The Nelson Pod: Change of direction for Nelson sporting legend

After dominating the international sport of adventure racing for almost a quarter of a century, Nelson’s Nathan Fa’avae is heading in a new direction.

In this week's episode of the Nelson Pod, Nathan shares some of the incredible stories of his career and to talk about what’s next for him and his family.

He also tells us what he thinks of being described as the sport’s GOAT - Greatest of All Time.

Nathan, who was at Government House in Wellington last week to receive his New Zealand Order of Merit, announced he was stepping away from adventure racing just prior to winning February’s Godzone race with his world champion Avaya teammates Sophie Hart, Stu Lynch and Chris Forne.

He talks about what led to that decision, the impact of hitting his fifties, and some of the hairier things that have happened during his career that saw him racing in 28 countries.

One of the things that the pod makes clear is that Nathan’s expertise extends beyond sports.

The father-of-three is a professional outdoor consultant specialising in team-building adventures, sporting events, and adventure racing. Nathan and his wife Jodie founded the renowned Spring Challenge women’s adventure race and he excels in leadership, logistics, and ensuring participant safety.

While he has dedicated a significant portion of his life to sports, his primary career revolves around outdoor education and event production.

Nathan and Matt are also joined on the pod by Nathan and Jodie’s son Zefa who, following in his father’s footsteps, is off to the Junior World Orienteering Championships in Romania.

To support Zefa’s fundraising efforts, Nathan is giving a talk entitled Unbeaten on Tuesday June 13 at The Rutherford Hotel, with tickets available here.

For this week's episode and previous episodes go to The Nelson Pod.