane New Zealand
How important is a support crew to achieving your goals? 
It takes a team to make the dream, a good support network is key to your best performance. Particularly mentally, the more load you can share is less you have to carry with you.
What does your race day breakfast look like?
Specifically, like rice with butter and salt on it
Take us through one of your favourite sporting memories:
My most memorable cycling moment was riding through Christchurch on my way to winning the 2009 2-day Coast to Coast. I had a police escort and there were hundreds of people cheering me on. It was my first moment that I felt I could have a real future in sport
What’s the one piece of equipment that goes with you to every race and why?
Sunglasses: you cant take a good photo with a dirty lense and you cant perform at your best if you cant see properly.
What piece of advice would you give someone attempting their first Adventurethon?
Pacing is everything, leave enough in the tank that you can really push hard and enjoy the back half of the course
How do you feel about the other athletes having a home turf advantage?
It seems only fair that they should have an advantage as Aussies never seem to have much luck when they come over to NZ to compete.