Meet our crew of outdoor enthusiasts, embodying the Racers Edge spirit.
At Racers Edge, we believe in the power of community, adventure, and pushing the limits in the great outdoors.
That’s why we’ve teamed up with a crew of passionate athletes and outdoor enthusiasts who embody the Racers Edge spirit.
Our ambassadors are more than just skilled adventurers—they’re storytellers, leaders, and inspirations to everyone who shares a love for the mountains, trails, and waters of New Zealand.
Sarah Morrison
Originally from Auckland, Sarah fell in love with the Southern Alps after a summer living out of her car and made the move to Wānaka as soon as she could. A passionate mental health advocate, she summited 52 peaks (+1000m) in 2023 to raise funds for the Mental Health Foundation NZ.
Now balancing a PhD in psychology with guiding, avalanche training, and counseling, she spends every spare moment in the mountains—climbing, scrambling, hiking, and chasing the best alpine lakes to camp beside. A fan of choss soloing, Sarah believes the best holds are the ones you have to put back.
Kristy Jennings
Kristy Jennings is a former Xterra World Champion and the winner of the latest GODZONE Pursuit. She recently completed the challenging Cape Epic, an eight-day mountain bike race in South Africa. A passionate member of the Wanaka outdoors community, Kristy thrives on tackling big challenges.
Tom Akass
Hailing from Glen Affric in the Scottish Highlands, Tom first came to Wānaka for the winters, working as a snowboard instructor at Treble Cone. But it was the summers—riding bikes, working at Racers Edge, and exploring the hills—that made him stay. A keen mountain biker and adventurer, he’s passionate about photography and loves nothing more than getting out into nature with his two young girls.
Kate Akass
Tom's other half, Kate is originally from Clyde, but grew up spending countless days in Wānaka, skiing, boating, and racing bikes with family.
A chance meeting with Tom at Racers Edge sealed the deal and she’s called Wānaka home ever since. Passionate about the outdoors, she loves biking, hiking, and sharing adventures, big and small, with their two little girls.
Ruby Smith
At just 16, Ruby is a skilled and passionate mountain biker, competing across all disciplines. When she’s not on her bike, she’s out tramping, running, climbing, or kayaking—making the most of the epic outdoors. More than podiums, she’s proud of her progress as an athlete, chasing what she loves and having fun doing it. This season, she’s stoked to be working with Racers Edge, a team that shares her values and passion for adventure.
Kath Kelly
A passionate environmentalist and outdoor adventurer, Kath came to endurance sport later in life and has since competed in major multisport, mountain bike and bikepacking events including Coast to Coast, Gold Rush, Pioneer, BC Bike Race and Tour Te Waipounamu. She has podiumed at several events and values the epic training adventures and community as much as the results.
Kath also organised an Everesting of Mount Benger, raising $6,500 for a local breast cancer fund, leads community mountain bike trail projects, and continues to chase big goals - including climbing Mt Aspiring / Tititea.
Tim Braizer
A double Olympic triathlon coach with a track record of coaching Ironman, Half Ironman, and Coast to Coast champions, he’s also a seasoned multisport athlete, taking on events like Coast to Coast and Godzone. A dedicated father of two, outdoor enthusiast, and podcaster, he shares his expertise through coaching at Fitter.
Alexia Preston
A competitive multi-sport athlete turned impact-driven outdoor enthusiast, Alexia helps to conserve and protect nature through her full-time work with international conservation non-profit (The Nature Conservancy), and as a Trustee for local environmental organisation, (Wao Aotearoa). She spends her spare time trail running, biking, climbing and ski touring - often with her adventurous pup by her side.
Bri Lobb
Originally from Canada, Bri moved to New Zealand just over a decade ago and is proud to be part of the amazing outdoor community that calls this place home.
Over the years, she’s dabbled in enduro racing, running local enduro and DH events through her teaching job at Mount Aspiring College, and coached with numerous women’s and youth mountain bike programs. More recently, she’s been chasing and hauling her two young boys around on adventures in the outdoors, and loves to explore our incredible backyard with them and her husband.