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Newly weds Richie and Gemma McCaw take on tough mountain race

The couple competed together in the challenging Coast to Coast adventure race.
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All Blacks rugby legend Richie McCaw, and his wife, Black Sticks Star Gemma McCaw, have taken on the Coast to Coast adventure mountain race – a challenge that proved tough for the sporting pair.

The newly married couple, who tied the knot last month in Wanaka, hit the mountain trails yesterday afternoon for the 30.5km run across the Southern Alps, Stuff reports.

In true Richie style, the sports star gave it his all, finishing in 11th place after slogging across difficult terrain for 4hrs and 20mins.

His hockey champion wife came in at 31st place, crossing the finish line in 5hrs 18mn and 40sec.

The rugby star told Stuff was given the all clear by Gemma to not wait around for her.

“No, she told me I wasn’t to hang around. It would have caused an argument probably,” Richie said.

The two-time rugby World Cup star was a late entry into the race but made it to the start-line for the 9.15am start with Gemma, and his sister Joanna.

Despite putting in a solid effort to finish the race in less than four hours, Richie hit a couple of tricky river crossings along the way. He sustained some injuries to both his legs and needed stitches after the race.

Commenting to Stuff on his fitness level, the 36-year-old said he was “probably” as fit as he’d been before retiring in 2015, but without the intensity of constant gym workouts.

While Richie hasn’t said whether he’ll one day compete in the entire 243km South Island race, he isn’t ruling out the possibility either.

“I can see that it’s a bug. Maybe one day, you never know.”

Gemma, who ran with her sister-in-law for most of the race, could be looking to improve her time if she enters the race again, and has said she may well be “very” tempted to enter the two-day race in the future.

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