24th/25th November 2007
A toasty weekend of racing:
Day One begins with a grunty 10km run from Taylors Mistake up to the Summit Road and over into Cass Bay. From here there is a 13.5km kayak to Purau via Governors Bay. Then it's onto the mountain bike for the last stage of the day, from Purau along the Summit Ridge 18.5km to Little River.
I had a great run, some interesting technical bits from the gun emplacements across to the gondola followed by a wicked descent (most of it on my bottom!!) down into Cass Bay. I can see why they say it’s more like a 20km run!! The first transition was real cruisey (due to the road crossing) we had 15mins to spare. Most civilised!! Luckily the howling wind had calmed down to leave calm seas. So it was off in the boats, heading for Governors bay and then around Quail Island where a very low tide resulted in a muddy portage before hopping back in again to continue to Purau. The MTB was a real puffer, especially after the 1st run. After the bulk of the uphill section there was some interesting downhill followed by a few undulations before reaching the port levy gravel road which tries to shake you to pieces on the speedy descent. I got into Little River less than 30sec behind the leading woman, someone unknown to me from the North Island.
Body felt good if a bit tired so after a bit of race recovery an early night was on the cards. ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Day Two starts with a 12.5km run from Little River to Birdlings Flat. Then it's back on the mountain bikes to the Summit Ridge and down into Wainui, 18.5km. Finishing with a 12kms kayak passing the historically important Onawe Peninsula. After crossing to the other side of the harbour and heading back to Akaroa there is a final sprint to the finish chute located on the Village Green near the waterfront.
Day 2 was another cracker but more pressure this time. I was first woman off the run but not by much and the race leader caught me 40mins into the MTB ride. I tried to keep with her but she was very strong. Due to deep shingle, the Start of the MTB on the beach isn’t rideable for the first 200m, even pushing was hard enough work!! Then it’s a case of chugging along as fast as you can to the summit followed by a very short, sharp, sliding, hair raising descent into Wainui. Then it was into the kayaks (I think my support was more stressed than I was as he was all fingers and thumbs at transition), anyway I finally got off onto the water in pursuit of the lass in front. I could see a small group in front, which I tried to pull in, however they were going at a good pace and had the advantage of working as a group in the headwind. After 1hr 30min the Akaroa finish was in sight and I dug in for the last part getting to shore thinking that I was in 2nd, however my support crew was screaming "Get Out and Run" so I hauled myself out of the boat and raced to the finish, apparently the lass was behind me!!!! and sure enough she blasted through the shoot less than a minute later so we hadn’t a clue who had won until the prize giving. Somehow I had burgled it and won by a mere 21seconds in a time of 9hr26min 36 seconds!!! Yipeeeeeeeeeee
Results for the Tuatara available here.
Individuals: People building up for multiday multisport events such as C2C 2 day event and Goldrush. This event will give you an idea of how well your current training plan is working. Great for practicing transitions, race nutrition and endurance across disciplines. Careful post race analysis will highlight strengths and weaknesses that can be sorted out prior to your main event.
Teams: This is an event that is easily achievable by a 2 or 3 person team. The stages are not huge and can be accomplished by people who want to experience a fun multisport event.
Stage Summary:
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13th October 2007
A beautiful morning dawned after a grotty drive up on Friday. The run starts at the Maitai Dam. After a brief warm up on the flat the climb begins. The route ascends the Dun Mountain Saddle (875m) following the south branch of the Maitai River. The track up to the Coppermine Saddle consisted of a mixture of gravel footpath and boulder/rock sections with one shallow river crossing. A couple of cheery marshals at the top waved us on our way across the saddle through a short section of rooty forest before linking up with the remnants of New Zealand's first railway line. This soon became a lovely gentle descent with sound footing that you could whiz down. About 10km from the finish there was another checkpoint at a hut and then it was more freewheeling all the way back to brook street.
Congratulations to Michaela, Michele and Eleanor who all finished with smiles on their faces and in most respectable times (3:25, 3:27, 3:05). Commiserations to Graeme who was wearing his New GPS navigation computer and managed to get lost in the last 2km, coming through the finish chute in the opposite direction to everyone else. Moral of the story : gadgets don’t make you run faster!!!!
A great event if you enjoy off-road running in beautiful locations, good training for Coast to Coast type runs on the ascent.
PS: I was first woman home in 2:27
Full results for the Dun Run available here.
People who enjoy off road running in a beautiful location. Its one of the easier Nelson Strider off road events. There are a few technical rocky sections on the ascent but the descent is all plain sailing on a perfect gradient for leaning forward and spinning the legs. A good build up event for people who are training for multisport events that include 20km+ off road runs.
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8th March 2008
We set off to Glendhu Motorcamp, just 12km outside of Wanaka, in a light drizzle; it was easy to find as we just followed the stream of cars. I was dropped off at 6.45am and my long suffering partner went back to bed. The place was already humming with runners and a few mountain bikers. We waited for the buses to arrive and watched as dawn broke and the amazing backdrop of lake Wanaka cleared before us out of the cloud.
It was a short 6km bus ride up to Motatapu station and then a 5min walk to the start – more breathtaking views. No transponders for the runners this year, apparently they had all been trashed on the C2C (I’m sure mine wasn’t)!!
There were plenty of toilets and a tent for shelter, not that we needed it, the rain had cleared and it looked as if it was shaping up for a glorious day – perfect running conditions. Melissa Moon and Sarah Ulmer arrived by helicopter and mingled with the rest of us as we sorted out gear for the trailer back to Arrowtown. The briefing was short and then we were off at 8am on the dot. The start was an unforgiving meandering hill that twisted and turned before finally descending a little. More “Wow” scenery opened up before us taking our minds of the undulating but solid 4WD track that we were following.
The first aid station appeared after 10km and from that point onwards there were 2km distance markers to the finish. There were another 3 Aid stations at 19km, 27km and 34km, all had water or leppin up for grabs along with some very enthusiastic helpers. Station 3 gave us drink bottles that we could discard after approx 500m and we also had the compulsory foot wash bowls to help prevent the dreaded didymo spreading.
The course route was very obvious, there were lots of small stream crossings and a few boggy sections where the wrong choice of route could see you up to your thighs in mud glorious mud! I wouldn’t call it a technical run, just very undulating!! Coming down the track by Macetown was great as you could sniff the finish only 8km away however it was quite hard on the legs. The folks at aid station 4 were very enthusiastic with their support offering cookies and cheery encouragement. The last couple of kms consisted of 6 river crossings that were very cold but felt great on the legs at this point in time. We were lucky to have low river levels and knee high water at the most but I imagine they would be interesting after a lot of rain. The finish was in Butlers Green park in Arrowtown, a rather grand finish at that, with the compare announcing everyone as they arrived and propelled themselves in some sort of manner towards the smart finish marquee. It wasn’t until this point that I realised how many people were actually participating – 600 runners and 2,300 mountain bikers!!
The mountain bikers don’t start until 11am so most of the running field don’t clash with them, the fastest guys whizzing through in just under 2hrs. Even if you did end up meeting the bikers there was plenty of room on the track for both.
As expected Melissa Moon took out the womans marathon in a stunning 3:19:56 and John Winsbury was first man home in 2:46:14, I was happy with 3:46:09 which placed me 4th in the open womans category.
Full results for the Motatapu available here.
Highly recommended for those that want to do a marathon but hate road running and a pleasant change for the road running junkies that don’t like anything too technical. However if you hate hills don’t bother! The fantastic location makes this an event to be remembered and definitely returned to.
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Saturday 12th April
The weather was kind offering us a perfectly still morning with a mixture of sunshine and cloud. The great conditions were met with a great turnout of about 700 runners. This event has a very civilised start time of 10:30am so no excuses for those that like to sleep in and also the option to drive up from Christchurch the same day.
The race starts from the Domain with a lap around the field as a warm up before heading up Jacks Pass for approximately 2km before turning into Pawsons Road. The half marathoner's start first followed a few minutes later by the 10km race (this distance is open to runners and walkers).
We ran through good 4WD tracks to Jollies Pass Road where the 10km and half marathon courses diverge. It was just before this point that the leading 10km man whizzed past me at an incredible pace! We then headed into the Matariki forest for more gentle undulations on 4WD tracks until about 10km where there is a second but smaller incline. This is followed by some great downhill running on the home straight with a couple of undulations and two ford crossings. The last 3km is through the forest and back along Jollies Pass road to finish at the school. Note: start and finish are different!!
I carried a small camel pack of fluid but there were drink stations with water at approximately 5km, 7km, 11km and 16km. The course was very well marked with luminous arrows and plenty of tape at intersections; it would be quite a challenge to get lost!
Brett Smith and Karyn Balance won the half marathon in 1:10:29 and 1:27:37 respectively, while the 10km winners were Brett Tingay in 32:35 and Hannah Newbould in 39:24. I completed the half marathon in a round 1:34, which placed me as 3rd open woman.
Key: 1=5km, 2=7km, 3=10km, 4=11km, 5=16km, 6=18km
This is an off road event on 4wd tracks. You will feel more comfortable participating in this event if you include some hill work in your training. Working the hills will gain you lots of ground and the downhills are great for letting fly so practice your technique. Navigation is simple, you only get wet feet in the half marathon and walkers are welcome to participate in the 10km event. Fantastic views coming back down into Hanmer make the last 8km go rather quickly as does the thought of a soak in the hot pools afterwards!
Results for the Hanmer half available here.
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27th October 2008
There was a good turn out for this event on Labour Day with a most civilised start time of 10am. The Start/Finish was at Ben Ohau Station that had plenty of space for parking even though it was only a 20min warm up ride from Twizel village. The event was well organised with plenty of porta loos, didymo cleaning facilities and drinking water at the start. A feast of fresh fruit, juice and BBQ awaited us at the finish and the course had so many marshals that it would be embarrassing to get lost!
The race covered a circuit through the local high country stations with some amazing views. The majority is on 4WD tracks, there are 6 river crossings (all but 2 rideable to most of us), and an overall vertical climb of 500m, again all of this should be rideable to the majority of people who get out on their bikes a couple of times a week.
The start is a fast blast up Glen Lyon Road, over the canal bridge and right onto the gravel canal road for 3km before dropping down to Rhoborough Downs’s road. This skirts around Lake Poaka before it meets State Highway 8 where we took a left and rode for 1km before turning left onto State Highway 80. 3km later we took a left onto the start of the “Dusky Trail” and gradually climbed for 6km before arriving at Twizel and Gladstone Rivers where most people carried their bikes over.
The ride continues upstream on the south side of Gladstone river to the foot of Ben Ohau Range, then turns west and follows the high terrace at the base of Ben Ohau range to reach the highest point (800m). From here we dropped down to cross the Fraser River where it was again easier to carry your bike unless you were a particularly skilful mountain biker. 4WD tracks then followed the Fraser river with a few more river crossings before we rode around the west side of the pyramid and climbed up to the saddle (700m) which was a lot easier than it looked. The downhill side was rather rutted on the right but you could keep out of trouble on the left and have a fun descent to the Oregon pine forest before popping out again on Glen Lyon Road. From here it was another quick stint on the road, crossing the canal bridge with a fast 500m back to the Finish chute.
First man and woman across the line was Tony Hogg in 1:36:39 and Maggie Pasek in 2:06:18. I completed the course in 2:26:07 resulting in 7th place. Full results can be viewed here
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25th to 28th Feb 2009
The inaugural event, ridden as a team of 2:
We arrived in Mt Somers for registration about 11.30am to find lots of MTB's having some finishing touches carried out and people stuffing 90L gear bags with all the necessary bits n pieces for 4 days of mountain biking and camping. 90L is a lot of gear and stuffing the bags was much easier than carrying them!
Started promptly at 1pm with a furious pace for the first few km before we hit the mud and hills where teams became more spread out. The previous days of rain meant a soggy and muddy terrain that made for interesting riding. A mixture of 4wd, tussock, grass, gravel roads and plenty of undulations summed up the stage. Within 20mins I was having problems with chain suck and had to carry out some frantic episodes of back peddling in order to maintain forward momentum. Luckily this stage was relatively short so I was able to nurse my bike through to the end. We had a great campsite next to a stream, perfect for cleaning mud off the bikes and ourselves. Once my bike looked like a bike again it was whisked off to the mechanic who sucked his teeth and made ohhhh noises resulting in a new rear cassette, chain and front cog!! But I was more than happy to get these replaced, as the thought of back peddling throughout the remainder of the event was not a good one!
9am Start, slightly less frantic than the previous day thank goodness, as it was straight uphill and round an interesting loop of muddy 4WD/single track with small river crossings before we popped back out where we started and made for the major climb of the day taking us up and up. We started in the cloud with very little visibility, luckily this cleared as the climb went on and we had an interesting descent traversing tussock, rocks, bog, snowgrass and the like down to the Rangitata river.
We crossed the river with our bikes on inflatable rafts from the Rangitata raft company. Two rafts were required as the river had swollen by 20m and had a shingle braid in the middle. It was fun to be paddling after all the jiggling around on the bikes.
Time trial. We were started off at 30s intervals in our teams, the leg involved metalled road, and grass 4wd tracks with undulations, finishing at Rangitata rafts with a hot shower - luxury!! We were mud free at last.
A BIG Day, starting off with a foggy ride up Mt Peel, this involved some very steep sections that made pushing seem like hard work! This was followed by some hair-raising descent on loose rock and some nicer fast solid mud/grass 4WD track down to the Hewson River for a big feed at the aid station. The race then weaved its way along the Phantom river with 30+ river crossings (this did wonders for our riding skills) eventually heading up and over another saddle followed by a fast descent down to follow another river before we eventually popped out onto a gravel road for the final 17km taking us to Sherwood hall and a great welcome home by the support team. Only a small stream for washing tonight.
Today was another muddy section with plenty of undulations, river crossings, cowpats, and steep sections to slither down on your bottom with your bike out front! More misty cloud to start with that cleared somewhat before the rain started to chase us home over the last 20km. After many consecutive hill climbs we finally popped out at Lake Tekapo for a quick 4km around the side of the lake to the finish line.
Results for the Alpine Epic 2009: here.
To survive this race you need good endurance, its important to pace yourself correctly so you don't blow up. You need to train for this event. Correct nutrition during and post each stage is critical to maintain day after day performance. Riding skills for river crossings, sticky/slushy mud and up steep hills are very useful, along with basic bike maintenance. An understanding teammate that you get on very well with is a must.
Karen Muller and Wendy Riach
Team Fit For Alpine Epic
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7th Mar 2009
This year was the 25th event so I just had to participate and find out for myself why this race has been so well supported and attracts people from all over the South Island.
There are several race options for individuals and teams:
Race day was a typical West Coast mix of drizzle, showers and strengthening winds. The race started 10am at Sunny Bight. The run continuously undulates starting on tarseal, then gravel road finally turning onto a very muddy track leading to the lakeshore at Geologist Creek for the kayak transition.
The wind had got up and the start of the kayak section was rather choppy making for some interesting paddling before it eased off about half way through the course. (Choose the right boat for your skills and the weather on the day, it can get very choppy in certain conditions). We headed straight up the lake aiming for the 2 small islands at Hans bay, on negotiating the 2nd island it was a sharp right into the beach with a very short run to the bike stands.
The bike leg was also undulating and into a headwind so pretty unforgiving on the legs after the fast run. Drafting is allowed but I would also recommend aerobars just in case you find yourself riding alone. From Hans Bay you follow the main road into Hokitika, once there its left into Livingstone Street, right into Weld Street with the finish chute on Cass Square.
The post race function was at Stumpers in Hokitika. It had a local slant and there were plenty of spot prizes, tales (past and present) and a good spread of food for the hungry racers.
This race is a good all rounder, its perfect as a first race for people new to multisport and challenging enough for the more experienced multi-sporters who want to set some fast times over a superb course. This event is excellent value for money. You don’t need support crew but it does save time if you have someone to position your kayak and pick up your pieces after you’ve transitioned.
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2nd May 2009
It was a cold crisp morning with frost but the sunny blue sky and autumn tree colours more than made up for it. Over 1000 people ran/walked the 2 races on today.
The race started about 10:30am from the pavilion on Jacks Pass Rd, after a quick circuit around the field we were huffing and puffing uphill for 2km on Clarence Valley Rd. The great thing about the 10km is that you have now completed the hardest part of the run!
At the right turn onto Pawsons Rd you can let it fly, through to Camp Track. (check point 1, water, approx 5km) Then it's left along Camp Track, right onto McIntyre Rd to Jollies Pass Rd. Turn right and left onto Fowler Lane, then right onto Alder Lane. Left down Phillips Lane, right along Mansfield Rd, right up Herdmans Ave to bring you back to Jollies Pass Rd. Finishing with a turn left and along the side of Jollies Pass Rd to the finish on the school field.
Brett Smith won the mens 10km in 35:47, I was first woman home in 41:34. The half marathon was won by Julia Grant in 1:29:16 and Chris Dunell in 1:18:36.
Results for the Hanmer Half and 10k 2009: here.
The tracks are all very runnable 4WD tracks so nothing technical, just make sure you have done some hill training for the start!
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25th April 2009
This event is carried out in teams of 4 (women) or 6 (men). Each person runs a 4km lap before handing over to a teammate. It is open to unregistered runners so is a great introduction to the XC season for those wanting to try it out.
The course weaves its way around North Hagley Park. It was definitely a race for normal running shoes as spikes would have become full of acorns! There were some fast times on the course:
Fastest woman was Tania Causer (14:16), fastest man Andrew Davidson (12:06)
In the masters woman category it was very close with only 9 seconds between 1st, and 3rd place (Karen Muller 15:43, Tracy Crossley 15:45, Fiona Gilroy15:52) so its going to be an exciting season.
Team and Individual Results: here.
9th May 2009
The Routeburn certainly lived up to its reputation as an adventure run this year. On the start line it was snowing and I was already wearing most of the numerous items of gear that I had packed for the race.
The start line was approximately 400m prior to the divide carpark, this meant no flat sections to warm up on; it was straight uphill! The track zig zagged up through the bush before dropping down to Howden Hut where we came across our first icy patches to slither across. From here the track narrowed a little with a few more rocky sections but remaining mainly in the bush through to MacKenzie Hut. It was on this section that I discovered that my gels had become more like chewing gum and my food like bricks! Luckily Em’s power bars were available at MacKenzie so I was able to refuel.
After MacKenzie there was a steep section that left the cover of the bush and the fun began. Compact snow and invisible ice made for interesting running techniques that sometimes involved all 4’s and lots of involuntary bottom slithering but hell it was fun.
The slithering continued through to Harris Saddle and the highest point of 1300m where the snow had become quite persistent and snow blindness in the flat light added to the excitement.
After about 100m descent it was as if we had entered another climate, the sky was clearing, the snow was gone and it was time to do some serious running. The descent to Routeburn falls hut is fairly steep with some rocky sections but from here it was about 9km of fast gentle descending forest track with a boisterous reception finishing at Routeburn shelter.
The marshals were plentiful and full of encouragement and enthusiasm. All huts/Shelters had Em’s power bars and water available.
Jake Roberts was the first man home in a stunning 2hours 52minutes and 56seconds, about 1 minute off the race record! He must have been running so fast that the compacted snow and ice just melted! The women's division was a close race with last years winner Kristina Crane, of Auckland, coming home in first place in a time of 3 hr 51min 1sec, Louisa Davis, of Queenstown, came in a very close second in 3hr 51min 58sec.
This is a challenging but achievable adventure run if you have done the right training. It requires full concentration throughout but is very rewarding with the scenery and the fun factor. You should be comfortable with technical running, choose your clothing wisely and expect to come across snow most years with the possibility of ice, this was a special bonus for the 2009 runners!
12th September 2009
It was a wet drizzly morning, as we awoke (not a surprise from the weather forecast but I still wished for the sun in such a lovely place). It must be the first year to run this race in rain, not that this stopped it being a good fun one!!
I ventured out in my shorts and vouched not to wear trousers to keep warm on the boat and hoping to get the big boat with inside protection. This was the case and I thanked my lucky stars. I looked on from inside the boat at the small speedboats passing by with runners clothed up to the necks in water gear looking very wet!
As usual you get wet as you get off the boat with water nearly to your waist but since it was raining we were going to get wet anyway!
The long drawn out wait to start the race now started, this year for some reason we did not start until 10.30am after the fifth time of bag checking and talks of what to expect in the race, and having to line up in race number order by a sergeant major!! We had arisen at 7.00am to catch the boats and now my breakfast had digested well and truly and was hungry at 10.00am still waiting to start, so demolished some of race food.
Usually we have started by 9.00ish, anyway off we go into the rain and mud and what fun it was. Many parts of the track were muddy and one particular section was like glue, where you just got stuck and slipped back down again and this happened to be the one the steep sections. The time I got to this part the trail had been truly cut up and it took a bit to get up the slippery trail, my Newtown shoes now looking like a brown clumps of mud with socks attached!
I wanted to do a negative split so held back from my usual race pace so to be strong in the second half and that paid off well, and by the passing the swing bring bridge, which was half way, I was flying and passing all the bods that had passed me in the first half.
Bouncing along and thoroughly enjoying the beautiful views, (yep still good views of the distant mountains with clouds hanging over the sea when it was raining, such awesome running country) until I tripped on something and was mid air flying pretty fast, I landed and rolled in such a fashion that I got up immediately and carried on running as though nothing had happened, although a bit shocked, I had been running very relaxed and so did not really hurt myself other than a gash on the leg.
The runner next to me at the time could not believe I just fell over and bounced up again and carried on running and that put him off his stride. We had been passing one and other most of the race and I was intending to beat him!! This was my chance and I flew past him and never saw him again for the last bit of the race. Bit of shame really as was a handsome chap and we got on well.
With only 5km to go I was running with another male runner and having a blast, running steadily when we were guided off track at a fork in the trail by a tourist (by the way don’t trust tourists for directions!) We blundered down a steep track to the waters edge and came face to face with another tourist who said they were only looking for a toilet and this was not the race route! AHHHH! I reckon we had run at least 800metres down, so back up and on the track where we came from heading down the other part of the fork. Here we found other runners and were back on route.
It took a while to get my pacing again but did so and finished strong in 4 hrs 22mins. I knew I had not pushed myself hard in the first half as was cruising at the end and could have carried on running, which is all good for the Kepler coming up. It was definitely Kepler Pacing.
At the end of the race trail I saw a guy plunge into the freezing bog under a bridge to cool off which I thought was a good idea, so plunged in too and we both sat there discussing the race in what can only be described as a pig sty smelling bog. The race organizers saw us, thought it cool and took a few pictures for the website.
After a good chin wag in the bog, got out and had some beautiful tasting pineapple at the finish line and then some odd looking salad, not impressed I wondered off to find my race buddies to get back to the house for a warm shower.
Not sure if Helen was impressed with the way I looked with blood pouring from my gashed knee and how I smelt of pigs poo getting into her car to go back to the house, but I was pretty much pleased on how things had turned out!!!
Race Results: here.
A great race and most recommended for a good adventure. A race for people who love the off road running, and want to run over beaches, streams and amongst some beautiful coastline.It’s a 36k race but a marathon effort so you will need to have trained for an off road marathon to be able to complete this race.
26th September 2009
A 3 person women's team adventure race with 6 and 12hr options.
The drive up to Nelson lakes was wet and windy which didn't bode well alongside the weather warnings that we had been receiving from Nathan over the previous days. However we were all looking forward to the adventure and had packed plenty of layers and waterproofs (the car was stuffed!!).
After the race briefing we spent the evening planning our course, sorting our transitions plans, gear, food and packing the car. Not much time for a lot of sleep, as our heads were full of anticipation for the following days adventure.
We awoke to a clear but windy morning and waddled down to the lakeshore in our wet-suites to find our raft, guide and the team we had chosen to do the raft leg with. It was at this point we realised how windy it was and got to see the size of the waves on the lake! Thankfully the initial swim to the rafts was cancelled so we started at 6am with a short run from the start line to the rafts on the shoreline. It was just like bumper cars as we fought against waves and other boats into the headwind and across the lake to the mouth of the Buller River. At this point it was obvious that the river was very low and the next 10km involved almost as much time out of the rafts as in them when we got stuck on rocks and had to jump out and haul the rafts to the next section of the river that had sufficient water to keep us afloat. It was a demanding but beautiful paddle. Then it was a case of hauling the raft out of the only part of the river, which seemed to have plenty of water and waddling across a very cow-patty field to Transition 1 and our awaiting warm clothes and mountain bikes. A short 4km ride took us to CP1 where we swapped into run shoes and headed uphill to find CP2 and CP3 before returning to CP1, (approx 5km) and our bikes.
From here we rode undulating 4WD tracks to CP4 descending to an aid station where we could top up our provisions before continuing. At this point the 6hr and 12hr team courses went in different directions. We headed into Toitoi valley/Teetotal area for a fun mountain bike stage that involved finding a clue and CP7. The uphill section was a very steep slippery, technical single track which involved much bike pushing, however the lovely traverse along the top and downhill sections made up for all the hard work. From here it was back to Lake Rotoiti for an orienteering section (total MTB 25km). We were given an orienteering map and had to locate CP 9 which was hidden in the middle of the bush and took some serious bush-bashing to get to but was only 1km if you were good with your compass! Then it was back on the bikes for a 4km grunt to the Mt Robert car park, just before the top there was some awesome support from a group of kids which was perfect timing as everyone was feeling quite tired after the relentless climb through the hairpin bends! At this transition we swapped the mountain bikes for running gear and had our compulsory gear check before hitting the undulating Speargrass track through to Speargrass hut. Here we had to make a decision on how we were going to get to Bushline Hut. Basically there was the option of an unmarked bush bash up a spur to the ridgeline or to go back the way we came and then up a less exposed section of track. We opted for the second route and retreated back to Mt Robert car park. On the way up to Bushline the cloud rolled in and made for a spooky ascent to the hut. We arrived just as the sun set and made use of the warm hut to change into our warm gear and headlamps, apologising to the hut occupants for any muddy soggy piles that we left behind. From here we descended towards the lakeshore and after a total of 18km arrived at CP14 where our canoes awaited. Thankfully it was now calm on the water and we could see the flicker of a fire at the next checkpoint on the opposite side of the lake. It was hard to workout distance travelled in the pitch black with our wee head torches but the flickering fire gave us a welcome guide and we paddled our way over without any mishap to embark on the final 2.5km back to the finish on the foreshore of Lake Rotoiti and a huge welcome by everyone.
It had been a long day - 14hr 42min! We'd had a very sick teammate who we nursed through to the Aid station in about 6hr but then had to withdraw. This was a hard decision on all of us but the right one to make for her safety. From here we were allowed to continue as a 2-person team which we greatly appreciated the organisers for. We valued the support from all the marshals at the various check points who knew exactly where we were on each part of the course.
This was a very well organised event and the location this year was fantastic! The distances sound short but believe me they felt long with all the ascents we were doing. Very little of the course was on road and took in some wonderful scenery and interesting terrain. It lived up to its name of Adventure, the raft was completely different from what most people expected and canoeing in the dark was an exhilarating experience.
Race Results: here.
If you are new to off road adventure I would start with the 6hr event and remember that 6hr is the time that the fastest teams will do the course in. This year some 6hr teams took up to 13hrs! Those of you with a background in endurance that are comfortable off road will love the 12hr event. The keys to enjoying these races are good team work, basic navigation skills, coping with the unexpected, a good support crew and some fun adventure training sessions leading up to the event.
26th September 2009
In last years Spring Challenge, our team was 35th out of 148 teams overall. We were a veteran team, so within that category we were 12th out of 63 teams. The team dynamics were fairly interesting, and a good example (in hindsight) of why you should choose good teammates. We were all inexperienced and because we couldn’t train together as we lived in different cities, our first team “training” was on race day.
This year I had new teammates who I could train with regularly – all based in Dunedin. They were very experienced bikers and runners and of course I had Karen training me remotely from Christchurch. This year we came in 9th out of 87 open teams and 10th overall out of 151 teams!
The course was shorter in distance, requiring short, hard bursts of energy to complete each section. There were two points of navigation that could throw teams, which were great because it allowed for experience and problem solving being an advantage over sheer fitness. You receive a topo map and directions the night before, so after some verbal instructions and clarifications it was back to the motel unit to interpret the information, plan our course and estimate times.
The first leg to TA1 was a 10km raft after sprinting to our raft across the lake, then down the Buller river. The river was low and there were several places that all rafts got stuck. We were lucky to have one of the most experienced raft guides on our raft and after entering the river in 17th place, we left to run to the transition in 4th place. It seemed to me to be all about how quickly he was calling commands and how quickly we responded. An excellent part to the rafting this year was choosing whether you were competitive, socially competitive or social and being assigned a raft accordingly. This meant you weren’t in a raft with a social team and it made a difference to how the rafting went. However, I believe that the rafting leg does not define the rest of the race – teams that we had passed on the river left the transition area just behind us, having had a very quick transition, even though we thought we had been fast!
We then had a short bike of 4kms to the base of the hill we had to climb. The bike ride was easy and fast. The hike was relatively easy compared to the 1100m climb of Mt Fyffe last year. The elevation was only around 600m and had several steep gradients, but plenty of recovery sections. We then had to navigate across from one trigpoint (CP1) to another (CP2). Several teams wasted time losing their bearings and a few we passed going the other way – they had ascended the wrong side of the hill and had to go across to CP1 and then double back…another example of keeping your mind on the job! A fast descent down the hill, bush bashing, with no track was a lot of fun and it finished with a steep downhill gravel run. We jumped on our bikes and then ascended a gravel hill, which rose about 400m over 3 kms. The toughest part of this one was the incredibly steep and bumpy last hill to the top for the CP3. It was completely unrideable and even pushing our bikes was tough as the bike wheels kept getting stuck in the holes! A reasonably technical downhill followed which no doubt surprised a lot of women expecting no technical riding at all. I came a cropper halfway down and got a fairly good graze and bruise, but my legs had become like jelly and were cramping from the hill climb, so it was difficult for me to remain in control. I am new to technical, but have trained a lot with my teammates who are very, very good. I was so thankful to have pushed myself in our trainings, so that our descent time was pretty good, even though I was the “nana” in our team! Around 4 kms of fast (and fun!) paddock and river crossing followed into the 2nd transition area. At this stage we found out that we were 11th and our new goal we set as we left was to be in the top 10.
We left transition 2 on a high with our placing but pretty tired. We followed a team into the start of the course, made a mistake on navigation and then corrected ourselves by bush bashing back to the original trail. The other team made the same mistake by following us, but must have got lost after that, as we beat them to the finish. It was a simple mistake that many teams made on the course, where the map didn’t quite tie up with the full course map, so it was a bit confusing, even for our orienteering expert on the team! There were several teams who didn’t pick up on the mistake and lost an hour searching in the wrong area. After picking up the orienteering checkpoint relatively easily after the first mistake, we had a jog of around 4kms to the finish, passing a checkpoint on the way. By now it was just head down, doing the work, ignoring the pain. We managed to maintain a good pace of around 7 minutes per km, which doesn’t sound fast, but boy it is after the 5.5 hours before! At some stage in the navigation leg we gained 2 places, so we were ecstatic to cross the line in 9th place.
This event is extremely well planned by Nathan and Jodie Faavae. They make the event exciting, fun, personal and challenging. They greet you at the finish like old friends and the prize giving and spot prizes were well worth waiting around for the next day.
If you hadn’t done any training but you were a regular exerciser and relatively fit, you could do this, come mid-field with a hard-out effort but be very sore the next day. If you haven’t done any training, prepare to be very sore and take 12 hours. If you have trained hard biking and running – hills/speed/endurance/back to back sessions/team training/orienteering…expect to come in the top 10 ;-)
Sat 17th October 2009
A three stage multisport race or duathlon, starting near Mt Hutt access Road.
The race kicked off with us chasing after a golf ball which swooshed over our heads as the start gun was sounded! There was a $100 incentive to find the ball! The run was a circuit comprising shingle road, river running/crossing up pudding stream then a short uphill through the Awa Awa Rata Reserve before returning via more shingle road, 8.5km in total.
Then it was onto the bikes down McLennans Bush Road left onto Arundel Rakaia Gorge Road for approx 7 km and left onto Blackford Road for 6.5km where we turned around and headed back down to turn left onto Arundel Rakaia Gorge Road again. A fast, mostly downhill 3.5 km to the Kayak transition in the Rakaia Gorge, 27.5km in total.
The Kayak was 15km down the Rakaia. This river has plenty of water pushing through it but is a fairly straight forward paddle. The exit chute was a little tricky to find and had a few people practicing their portaging to get to! Once out of the kayak it was just a short sprint up the river bank to the finish.
Amy Brazier was the first open woman home in 2:41:40 and Adam Milne the first open man in 2:20:33. For full race results check out: here
A perfect event to kick off the multisport racing season, or try your first multisport event (grade 2 is not required for the kayak). It’s a good time of year to review your fitness and identify areas for improvement if you are planning on competing in longer events in the next few months! There are also plenty of race categories to suit most abilities with duathlon and team options.
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25-26th October 2009
We drove up to Collingwood on the Saturday and stayed in a fantastic backpackers who were more than happy for us to get up at 5am on the Sunday morning! The evening consisted of lots of eating, packing & repacking the provisions into our packs and seeing who had the lightest/heaviest pack!
Sunday 26th: We got dropped off at the Brown Hut end of the track for a 6:30am start on Sunday morning. We knew the
first 14km were all uphill so started at a gentle pace and were pleasantly
surprised at the gradual ascent good the
track surface. The Aorere Shelter was the perfect place for a water top up,
snack and photo before 3km of gentle undulation
to the Perry Hut Saddle which seemed to appear very quickly even though we had a quick detour off on a side track to see
the highest point on the track and another photo opportunity!We didn’t hang around too long at Perry Saddle as there was a
cool breeze and we were keen to explore the Goulands Downs. The track got a bit more technical with a few rocky sections
needing concentration but they were interspersed with even soft track as we snaked the 7km across the downs to Goulands Hut.
So far there were no wet feet! All the rivers had bridges or swing bridges. From here we crossed 5km of more undulating terrain
to Saxon Hut and congratulated ourselves on having only 1 stage left to go. It was a sunny day so we were all looking forward to
getting to our destination hut (James Mackay), relieving ourselves of our packs and spending the afternoon basking like lizards
in the sunshine with a beautiful view. The last 12km section had a reasonable ascent but went through some fantastic scenery
with amazing huge boulders that looked completely out of place and some interesting tussock and forest. We arrived at the
James Mackay hut just after 1pm, no one else was there so we got first pick of the bunks and set about basking in the sun and
scenery.
Monday 27th: Conscious of the long drive home later in the day we set off at 6:30am on the next leg of our adventure. We were
all extremely happy with how our legs felt after the previous day of running and yomped effortlessly down the first 12.5km of
track to the Lewis Hut. It was cool to start with but we soon hit a warm belt of air as we weaved our way through a soggy but
fun downhill section of track consisting of a mix of boulders and soft forest floor. From the Lewis Hut we had a flat 8km with
several swing bridge crossings before we reached the amazing Heaphy Hut. This must be one of the best Hut locations ever! It
was very tempting to spend the rest of the day here. We allowed ourselves a bit longer to fuel up and had the added
entertainment of a Weka stealing Graemes lunch making him sprint the fastest I’ve ever seen before continuing our journey.
The scenery had changed again from bush and tussock to sweeping beaches and palms. We were running to the crashing of waves on
the beaches. Only a flat 8km to our penultimate Katipo Shelter with such beautiful beaches that you soon forgot about any
sore bits! Then we were on the final 8km to Kohaihai passing through Crayfish point and Scotts beach before the final gentle
uphill of Kohaihai Bluff. This felt rather mountainous by this stage and it was a relief to reach the final descent to the
Kohaihai for a welcome soak in the freezing Kohaihai river.
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Saturday 31st October 2009
The 20km Run and Walk heads up to Flagpole Hill summit, before continuing on a loop around the backcountry headwaters of the Selwyn River. The course is steep in places, taking in 4WD drive and single tracks beside the Selwyn River, with several small river crossings. The views are stunning; this event is a great opportunity to enjoy some fabulous running in an area that’s not usually open to the public.
Over 300 runners lined up in perfect weather conditions on the start line at Flagpole Farm behind the Whitecliffs Domain in the Malvern Hills.
Soon after the start its 5km up a steep vehicle track to the summit of Flagpole Hill, descending down the western side into the Selwyn River, running down the Selwyn River Gorge, crossing the river 12 times and completing the 20km circuit back to Flagpole Farm where we started.
This year there was a close race between previous champions Jacob Roberts and Kerry Faas; Faas was last year’s winner. Both were surprised to be beaten by newcomer Grant Guise who lives at Castle Hill Village and is a relative unknown in the mountain running scene in Canterbury in a very good time of 1:28:29, given the conditions on the morning with the Selwyn River running higher than normal due to the rain in the area earlier in the week.
The winner in the Women’s race was Fiona Gilroy second place went to Karen Muller, with another Castle Hill resident Jane Harper finishing less than 1 minute behind Karen in third place. For full race results check out: Flagpole Results 2009
Those of you who enjoy hill running, there are some steep ups and downs! The tracks are not technical and the river crossing fairly straightforward but some technical savvy in downhill and river crossings will result in some fast times.
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28th November 2009
A multisport race in Methven consisting of a 40km Road Cycle, 24km Mountain Run, 30km Road Cycle, 9km Kayak and 3.5km Run. Individual, team and duathlon options.
Saturday was going to be a soggy day; we arrived at Methven race course for registration in grey drizzle and not a mountain to be seen. Being a bit of a woose in the cold I pulled out all my warm wet weather gear and sorted them into bags for the various transitions for my crew.
We started at 8:30am with a giant bike bunch outside the race course, after a bit of jostling and furious peddling we sorted ourselves into bunches for the first 40km road bike ride which took us south on Methven highway, then right on to Thompsons Track until Tramway road which we took heading towards the still invisible hills. On reaching highway 72 Arundel Rakaia Gorge Rd it was onto Ashburton gorge road until we reached the run transition at Jig road.
The run started with 3.5km of gravel road to Woolshed creek car park where we started the fun part of the run on the alpine track. A steep track took us up to the coalmine, then another track lead us onto 4WD track up and over to Woolshed creek Hut. Here we crossed a small stream and puffed up a steep climb onto a track which wound its way up to the saddle (1170m). Sadly no amazing views today, in fact we couldn’t see much at all! Then the more technical part of the run begins with the descent to Pinnacles Hut, followed by beech forest through to Duke Knob and eventually popping out into the car park with the final 3kms on the road to Stavely Store.
It was still drizzling so on with the wet weather bike gear again and into the 30km road bike which took us along Arundel Rakaia Gorge Rd past Mt Hutt Station onto Mt Hutt Station Rd and then we turned into Rakaia River Road which took us to the Canal for the Kayak transition. This bike was tough in the thick drizzle, it seemed that we were battling into a headwind and the road had a slight incline that felt huge with tired legs. It was also hard to find someone to ride with as everyone was very spread out by now.
Getting into the kayak at the canal was quite a mission with the steep slippery banks (tired and unsuspecting competitors and crew were known to have a wee swim ;). The canal was an awesome blue colour with very little flow, it was also sheltered which felt so good after the last bike ride! After about 7km we reached the portage section and clambered up netting on a steep bank. Thankfully there were some very helpful marshals to lend a hand. Getting back in again was fun as the bank was even steeper, then it was the final couple of km’s to the get out. Yet more steep rope climbing up onto the bank where it was time to put on the running shoes again.
The final 3.5km run took us through a lovely meandering forest track back into Methven, finishing at The Blue Pub
1st woman home was Amy Brazier in 6hr:30min, I came in at 6hr53min which placed me as 1st vet woman and 2nd woman. 1st man home was Dougal Allan in a course record of 5hr19min! For full race results check out: here
This is a great event for C2C people. Those aiming for Longest day and keen 2 dayer’s should do the whole thing. C2C Teams and more social 2 dayer’s go for the team option. The race is perfect for practicing transitions, nutrition, clothing, racing in bunches, technical running and a long time on your feet!
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Saturday 13th February
It was Friday evening and the rumours started to circulate that the event was not going to be over the original course. The eye of the storm was approaching and looked ready to hit just in time to cause chaos west of the divide. What would normally have been a relaxing evening with my crew, tying up a few loose ends, eating and sleeping, turned into a flurry of activity. My original race, nutrition and transition plans were useless so it was time to start again! Gear and food requirements were recalculated, repacked and changes in transition gone over with the crew. I even had to take my ankle strapping off which was rather painful seeing as it hadn’t been dunked in numerous rivers to lose some stickiness beforehand! We all retired to our beds, later than expected, buzzing with anticipation of what the day would bring!
3:45am Saturday morning and it was time to roll out of bed and face the elements thrashing at the window panes! My crew were soaked in the short time it took to load the final few things into the car. At Kumara there was a steady stream of soggy, rustling plastic bag clad competitors making their way to the beach start. Once on the beach we huddled behind the portaloos for some protection from the elements (YES it was that bad!) The noise was tremendous, we finally heard Juddy making some announcements about the start in between crashing waves, wind and rain. Then we were off……….
It was so good to finally be moving and doing something after the previous few days of uncertainty. I had a good run off the beach and got in a decent bunch. The torrential downpour continued and the ride required intense concentration to avoid any mishap as we flashed past thundering brown rivers and waterfalls while being constantly thrashed by water in all directions. With the dingy conditions it seemed to take ages before daylight arrived. I had covered the top of my bento box with plastic in an attempt to keep the contents dry – ha! I poked my hand in to retrieve a piece of cookie and was greeted by a swirling brown sludge – my bento box was 2/3rds full of water! Thankfully my banana hadn’t dissolved so I was able to get some food in.
Before we knew it Aikens was there and we had a short run on the original course to the Otira bridge before getting onto the road run. I was able to make up some time here and we got some great support from all the crews that were in a giant traffic jam enroute to the next transition. I will always have flashbacks to that run whenever I see the viaduct – Ouch!!!! Once past Temple basin it was plain sailing and the weather picked up. Now I was too hot and getting sunburnt!
At Klondyke I got rid of my winter layers and jumped on a bike fully laden with fuel for the next 140km! At this point I was focusing my mind on dividing the ride up into bite sized chunks. I made a pact with myself that I was going to ride at my own pace, if a bunch came along at that pace great I would hop on but if not I was going to have to ride on my own but at a pace I could maintain to reach Hagley Park and this is exactly what I ended up doing! The support from folks at the roadside as I came into town was fully absorbed and converted into energy for a few more km’s of riding. It was rather pleasant to be riding into town in daylight and to have the traffic stopped by the helpful police as I was expecting this to be in the dark for the original race course.
At last, the transition in Hagley park appeared and I hoped my legs would work when I got off the bike! Before I knew it my crew had efficiently dressed me in my kayak gear, somehow got me down the steep bank and into my kayak without any incidents. It was at this point they decided to tell me that we were no longer paddling to Shag rock and would have another short bike ride into Sumner – Argghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! The support from the crowd was fantastic as I set off to battle against the sucky, weedy Avon River. The technical aspects involved dodging the odd flotilla of punts, scooping up paddle full blades of weed and drafting behind the odd duck or two. I felt extremely overdressed in my crash helmet and full grade 2 river gear, and secretly hoped that the organisers had put in an artificial rapid at some point! Finally I could see the final transition at the yacht club by Bridge Street where it was a case of landing on the boat ramp and staggering across to my awaiting road bike yet again – Yipeeeeeee!.
Once on the bike and moving it didn’t feel too bad as the thought of the finish was enough to keep me going. As I got closer to Sumner the excitement and noise built up and before I knew it I was jumping off the bike again. After a quick leg wobble it was into the sand and across the finish. YESSSSSSS I had survived the Alternate Longest Day Plan B, C, D !!
I finished in 13hr 12min which placed me as 1st Vet woman. Elina Ussher did an amazing 10hr59min and first man home was Gorden Walker in 9hr43min. It was certainly a tough course with a lot more emphasis on lower body strength than the true C2C course. It was a race experience which had its up and downs, I learnt a lot about myself and what you can achieve in the right mindset. I am really gutted for the talented competitors who endured that long bike ride to Hagley only to find out that a cut off time had been put in place! I sincerely hope the race organisers will ensure that this is handled much better if it ever happens again! For me this race is definitely unfinished business!!
20-22nd Mar 2010
Kes, Kate and I took on the race this year as team "Her Outdoors", sponsored by Bike Right, Pursuit Clothing and Lyttleton Physio. Super Don and Nifty Netty made the whole event go extremely smoothly and Kate's Mum and Dad were our motivating support groupies
1km Run and 30km Paddle Alexandra to Roxburgh Dam (Kes)
Lovely flat water paddle to start the race although the short run to the kayak shocked the system a little. The wind was gusty in places so I did some surfing down the waves at times and certainly needed a good grip on the paddle. After 30km, it turned into a sprint finish just sneaking in ahead of the fastest open women paddler. Time: 2:35:30
MTB: 35km Roxburgh Dam to Little Valley (Kate)
A 35km MTB ride on gravely and grassy tracks, enjoying hill climbs is advantageous, as there is a relentless 19km of it!! Add in the head wind and a gruelling ride was in store for us. Beginning the descent was the only bit of 'technical' MTB during the Goldrush, thanks to Helena Parsons MTB skills tuition I loved the challenge of this. Time: 2:14:51.
Run: 18km Little Valley to Upper Manorburn (Karen)
A rather unforgiving mainly uphill run but the scenery more than makes up for it! The route consists of 4WD track and the smart ones cut the corners by scurrying up some short steep rocky sections to pop out in front of their competitors! There was a water station about half way. When you see the green trees on the horizon you know that Manorburn isn't too far away, where a short descent takes you down to the finish and that nights camping ground. Time 1:28:46.
MTB: 50km past Poolburn Dam (Kes)
Fantastic mountain bike in the stunning and remote areas of Central Otago. The big hill about 10km into the ride certainly lived up to its name - 'take your bike for a walk time' for all! Once at the top, some great fast undulating riding, then an awesome downhill section where you can really let the bike run. Time: 2:48:39
Road Bike: 24km Ida Valley (Karen)
A short fast and furious time trial on pretty flat road where time can be made if you get into a bunch. It warmed my legs up nicely for the run. Time:40:21
Run: 15km Rail Trail (Karen)
This was a lovely speedy run on the rail trail crossing a couple of viaducts and going through 2 tunnels. The first tunnel was fine as it was possible to see some light from the end before it became pitch black. The second was a little more challenging and requires eating vast amounts of carrots to maintain your race pace through the middle pitch black section. Time:1:01:33.
MTB: 58km Thompsons Gorge (Kate)
What a great ride, great views of Thompsons gorge, great big hills again! Thanks to Andrew Abakhan for getting some strength into the 'old' legs. The head wind decided to try again and make it some what more challenging, especially when you are lifting your bikes over the numerous gates. I encountered a real gentleman who offered to lift my bike over one gate, so his repayment was a quick kiss on his cheek, before I sped off. The bonus of the hill climb is the descent on fast gravel 4wd, thanks to Matt & Alan for the tips on fast descents, finished off with a spin along the flat until you see the welcome site of the "Goldrush camp at Tarras. Time: 2:42:24.
Road Bike: 42km Tarras to Albertownvia Hawea Flats (Karen)
I don't think that anyone got much sleep last night, between the thunderstorm, gale force winds and rain. Our tent and nerves took a real bashing! Thankfully the rain had eased before the bike ride started so we just had to cope with wet roads. We were set off in waves. I had a good start getting into a decent bunch behind a tandem, then about half way through some other riders came through and there was some changing around which broke us up into smaller bunches just at the point where the road chips became huge! Ouch my legs really felt this and the next 20km seemed to take a long time. I was very pleased to see the end of this stage. Time:1:26:10.
Kayak: 39km on the Upper Clutha (Kes)
With all the rain over night, the river was running higher than it had been for ages which flattened out quite a few of the rocky places and made it less technical. A great section of river to paddle with some nice rapids and big curves. The Devil's Elbow was tame with plenty of space on the left to cut the corner. Shitters Ditch had some big waves but could be avoided. I took the safe route on some of these as we had a cushion of about 45mins at this stage. The last section which has long straights and little wave action seemed to take forever and the line of cars on the river bank was a very welcome sight! Time: 2:36:49
3km Run/53km Road Bike along the length of Lake Dunstan (Kate)
After a 10yr break from running, I enjoyed getting the legs into running again, thanks to Andrew and Karen for the running tips, no 'chicken wings', keep those arms in! After a slick change with Mum and Dad's help onto the bike, it was time for some serious work to wring the last bit of energy, effort and strength out of the legs. After 5km a young man passed me, The little voice in my head said 'I can never hang onto him', then the bigger voice said 'work harder and hang onto him, when you are feeling pain what is a bit more'! Shame it wasn't the best butt in the world to sit behind, but beggers can't be choosers! Time:1:35:23.
Run: 13km McPherson Road to Molyneux Park(Karen)
The final stage - yippee. This starts with a short section on the road before heading down onto the river walkway track which meanders through the trees back to Alex bridge. We crossed this and linked up with the track alongside the Manuherikia River which ended up taking us onto the railtrail for a final couple of km into a full on headwind back to Molyneux Park where the whole team got to finish the race together. Time: 53:35.
We were extremely pleased to be the first women's team home in a total time of 20:04:01. For full race results check out: here
Individuals and teams of 2 or 3 people. It's a great initiation into multisport with the emphasis being on participation and finishing rather than racing. There was a strong contingent of school teams who put in some out standing performances. The kayak on day 3 requires a grade 2 certificate and the day 1 paddle can be challenging in windy conditions. The runs and MTB are not extremely technical, but you do need plenty of stamina!
23rd March 2010
Being my first 100km I didn’t know what to expect but I knew I was going to enjoy it!
The Tarawera Ultra marathon is in the Bay of Plenty. It starts at The Redwoods forest in Rotorua and skirts around lakes Tikitapu (Blue Lake), Okareka, Okataina and Tarawera before following the Tarawera River all the way to the finish in Kawerau. The terrain is native bush, open farmland and exotic forestry with views of lakes, volcanos and waterfalls.
My training consisted of a plan based on Kepler training i.e. Marathon training but incorporating much longer weekend runs and loads of serious hard back to back runs most weekends. I logged up around 70-80km every weekend in long runs together with 2 mid week runs in the 10-15km region. In the last 6 weeks I did some speed work as I tapered.
At the start line I knew that I had prepared well so I wasn’t nervous, just happy to be there.
It was still dark when we started the race 7.00am. It was a lovely morning, full of bird song as we ran into the Redwoods Forest. The first 19km was fun, it started with a decent uphill and for some reason I did not feel it, I was in such a buzz to get started that the hill did not affect me. We continued to climb in a series of rollers before plunging down very sharply, great fun to run.
You then run through dense native bush, and some on well-formed walking tracks which was where you just get lost in the beauty of it all and where I lost all other runners so to speak as enjoying this so much ventured into the bush off track! Hearing voices, I found the track again in no time and back to the enjoyment of being in the race in my running zone again.
The aid stations were just terrific and supplying my favourite food – bananas so I was well catered for
I was at the 25km mark now and feeling Skippy I was passing quite a few runners, thoroughly enjoying the run. The run at this stage was a series of long gentle ups followed by shorter downs but on very uneven ground (roots and rocks – my favorite) and through some gorse so it was a test of fitness, but I had fun and got a great pace going here. My legs were holding up good and felt real strong. Then it’s a really fun downhill to the aid station at the 36km mark. I grasped some food (bananas and a mouthful of Chi seed) and off again.
After this the race got tougher as the terrain turns into a very technical ride, just my cup of tea though as I just love jumping and skimming over rocks, tree roots, ploughing through some sand, avoiding mountain bikers coming the other way (the paramedic crew!) and other obstacles such as few fallen runners hee! hee!
49km gone and I am feeling great with the worst part of the course done and dusted I was told at the next aid station. Feeling proud, I bounced on and the route just got amazing.
This part of route was just beautiful, we passed the Tarawera Falls just to the right of the narrow track, the water was crystal clear the falls were in full flow, the roar of the waterfall was amazing and beauty of the surrounding native bush just eye catching, I just had to stop in my tracks to take it all in. Basically you have the river following next to you plus these lovely waterfall cascades all the way. With a huge smile of my face I bounced on and thought, this is why I do these ultras, is to run in places you won’t normally venture to.
When I approached the 70km aid station, there were a few tired runners scattered around deciding whether to do the 100km or 83km. This was where the road splits a decision point one way 100km one way 83km ……
I had no problem, 100km for me alright! The aid station crew asked me if I was going to the 100km and rang the finishing line to say I was, apparently I was the last 100km runner to go through this check point.
So on alone on quiet roads and it was now getting dark. Being the first time running alone in dark I was excited!! This is where it’s a mind game and being prepared I knew I was strong on this point.
I ran alone for at least 3 hours that’s when the wildlife starts to come out to play and it was lovely starry night. The road was tree-lined the entire way and you could see through the tops of the trees to the stars. With a clear night, your shadow starts to pass you and you think you can hear and see shapes in the woods around you. I spotted a few owls, possums the cutest hedgehogs. You basically followed glow lights the whole way that marked the route and the light of your head torch.
A few big rolling climbs but this was not affecting me at all and as I reached the last check point at 90km still had a lot of fuel in the tank.
At the 90km aid station , wine was flowing and I was offered some by the some what slurry happy aid station people, but alas turned it down at this stage of the race, will wait for the beer at the end
Here the aid stationers grabbed the phone again to contact the finish line I was told I would have to pull out as it would be too dangerous to go on alone for the next 10km as the track when in dense bush with a big drop to the water on the right… Uh! No way I was carrying on, just 10km to go I was finishing.
Luckily, another runner called Jeff turned up huffing puffing and so glad to see human life. A tall big American he definitely could talk you off your rocker. We were allowed to go on together with a mountain biker for support with full beam headlights… great fun.
I was puzzled that I had not seen Jeff along the route before still we were glad to meet and really enjoyed the last 10km at a reasonably fast pace. Jeff had done some major USA ultra runs and soon I had ear ache as he got me totally immersed in full gossip about ultra running in the USA and we picked up the pace considerably, flying in the finishing shoot like we had been doing a 10km race!
We were met with big cheers and thrown a beer or two. I was greeted by the lovely people I was renting with, the whole family had camped out all night waiting for me to arrive and they flung their arms around me as though I was their daughter, so nice it had me in tears.
A brilliant run and a great triumph for me – completing my first 100km And another to come in three weeks can’t wait!!!
Just had to finish with this quote by an ultra runner as it is brilliant, and sums up ultra running
"I wasn’t a truly genuine trail ultra runner until March 7, 1992 at the Wild Oak 50 near Harrisonburg, Virginia. It was a rainy day and simultaneously, while I was piddling on the run, chewing on an energy bar and washing it down with Mountain Dew, my nose was dripping and I farted. That was the ultimate defining moment in my trail running career, if not my entire life."
- Bob Boeder
10/11th April 2010
This was my second 100km ultra in just 3 weeks after my first Ultra!
This time it was a team event of 4 people to walk/run 100km and having to finish all at the same time. This was also my first team event and I was team leader… gulp!! Never done this before….
Getting a team and support team together proved to be a big task more than what I was expecting and just 2 weeks to the race I had no team at all as I had 4 team people pull out on me one after the other and I thought I would never get a team together. But with one last effort just 3 days to race day I got my 4 women team and 3 member support crew together so it was all go.
We had never met before so we planned to meet the day before the race in a café in a Taupo 4 hrs before registration of the race!!. This brief meeting was to get to know each other, plan the race, go over and plan what the support crew were meant to do at each of the 7 check points, and decide at what pace we were going to go at, considering we were at all different fitness levels .. and how to drive and operate the upgraded deluxe campervan I had hired out, Phew!! that is all I can say about that..
But we had fun.
We started at 7.00am in the bitter cold with 300 other teams and with the Maori dance and singing, all very exciting and rather like a mass stampede of bulls charging to get a place of clear land to set our pace. I tried clearing the way by putting my scarf over my head to scare people away!!!Seemed to work
The first 30km was great fun, we had a good pace going and were getting to know each pretty well by now, running and walking at a great pace. The weather was gorgeous, sunny and warm and the scenery breathtakingly beautiful as we crossed over theTongariro National Park and Craters of the Moon thermal area.
We had high spirits during most the first 30km posing at every opportunity for the photographers
our support crew were just tremendous, cooking special brews for each person and providing some brilliant support along the way.
Until ……..
One of the team, Maria developed a pull in the leg and also realized she was not as fit as she thought she was. From then on we grinded to a very slow pace encouraging Maria and treating the injured leg at every check point, but with no luck and so Maria had to pull out at the 64km mark. Bruised and battered she waved us on and became one of the support crew.
It was now dark and the three of us ploughed on at a faster pace again, taking off like hares into the starry night. It was a gorgeous clear night but very, very cold and it got colder as the night wore on Layers got put on, and as it got colder the pace got slower. I was constantly running ahead and back to keep warm as the pace was far too slow for me to keep warm. Reckon I covered 110km in all!!
We were passed by a few singing teams and joined in with them for a while as they had Michael Jackson blaring out of their speakers, this got me into the Jackson moon walk dance and that got me warm again, until they disappeared into the darkness and the music died!
As the coldness brought some niggles with another team member Vanessa, and some doubt whether Vanessa would make it or not.
So there was some frantic massaging sessions at the campervan checkpoints by her boyfriend Andrew and they eventually seemed to help and Vanessa was able to carry on to the end, even though hobbling.
At the last check point, 12km to go it was so cold I reckon I was going to die out there, I did not realize Taupo could be so cold. As it fell to -5 degrees it was an effort to keep going with a smile but we did with the aid of some small bits of singing and telling stories followed by the last 2km in total silence as we all braved the cold and crawled in to the finish at 5am in the morning in 22hrs, the 59th team out of 200 odd teams that actually finished.
Not a bad effort by a team who did not train together or know each other.
5th June 2010
After five days acclimatisation to Samoa’s 30 degree heat there I was lining up on the start line at 5am! Holy crap, getting out of bed at 3.40am required more effort than any other endurance event I’d ever undertaken.
A small field gathered, at least a couple of handfuls of bleary eyed runners including four starters in the marathon section. The race brief was as the name suggested, very brief. It went along the lines of run to the turn around mark then run back, choose what side of the road you want to run on (or words to that effect) and there will be water on the course. Just where nobody could be certain. Oh and the official starter will say “ready……..go”.
Once underway I decided to adopt the cautious approach to the race unlike any other event where normally I go reasonably quickly at the start hoping like hell no-body else catches me. A couple of reasons for this newly adopted tactic, one because being 5am it was pitch black, pot holes were hard to avoid, the village dogs were territorial when running past houses, we were also upsetting mother pigs and their offspring by pounding past. You name it we had all manner of live stock to contend with including a chicken crossing the road just to get to the other side. Well I guess that is more than a couple of reasons for the conservative approach but the major factor for me was the high temperature/high humidity reasoning. Breathing the thick air was difficult for me despite my pre-race preparation of lounging in the warm lagoon waters for five days.
The field sorted itself out quite quickly with me running in second position comfortably. Well as comfortable as you can be in that heat. Before half-way relief came in the form of water boys on the back of a truck handing out bottled water requiring you to unscrew the top to get any of it out. Much of this water I poured over my head to cool down. It soon became apparent that the water boys as I had affectionately named them were going to stick behind me which was fantastic as I felt like I had my own personal escort lighting up the road ahead of me. I did have to wonder what everyone else was doing for water but one doesn’t dwell on this too much during the pressures of competition. Everyone out for themselves, look at me, I’ve got my own personal body guards. Either that or they were concerned for my well-being. It really was hard to tell because they were doing lots of laughing, one couldn’t be sure they weren’t laughing at me.
Anyhow back to the race. I managed to slip on past the front runner shortly after half way. Things were feeling ok at this point although in the depths of my stomach warning rumblings were occurring. These rumblings were not good signs, they were bad and I was afraid, very afraid of what potentially could occur if not relieved of these distressing signals. I could go into detail but you get the gist of what I’m getting at. Yes, we have all been there, we have all had that feeling of wanting to do a tra la la la in the woods except there were no woods anywhere in which to tra la la la. Consequently my pace dropped off, a look of pained anguish appeared on my face and my competitors were gaining ground on me in the last 5km. If only I could hold on, literally that is………………..aaaaaggghhhhh, the last 100 metres to go I was passed once then twice by two other runners. My personal water boy escorts were attempting to encourage me but I couldn’t rise to the challenge for fear of causing an accident. I had to settle for third place, normally I would be ok with this but the third place happened to be behind two Australians. Nothing personal, they were nice blokes; I did shake their hands before excusing myself.
Post race refreshments were fantastic, lots of fruit including iced coconuts with their lids whacked off, straws put in to drink the milk, very nice. Better than any electrolyte replacement drink. As for the scenery, what can I say? The majority of the race was run in the dark but had it been light then the views would be stunning. This event was truly unique, a must do for any wildlife enthusiast.
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Tel: 03 338 6728 Mob: 021 186 7906 Email: karen@fitforlifenz.co.nz