Fearless: Richie McCaw
by Metropol | June 10, 2026 8:36 am
Richie McCaw says there’s no reason anyone couldn’t compete in One NZ GODZONE – the adventure race where teams of four from across the globe navigate a relentless eight-day course of more than 600 kilometres on foot, bike, kayak, and packraft, to test their skills and endurance. Metropol editor Nina Tucker finds out why the rugby legend and Canterbury treasure swapped racing in GODZONE to designing it.
When he retired from rugby, Richie McCaw walked off the field and into one of nature’s most wild, rugged and challenging arenas: the world of adventure racing.
He left professional footy as the most successful captain in international rugby history with an 89% success rate. His post-game warface – stitched, bloodied, bruised – became an enduring symbol of uncompromising fearlessness. Richie played through fractures, and conditioning coaches found his muscle damage mirrored that of severe burns victims.
So how does the bottom of a brutal ruck compare to the epic One NZ GODZONE adventure race? Would his leadership, success rate, skillset, and pain threshold be enough? Gruelling yet rewarding, the challenge was a magnet for Richie, again and again; he’s raced four chapters across New Zealand since 2016.
In 2025, Richie and other high-profile sportspeople formed the PURE ADVENTURE Charitable Trust to return GODZONE to the racing calendar after a two-year hiatus. For the 13th chapter set deep amongst the South Island’s staggering mountains from 25 February to 5 March 2027, Richie and fellow trustees Rob Nichol and Adam Fairmaid have scouted sections of the Aoraki Mount Cook region and Mackenzie District to design a unique route that reflects New Zealand’s rugged terrain – and Richie’s own backyard.
Richie, what about GODZONE attracted you?
I was following a couple of mates who were doing GODZONE during my last year of professional rugby and wondered if I would have the capability and toughness required to be able to complete it myself. When I retired, my mate Rob Nichol (PURE ADVENTURE Charitable Trust trustee), who I followed during his race the previous year, said, “we’ve entered for the next GODZONE.” I joined up. It gave me something to aim for with a physical element immediately following retiring from professional rugby.
The sense of adventure, going to parts of our beautiful country I might otherwise not go, was also a big attraction.
What does it take to compete in GODZONE – what kind of fitness and athleticism is expected? How does that shape up to an All Black’s ability?
The fitness to compete in a race like GODZONE is quite different to being a rugby player. Rugby requires speed and explosiveness over short durations, that’s what we focused on in our training. Maintaining body mass was also a factor in footy.
So, I had to change my training to a much lower intensity. I had to train to be able to keep going for long periods. Yes, the physical fitness side is important to compete in a GODZONE race but I believe that it’s only part of it. The mental toughness of being able to handle hard moments that include sleep deprivation and fatigue but still keep moving is what I think has the biggest influence on whether you complete the race or not. It’s often not the most athletic looking people that do well in GODZONE. It’s because they are smart, and understand themselves and their team, and are able to push through the tough moments that constantly come and go throughout a race.
You’re well known for your fierce drive. Did you have that as a young boy? Where does that iconic determination and high-stakes ambition come from?
I was always competitive and loved being challenged. Professional rugby was a challenge every week. You have to constantly look at ways to be better, otherwise the drive isn’t there and complacency sets in.
Because I was surrounded by teammates who had a similar outlook, we were able to achieve some special things. Once finished, I knew that things that had no guarantees of outcome but required discipline and hard work were what I was attracted to. Getting involved in the adventure racing world required all that. I also wasn’t sure I had the capability to be able to handle it. That’s the reason I signed up.
How has your fitness routine and approach to health and wellbeing transformed since retiring from professional rugby? Was GODZONE the solution?
Once I entered, the race date gave me the uncomfortable edge of not knowing what was coming. That made me prioritise training.
As I have become more mature, I have certainly paid more attention to aspects of health and well-being that, as a younger athlete, I didn’t look at as closely.
It’s certainly easier to have good habits around fitness and physical exercise when there is a race like GODZONE in the calendar. What I really enjoy about the adventure racing community is the people involved. It’s all down to earth people who just get on with it. I was treated like anyone else and offered help by so many people as a ‘newbie’.
Tell us about the race you’ve designed for Chapter 13, set amongst Aoraki Mount Cook and the wider Mackenzie District?
This alpine environment is like no other. From the high mountain reaches down to the valley floors, rivers and lakes, there is adventure wherever you turn. We chose Aoraki Mount Cook as the backdrop for Chapter 13 because it’s a spectacular showcase of the type of terrain that is very special to New Zealand with an incredible legacy of adventurous spirit from the likes of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sir Harry Wigley who pioneered much of the adventure in this area. I have spent a lot of time flying gliders around Mount Cook and the mountains in the Mackenzie area and know them really well from the air. In gliders, we get right in close to the mountains and I just love flying in this beautiful part of the world and am keen to encourage others to come and experience it.
If there is one GODZONE not to miss, this is the one. It’s going to be a breathtaking and exhilarating adventure with your teammates and particularly for those people who have never raced through an alpine environment quite like where Chapter 13 is going.
Share your tips and advice for those who want to take on the GODZONE challenge?
Ask lots of questions of those who have done it before. I was lucky in my first race to have three teammates who had done GODZONE before.
Our female member Sarah had done a lot of expedition-length adventure races so I was able to get a lot of advice around training, and also what to do in certain situations during the race.
The race is doable for a lot of people. But it is a huge challenge and will test you. If you like a challenge and are prepared to ask questions and ideally have a team with prior experience, there is no reason why you can’t complete a GODZONE.
After I had completed my first one, I realised I’d learnt so much through the experience and wanted to try and be better so I went back several more times with this goal.
Think you have what it takes?
Visit godzoneadventure.com to enter – early bird pricing closes 30 June 2026.
Source URL: https://metropol.co.nz/fearless/