For Lucy Williams and Scott McDonald from Tauranga, the Kathmandu Coast to Coast is their origin story.

First connecting on a dating app over a chat about the best kayak for the annual South Island race, what started as training talk soon turned into something more.

McDonald, who made his Longest Day debut in 2019 finishing ninth, returned in 2020 and 2021 to place fifth in consecutive years. He admits he may have “come on too strong” when he first messaged Lucy, sending her far more kayak information than she expected.

The result was a six-month pause in their conversations.

“So Lucy ghosted me. Which, in hindsight, I can understand. Then six months later I bumped into her at a running festival in Tauranga,” McDonald said.

“And now we’ve been together four years and I’m crewing Lucy for her first Kathmandu Coast to Coast.”

While this was Williams’ first time lining up for the race, which crosses the width of the South Island, it’s not through lack of trying.

“Covid-19 cancelled the first one, a broken ankle cancelled the second, so this is actually the closest I’ve come to the starting line,” Williams said.

Scott McDonald and Lucy Williams share a passion for the Kathmandu Coast to Coast. Photo / Supplied

The broken ankle happened during a mountain bike race when she fell, and the pedals didn’t release on a bike she had borrowed from McDonald.

The injury ruled her out, but McDonald was able to race that year as the kayaker in a team.

“I’m not sure which one she was more annoyed about, the fact the pedals were done up too tight, or the fact that as soon as she realised she couldn’t race, I quickly signed up to paddle as part of a team event,” McDonald said.

To acknowledge the mahi that support crews do, and to celebrate 10 years of partnership, Kathmandu held a competition to find the best support crew for this year’s race.

The winners got a helicopter ride up Goat Pass – where the 30km mountain run part of the race was meant to be before weather conditions forced a course change for the run.