GODZONE Adventure Race, live.

Expedition racing in the Southern Alps

GODZONE is New Zealand's expedition adventure race, and Chapter 13 takes teams into the alpine country around Aoraki/Mt Cook from the host town of Twizel.

Chapter 13 runs from Thursday 25 February to Friday 5 March 2027. Twizel, a small town in the Mackenzie District about 45 minutes from the national park, is the race base. The area holds New Zealand's highest peak at 3,724 m, its largest glaciers, the glacial lakes Tekapo and Pukaki and the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.

Two races start on the same day. GZ Pure is the full expedition course, approximately 600 km, with the winners expected to take about five days and the field allowed up to 8 days. GZ Pursuit follows much of the same route with some stages shortened, approximately 400 km, and suits teams newer to expedition racing.

As always with GODZONE, the course and maps stay secret until a few hours before the start. The race area has big rivers as well as smaller ones suited to paddling, and the organisers say Chapter 13 will involve significant packrafting, with teams bringing their own packrafts. Mid-race cut-offs may shorten the route so that teams reach the finish in time.

The race suits experienced adventure racers with strong navigation, river and alpine skills. The organisers say GODZONE has more followers than any other expedition race, and many of them follow the teams through the race's own Live Coverage.

On Livebib you can follow a team member live if they choose to share their own position from the phone they carry. That position comes from the participant, not from the race tracking or timing, and the official results are published by the organiser.