New Zealandの、そして世界のAdventure Raceの伝説、John Howardに先日(8月7日)にお会いしました。
山と渓谷社の山本さんから奥様の笹沼明子さんをご紹介頂き、Christchurchのご自宅に伺いました。
Huntsbury Ave.を登りきり、舗装路が切れて、かなりの悪路、雨が降っていたので、半ば川と化している道をSunnyで登っていきます。
しばらく登って、「もうこれ以上は行けないよ。」と、同行した丸田憲司君と話していたところ、左手にバス。それも2台。
「ここ？」
Johnと明子さんは、バスを改造した家で二人の息子さん達と待っていてくれました。
色んなお話をさせて頂きました。New Zealandのこと。Adventure Raceのこと。この間のUtahでのレースのこと。
そして、Johnが携わった伊豆アドヴェンチャー･レースのこと。日本のAdventure Raceの現状のこと。
それから、もちろん、私がNew Zealandに移住したあとに始めようとしている仕事について。
いろんなレースのことについて事細かに教えてくれました。
たくさん、NZの面白いレースを教えてくれました。皆さんにご紹介しますから、乞うご期待。
明子さんと話したら、お互いロンドンに同時期にいて、共通の知り合いがなんと3人も！
びっくりしました。狭いねぇ。世界は。
「Johnがどれだけ凄いって?」
以下をお読みくださいませ。英語だけど。
John Howard is considered the central pioneer of adventure racing.
Very few individuals have dominated endurance sports in the way John dominated adventure racing. Since winning the first ever major adventure race held in the world, the Raid Gauloises in 1989, he went on to win every significant race in the sport, including Eco-Challenge (3 times), the Raid Gauloises (3 times), the Elf Authentique, the ESPN X-Games (twice) and the Southern Traverse. In addition, he has served as a course designer or advisor to numerous high-profile outdoor adventure events, including the Mild Seven Outdoor Quest, Action Asia and New Zealand's Coast to Coast.
A native New Zealander, Howard is perceived as somewhat of an enigma in the sport. At the Raids Gauloises in Borneo in 1994, he revolutionised the way teams approached adventure races such as the Eco-Challenge and Raid Gauloises by taking the bare minimum of equipment, including food and water, between checkpoints, and wearing shorts, a t-shirt and running shoes, and carrying a microscopic backpack. Previously competitors had competed in hiking and mountaineering gear and carried heavy bags throughout the event. This gave Howard and his team a huge advantage and they blitzed the course, winning an expected eight-day race in five. His advantage was only temporary; from 1995, everybody was racing in a similar, stripped-down fashion.
Ian Adamson, considered by many the Michael Jordan of the sport, describes Howard as, "... a unique individual. He cultivates a disheveled look to maintain his individuality and to match his already eccentric persona. On a personal level he is extremely caring and generous, and I would (and have) placed my life in his hands. John looks like a mountain man because he is. He has an immensely deep background in all back country skills since this is the life he has lead since he was a teenager. He has also been winning adventure races longer than most athletes have been around. Finally, he races exclusively with people he likes, respects and who he knows he can win with."
On August 20, 2005, Primal Quest announced that John Howard was joining the world's premier adventure race as Technical Director.
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