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Race Tekapo

Date: 16 September 2023
Distance: 50km
Time: 7:51

During the week leading up to the event, we followed the weather predictions closely, and things were looking increasingly grim. When an outing like this starts to get into the thousands of dollars, you don’t want anything to derail your plans. Winds of up to 100km/h (130km higher up the mountain) and a possibility of rain starting from 1pm were in the forecast for the event, according to YR. MetService had the rain starting at 4pm. We had all our compulsory gear, plus a few more layers (yes, I’m a wuss when it comes to extreme weather), and were crossing everything for not too bad weather.

The trip down was fine, but exhausting. We flew from Wellington early on Friday morning, so had to get up at 3:40am to drive down well in time. The wind was blowing like no tomorrow the day and evening before, and I was worried trees might be down/on the road, increasing our travel time. Fortunately nothing of the sort, and we could drive down in good time. The wind was still very strong, blowing our little car across the road, and I was stressing about the flight. I’m not a big fan of turbulence or sideways landings, but when we reached Wellington, it was calm and beautiful. I could not be more relieved. The flight was okay, a little bit of turbulence, with a decent landing in reasonable windy conditions, as Christchurch was more windy than I hoped.

When we walked out of the airport, the temperature was already a few degrees cooler than Wellington and Palmy. The rental car guy picked us up at the airport and drove to their place to sort the paperwork. Once we were on our way, we made by a quick trip to the supermarket for some last food stuffs, before making our way to Lake Tekapo. It is about a three hour drive and we were hoping to take it easy, stopping along the way, and not feel too rushed. It was about 10am when we left Christchurch.

Not a whole lot was happening along the way, and not many towns to stop for coffee or a breakfast. Most places were still closed. Fairlie, on the other hand, was bursting at the seams with queues out the door at some eateries and coffee shops. After a walk through town to find some hot chips and coffee, we eventually gave up and decided to stick to the bread, cheese and salami we bought at the supermarket. Why does one always want something other than what you have on hand?

We arrived at our accommodation at about 3pm, checked in, got our gear ready, and walked the 750m to the event registration. Registered and with a bib, goody bag which included a race branded Thir headband (!), our compulsory gear checked and drop bags dropped off, we made our way back to the lodge as it was starting to get dark. While cooking dinner, we shared a cider, and cranked up the heaters.

The temperature was already in the single digits and dropping though the night. Prediction was for minus one at the start of the race. When we got up, yet again before 4am, it was one degree Celsius. But the best part was there was almost no wind! It was obviously going to pick up sooner rather than later, but our 1.2km walk in the dark to the start was just very cold, not super duper cold from wind chill.

Race briefing was at 5:40am, and at 6am on the dot we were off – to the theme music of UTMB: Vangelis’ Conquest of Paradise. Haha. That was quite funny, but for the first few kilometres I was humming the tune in my head thinking, dreaming, about doing the UTMB one day.

From the start we went straight onto the walkway next to the lake, across a footbridge, past the Church of the Good Shepherd, and into the forest. The sun was starting to rise and by the time we reached the first aid station just on the other side of the forest (at 3.7km) we could turn off our headlamps. We ran a big loop in what looked like a paddock. Huge rabbit holes were strewn across the field, which reminded me of a time when I was 13 years old when I stepped into some animal’s burrow and nearly disappeared down the hole. I was in agony afterwards from spraining a few things, and to this day I wonder if that had anything to do with my wonky spine.

Back at the aid station, we stuffed ourselves with the wonderful spread of oranges, Heartland chips, Pam’s jet planes, and biscuits. The chips and jet planes were gluten free which was fantastic. Normally I can’t have anything at aid stations as most jelly sweets do contain gluten, and we have to carry our own sustenance.

We were going quicker than I anticipated, doing the first 10k in 1:15. Considering it was nearly flat and very easy underfoot, one could go at speed. But this was meant to be an event for us to take easy, not break ourselves, and just enjoy a long day out. But of course doing the first 10 so ‘quick’, I figured we could potentially try to do each 10k in one hour thirty minutes, to finish in about 7h30. It is still reasonably slow, and shouldn’t have a long tail of recovery. We had 15 minutes in the bank for when we have to go over Mt John, which would no doubt slow us down.

After a whirl around the forest of which parts are being felled, we headed back long the edge of the lake towards the start at about 21k. Passing next to the start/finish area, we topped up our waterbottels, feasted on the spread, and headed off towards the mountain. Although it is only about 300m elevation, the ascent is over a 2k distance – quite steep with no respite. A big part of the ascent was also in a forest and sheltered from the wind. But once we popped out above the forest, it was rather windy. And cold. I’ve started with five layers, got down to four layers, but had to put on my fifth layer again. My buff and beanie hadn’t come off yet, and neither the gloves. With a 6am start, it was still early in the morning and very cold. The poor marshals out on the course and on the mountain, just standing and waiting, must have been freezing.

Once partway down the other side of the mountain, we were diverted onto a sealed road that took us on a steep downhill to the aid station at 28k. We opted to have a dropbag there with more sustenance, some gherkins and prosciutto. We also added rain pants to the dropbag incase the forecast came true and it started to rain at 1pm. We passed the aid station twice (again at 43k) and could access these items on any of the two occasions.

Past the aid station, we took a right to run down another sealed road for another couple of kilometres before being directed back onto the trails. We were running downhill towards Lake McGregor, followed by a long stretch next to Lake Alexandrina. At about 33k on a grassy patch, my feet caught on thin air and I took a roll in the meadow. Luckily there weren’t rocks and the landing was fairly soft. However, all my weight came down on my right arm, which felt quite sore afterwards. Fingers and other joints could still move, albeit sore, so I figure nothing was broken despite the pain.

The stretch next to the Lake Alexandrina felt like it went on forever. At times the track was quite cambered, on top of being quite narrow, making running a bit more challenging. But having said that – this is the easiest most runable 50k I’ve done so far. Apart from the (about) 5k of steep climbs, the whole course is reasonably flat and easy underfoot. Some rocks in parts , and the potential for slippery mud on the downhill coming back off Mt John, but mostly very easy terrain.

We exited from the Lake Alexandrina trail at about 41k, to follow a gravel road back to the aid station at ’41k’ (it was at about to 43.5k). Still filled up from all the goodies at the aid stations we didn’t bother with our drop bag. Moved it to the ‘used’ pile and started on the uphill again. Despite the wind and it being reasonably cold, I took off my fifth layer (a thin down jacket) and gloves and put it in the outside pocket of my hydration vest.

At the top of the incline (about halfway up Mt John again), and with about 6k to go, we dropped down the other side, making our way to the finish. We passed a couple more 50k runners and a few of the 32k runners in this last stretch.

Unfortunately, somewhere in the last 6k, my little down jacket and gloves blew out of my bag and into oblivion, I guess. I hoped that another runner who may have come across it, might pick it up and hand it in, but sadly I haven’t heard anything yet (nine days later). Still crossing my fingers, but not holding my breath.

At the finish it was blowing a gale. We were wet from sweat, and started cooling down quickly. This was when I noticed my jacket was missing.

Gerry bought us mocchas at the coffee cart, we collected our dropbag, and started walking the 1.2km back to the lodge. After a shower, we headed back to the track and walked about 3k back along the course to see if we could find the jacket, but no luck.

With the horrible wind, prize-giving was moved from the race village next to the lake to the community hall where we had registration. Unfortunately this was so small that more than half the people had to stand outside, unawares of what was going on. When the numbers for the spot prizes were called out, the bush telegram were passing the numbers around outside the hall.

Afterwards, while people were bursting out the doors, we headed inside to find the white board with bib numbers written on it for minor spot prizes. Gerry got a spot prize and picked a pair of Creeper wool toe socks for me, which I can’t wait to try out. He also got a couple of free beers.

We headed home to cook the meat we bought, boil some potatoes and have salad, washed down with a red. By then my arm was so sore that I was certain something was fractured or cracked. I could not use it at all, and moving it in certain directions was pure agony. And everything else was more sore than I hoped it would be. Our latest long outings where we walked most of the way, meant I wasn’t very sore afterwards and recovered quickly. But we jogged more than I planned during this event, which resulted in more pounding. We were near the back and I felt bad for keeping the volunteers waiting in the cold, even though we made the ’41k’ cutoff with more than an hour and a half.

This remains the challenge in the NZ running scene  – people don’t want to participate if they’re not fast. Which means that running isn’t really inclusive. This would be a very good event for someone new to the distance, but with only a 121 participants in the 50k (6 DNS and 4 DNF) and a winning time of 3:49 (male), 4:06 (female), the field is very spread out and the back of the packers are few and far between. The slowest time was 8:48.

If we lived on the South Island I would do this event every year. It’s easy enough, great underfoot (when not wet), and fantastic organisation. The aid stations are wonderful, the course is well marked, and the event branded Thir headband was just the cherry on the cake.

During the night the wind picked up even more (is it even possible?) and it started to rain. The wheelie bins with giant rocks on them at our lodge blew over, and things looked terribly grim in the morning. I counted my lucky stars that race day was the day before things turned really nasty. We started gathering all our stuff, and packed for the road trip back to Christchurch. A quick drive through the village (we usually just pass through on the main road), while it was raining coupled with strong wind, before taking the highway. This time we decided to take the scenic route back, which to me looked the same as the other road. Or did I miss something?

We stopped for coffee at the one horse village of Burke’s Pass, but after a look around we ended up leaving without coffee. We drove past Kimbell, visited The Garage Gallery, and later stopped for filter coffee at the Fairlie Heritage Museum.

After taking the rental car back, we checked in at he airport and waiting for our turn. People were milling around and I dreaded the thought of having to fly in the horrible wind. The tail end of some of the strongest winds ever recorded in NZ (246k/h at Cape Turnagain, on the eastern side on the North Island) was blowing outside as we were waiting to board the plane. I found it hard to imagine flights were going ahead in the atrocious conditions.

Taking off was quite bumpy and a lot of turbulence. It was scary, but as we approached Wellington, it just got worse. I didn’t want to look, but the last time I did, the see was white and the water obviously super choppy. I closed my eyes and hoped for the best, when the pilot suddenly pulled up full throttle only to make a U-turn and head back to Christchurch. Three planes before us were already diverted, as were flights to Dunedin. All these flights were going to Christchurch. The landing was, given the circumstances, not too bad, but not the kind one would like to repeat.

With long queues of passengers trying to find out what next, emotions were running high and people were grumpy. Luckily Gerry was nearer the front end and could get a flight back to Wellington the next morning (it seemed almost too soon, as the stormy weather was still lashing the country), and also a nights accommodation at the Sudima Hotel. As we walked the 400 metres to the hotel, we chatted to another lady who was diverted from Dunedin. I couldn’t help but think to myself; what if the weather was so atrocious everywhere and there was nowhere to land? Which made me angry that the airlines took the chance in the first place. But I’m assuming they know what they are doing.

While we waited at the hotel to get helped, we bought a glass of wine at the bar, and just revel in being safely on the ground.

The next day we had breakfast at the airport, while our flight was delayed three times, in order for the wind to die out a bit. It was still blowing strong, but the water was less choppy and the landing was, again, not too bad given the circumstances.

Back home, two massive branches of a pine tree fell on the chicken coop and caused a lot of damage. The tree lost its central leader while it was still a small tree 14 years ago, and grew a heap of branches in its place. Some of these have the circumference of a pregnant sheep, and it was one of these that came down. The havoc it caused is immense: a row of Puhutekawa threes are all flattened on the one side, and some lost all branches. Our remaining apple tree (the other one drowned during winter) took a beating on the one side and some other indigenous tree are also damaged. The amount of work to clean up is vast, and will take a long while before we will have it all done.

Unfortunately, my arm (the one I fell on) took a turn for the worse. By the Friday after the event, I went to a doctor as I was sure something was cracked of broken. Turns out it must be torn ligaments and/or muscle. I was referred to the Hand Physio, but could only get an appointment in ten days time.

In the meantime, I’m pretty useless, and battle to see how I’m going to get everything done that need doing in the next couple of months (school work, cutting grass, pruning olives, cleanup pine tree, fix chook house, and the list goes on). On top of everything, I also picked up a cold of sorts, so no running anytime soon.

That’s the way it goes. Life will throw curve balls. We just need to figure out how to catch them.

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Wellington marathon on a good day

Date: 25 June 2023
Distance: 42.2km
Time: 5:18

They say that nothing beats Wellington on a good day. And we had just that – perfect weather for our marathon. Which really is a rare thing for NZ, let alone Wellington.

I have always said that I don’t want to attempt a marathon if I can’t at least finish it in under five hours. That is the time you need to qualify for things like Two Oceans (56km) and the Comrades (89km) marathons. But sometimes you just have to let go of these preconceived ideas and bite the bullet. 

We’ve entered for a 100 miler, which takes place at the beginning of December. While our training was going quite well for the first four months of the year, reaching 271km for the month of April, things went a bit pear-shaped the following two months. School and work commitments, in combination with crappy autumn and winter weather just compounded into not much running apart from two longish runs: the Summerhill Skedaddle in mid-May, which is the only one specific to what we need to be doing, and a 30k on the flat in Palmy. And that is the biggest problem – we do all our runs on reasonably flat, and often paved, terrain. Not at all what we should be doing, but I figured it will be okay for base-building.

While things got out of hand a little, especially during June (we only managed four short runs the last two weeks before this event), the marathon date creeped up on us and before we knew it we were making the trip down to Wellington. With a thermos with coffee, snacks, and sustenance for the run, we were on our way. Nina went with, and we picked her up by about 4:30am, some 45 minutes drive from our place. We’ve had quite a few 3am and 4am starts lately with work, so another one was not going to break the camel’s back.

We arrived bright and early, in time to quickly have breakfast, sign in, go back to the car, make loo stops, and drop off a bag with dry clothes at the finish to save us another trip to the car after the run. It was still dark outside. Gerry tried to take photos, but it was too dark despite the stadium lights around the start/finish area. (And thereafter something funky must have happened with the camera as almost all of the photos ended up blurry.) Just as the gun went at 7:15 (all marathoners started at the same time this year – walkers and runners), the sky started to turn deep blue. On our way out of the stadium and down the main road running by the light of the street lamps, the sky started to turn. It was a glorious morning with no wind, and a sea that was as calm as a lake. 

Unfortunately, the course had to be changed in the last couple of weeks due to a fire which included asbestos, making it unsafe to run through that area. So instead of running about 10.5km out, followed by a roughly 5km out-and-back-and-out-and-back at the far end of the course (to make up about 21km), before coming back the same 10.5km, the course was now a double lap of the 21km course (more or less – we went a bit further on the first lap, so that we could turn for the second lap before reaching the stadium). 

Since we were not really in a place to run a marathon (but it had to happen) we had to come up with a plan to cover the 42.2km without completely breaking ourselves. So we opted for a 500 metre walk followed by a 1.5km jog strategy for every two kilometres the whole way. We followed a similar strategy (800m walk + 1.2km jog) for the Trail Trilogy and managed to finish the 100km in 15:50. For this event it means we had 20 walk breaks totalling roughly 10km of the course.

As we were running out on the first lap I could not get my head around the fact that we had to do all of that again. The further we went, the less convinced I was that I’d make another lap. Luckily the weather could not have been better which made a massive difference to our spirits.  

What felt like forever, finally saw us at the first and furtherest turn-around point (at about 11.5km). I was surprised that they didn’t hand out something to indicate that you did all the out-and-back stretches, like they did previously(there was a timing mat on the 21.1km turnaround, but not this turn which was about a kilometre further down the road). Shortly after the start we ran with someone who mentioned that runners have taken shortcuts in previous years due to not begin checked. Not that I care – if someone does that, they are only cheating themselves. But of course this becomes a real issue for category winners and placers. Why someone would do that is beyond me.

With the course being an out and back (twice), we saw some familiar faces which was great. On the stretch near the airport on our way back, the frontrunners of the half marathon (which was a championship race this year) started coming from the front, and it wasn’t too long before they caught up with us again. The last 7km, and especially the last 5km, back to the stadium on the first loop ended up being a bit chaotic with marathon runners, 21.1km runners and 10km runners all going out and back on the same road. For someone trying to run a decent time, a PB, place or win, it must have been challenging. 

Back at the waterfront there was also a market and many other people out and about to negotiate. We saw an elderly gentleman turning around from a food cart (that was oddly placed on the side dedicated to the runners) and walk straight in front of one of the speedsters. I’m sure there must have been plenty of incidents, some pushing and surely some shoving.

Eventually we reached the 21km mark on Gerry’s watch, but the turn-around point was still nowhere to be seen. Eventually, not far from the ramp going back up the stadium parking area to the finish, we reached the turnaround for our second lap. I was already sore and having to go out a second time was tough, especially with the finish line less than a kilometre away.

We trotted on with our jog-walk strategy and the kilometres ticked by slowly but surely. I reminded myself that ‘this too shall pass’. Although we weren’t too far from the back, we started reeling in other runners and walkers. Of course some walkers were way faster that us, but we kept at a steady pace for the most part, averaging just over a 7min/km pace, which surprised me considering we were walking half a kilometre out of every two kilometres.

After 30km, the wheels started coming off for me a bit. Everything hurt, my legs felt numb, an IT band started to bother, it felt like the sciatic nerve was pinching in my right leg, and my feet were killing me. I reminded myself to cut back on the cookies and chocolates, and lose some weight. Surely that should help ease the pressure on my feet?

Admittedly the finish couldn’t come quick enough. I haven’t been as sore in a very long time. We managed to do the first half in about 2:30, and the second half in 2:40, moving time on Strava. So this excludes pee and water stops. It was a tough run, but I’m glad we went. Of course doubts about doing an ultra, let alone a 100 miles, started creeping in. Before our two months slack, we still planned on doing the WUU2K three weeks after the marathon, but I realised that will not happen. Unfortunately, that makes qualifying for the miler a bit tricky. We still need to fit in an ultra to qualify and there’s absolutely nothing on the North Island running calendar for July/August, apart from WUU2K. Damn those North Range Trio organisers for not running that event anymore! At least we have until the end of October to qualify, but I don’t want to leave it until last minute.

It’s been nine years since we last did the Wellington marathon, and things have changed. Did we get a goody pack previously? Nothing this time. Also no towels at the finish line, which was also a wonderful treat the previous time around. But still aid stations along the route with electrolyte and water, as well as bananas at the finish. And a lot of marshals and cheerers along the way.

We opted not to stay for prize-giving, but rather make the trip back home. After changing into some dry clothes, I shuffled down the ramp to the car, thinking how sore I would be after sitting in the car for two and a half hours. At least we had coffee and some frooze balls for the drive back. After dropping off NIna, it was just the final stretch back home, where a lovely warm shower and a cold bubbly awaited. 

I am super grateful the weather was fantastic. Had it been windy, super cold, and sideways sleet or rain, it would have been a challenge of note. 

Time to rethink our strategy for the next five months.

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Potential upcoming events include:

  • Halcombe 30k solo
  • Tekapo 50k
  • Blue Lake 24-hour
  • Crater Rim 83k
  • Cape Kidnappers 32k
  • Taniwha 44k
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Summerhill Skedaddle, Papamoa, Tauranga

Date: 14 May
Distance: Approximately 30km (we measured 34km)
Time: 5:45

The most fun you can have on winding, super hilly, muddy bike tracks, without a bike. Until it is ‘fun’, but not fun anymore.

This was the fifth running of the Summerhill Skedaddle (not to be confused with the new Skedaddle event on the South Island). The event runs on mountain bike trails in the Papamoa hills of Tauranga, and I have no doubt the organisers picked the most hilly trails in the park. When I saw Chris Townley at the start, I should have known something was up …

The format is as follows: it starts at 9am and finishes at 3pm, the course is a 5km loop, which you can run as a two-person team, a random Skedaddler, or a solo Skedaddler, and the aim is to complete as many (or as little) loops as you want. The randoms arrive when they want, start when they want and do as many loops as they want. Everyone gets a medal and a beer.

Apart from the teams (and there were many of them), the solo runners numbered 38 men, and 24 women. Random skedaddlers tallied 212, and a maximum of 500 participants are allowed. At a guess, I’d say we were between 300 and 350. The female record was eight laps, broken this year by Caitlin Knox to make it nine (phenomenal on that course!) and the male record remains at ten laps.

When you don’t know what to expect it is very easy to make up numbers beforehand. Like, six hours are allowed, maybe I can make 40km if I jog some and walk the rest. I honestly thought that 5km per hour is totally doable and a bare minimum, therefore easily completing 30km. Turns out, 30km was quite a challenge!

We’ve had some terribly hectic weeks, and this event and trip to Tauranga (some six plus hours drive one way) could not have been more badly timed. However, we were keen to experience this event and it was also a chance to catch up with our good friend Rob. We haven’t seen him since 2019, and it was about time we do an event together again.

With too much wine the night before, a bit of a hangover (thank goodness we sorted our food and drinks beforehand), we arrived not so bright and early at a very festive event base – a woolshed on the Summerhill Farm, owned by a private charitable trust established by David & Cloie Blackley on private land. After paying our dues and writing our names on a board, we queued for a last pee before getting to the start, which was in front of the shed. The start/finish farm track in front of the shed was lined on both sides by gazebos and tents and whatever people were using as setup to stash their sustenance, and shelter their cheering crews. Actually, each lap officially started and finished in the woolshed where you tick off your own laps, but the line of gazebos made for a nice ‘finish shoot’.

At 9am we were counted down and all participants dashed down a steep paddock to get onto the trails. I thought we were near the back, bit I guess we ended up somewhere in the middle. With around 300 runners on a single track, things are bound to be a little congested, and passing or getting passed was a bit tricky, so I tried to hold my place in the long line of runners. I was going okay, despite knowing we were running a bit too fast and I might regret it later on. I was delighted to see a toilet in the first kilometre in the pine forest and decided then that I would make use of it on the second lap. The toilets near the shed were a little bit out of the way, and super smelly. When I used these toilets before the start, I had to hold my breath, and figured the bushes will have to do for future pee stops. It was nauseatingly smelly. Turns out it the bush loo was a composting toilet and really not meant for large volumes (300 people!) of pee.

After the toilet a nice runnable kilometre, or thereabouts, on an overall downhill gradient that took us lower down in a valley where a super muddy section just got worse as the day went on (our photos were all from the first three laps, where that section was already pretty muddy. We forgot to take the camera, and the phone had to do – hence all the out of focus photos). On the first loop we could get through the mud not totally soaked, but by the forth lap, it was a soggy, muddy ankle deep mess, and slippery.

The first 1.5 kilometres is roughly on a downhill gradient, followed by a 1.8km stretch up and down over a hill in the middle of the loop, to finish with the last 2 kilometre on an uphill gradient. Not that that is an accurate description of the course. All around the loop there are short ups and downs to make sure it remains a challenge. A few short ups (three?) were super steep, an almost all fours kind of steep, and I was grateful we didn’t have to come down these. There is not a lot of flat areas, and add to this very windy paths, and the pace comes down considerably. Despite going flat out and ‘running’ what felt like the biggest part of the loop, we finished the first loop in 44 minutes. I knew right then that a loop an hour would be good for my capability at this stage of my training. That is if I could keep going for six hours, which was the main aim. We also needed to factor in the ticking off of laps, getting food and water, pee, etc.

We finished the second loop in 48 minutes, the third in 46 minutes, fourth in 51 minutes, fifth in 55 minutes and the sixth lap in 54 minutes. Which wasn’t too bad going, I think. We dilly-dallied about 48 minutes between laps all up (mixing electrolyte, topping up water and snacks, eat something, loo stops, and ticking off our laps). We opted to run with a small bag of snacks (jetplane jelly sweets, marshmallows, dates) and a small water bottle to have sustenance on the run. At our base setup we also had gherkins, prosciutto, bananas, date balls, sesame snacks, and electrolyte drink.

Adding to the festivities, were a bag pipe player near the halfway point which was also near the woolshed with sound carrying through the valley, and a lone saxophone player deep in the forest with beautiful sound akin to Lisa Simpson leaving music practice. Some wonderful jazzy notes to keep us going on the hills. At the base there was either music playing over the sound system, or live entertainment. As some runners only did one or two loops, or didn’t stay until after lunch, things quieted down somewhat on the trail for the last couple of laps, and the passing or getting passed got a bit less.

A burger cart was making what looked (and smelled!) liked delicious (huge!) burgers, so every time we finished a lap, people were stuffing their faces on the porch of the woolshed where we had to run through to get to the board to tick off a lap, which is pure torture. All I wanted to do was stop and be done with the pain. Unfortunately the burger lady had packed up when we finished, so no burger at the end. But happy with our medals, an iced tea for me, and beer for Gerry and Rob, we ate the last of our prosciutto, gherkins, and crisps, before I dragged my sore body to the car.

Gerry and Rob opted to help collect course markers, and although I was fully prepared to help, I realised within the first few steps that I was going to hold everyone up. To say I was buggered is an understatement. My muscles were completely spent, and for the first time ever I developed a super sore left hip (my FAI is on the right) on the fourth lap. It was especially sore going uphill, and I figured the problem must be muscle related. Admittedly I need to work on my strength, and it will become more important as we go longer.

The course was well marked with colourful ribbons and bunting, course markers and arrows, and entertaining props were scattered around the loop. Where have I seen that gorilla before?

The lowest point was at 120 metres above sea level, and the highest point at 204 metres. It is advertised as a free event, but effectively you pay what you want via a voluntary donation system, and the money is used to maintain the trails.

It is one of the toughest 34km I’ve ever done, and a timely reminder that we should get off the flat roads and into the hills. Not sure when and how, as it is not practically possible on a regular basis, but even once a month should help already.

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Raetihi Gutbuster (Buttbuster!)

Date: 22 April
Distance: 20.7km
Time: 2:17

For years, when this event was still 18km in distance, we have wanted to do it. Not sure why we never did, but then along came COVID-19, no event for a couple of years, a change of hands, and now it is a (nearly) 21km event, as well as a 5km. Also part of the event offering are 25km and 50km cycling events.

But man oh man, did we pick the wrong year. The weather just did not play along. We pre-entered, Nina was coming with us, plus two of her kids, and another of Nina’s friends and her son were also driving up with all the kids bikes, so no chance of waking up and bailing before even getting there.

The weather forecast was for rain and strong wind. It was raining at our place the previous couple of days, but it got progressively worse as the event drew nearer. The night before our two and a half hour drive to Raetihi, it was raining. Our cat would go galavant in the middle of the night, come back inside soaking wet, plonk himself on the bed under my arm for a cuddle, only to go out again after a while and repeat. I wasn’t having the best night’s sleep, and listening to the rain, all I wanted to do was crawl deeper under the covers and sleep the day away.

And as if getting up at sparrow’s fart is not bad enough, we made a miscalculation and got up an hour too early. Eager beavers that we are. Luckily Nina was also up and busy getting ready, and could leave earlier, so we met in Bulls (about 45 minutes drive from us) at 6:50am.

All the way to Raetihi it was raining; not super hard, but persistent. From a distance it almost looked like it was clearing up in the direction of Raetihi. But no. Nope. Not a chance. From around Waiouru the wind also picked up, and I was increasingly less motivated to do the run.

When we arrived in the small town of Raetihi, it looked like a big event. Roads were closed off and a huge #myraetihi sign was placed across the road.

It was a few hundred metres walk in the rain from the car to where all the action was. Food stalls and other vendors were getting ready. Registration was in the fire station, sheltered from the rain. Each participant received a bag of root veges (carrots, parsnips, beetroot and potatoes. Some also had swedes.) – the best goody bag yet. I am a great supporter of practical, useful gifts. We walked back to the car to leave our bags of veges, and get our gear. I was uncertain about the rain jacket, but decided to take it because of the predicted wind. Being wet and in the wind is never a good combination. I knew I would be wet anyway, if not from the rain, definitely from sweat, but at least a ‘rain jacket’ will help against the wind.

The bike events were set off earlier, and then it was our turn (followed by the 5km runners and walkers). I counted 24 runners lining up for the half marathon. We were right at the back again when everyone shot off. The only other participant with a rain jacket was also at the back.

We started with a short flat section (700 metres) followed by a 5.4km mainly downhill stretch, apart from some minor undulations. As it was an out-and-back I knew that we would have to do all of this going uphill when coming back. I was going at a comfortable pace on the downhill, as I wasn’t sure exactly what the course looked like. And running downhill at speed is the quickest way to bust one’s quads.

After the initial downhill, we reached the big hill we had to go up (for 3.2km), over and down (for 1.2km), only to turn around at the other side, and go back up and over.

At the halfway turnaround, we chatted with the volunteers for a couple of minutes while having water, and left when our watch showed we had been going for 1:11. Two and a half hours seemed doable at that point, so after the initial uphill where I had to walk some, we got to the nice 3.2km downhill section. I felt good and could go at a reasonable clip, trying to make up some time for the dreaded 6km uphill back home, not worrying about quads anymore.

A water point with jelly sweets was placed at about 6.5km. We were told it was at 5km, so I was a bit worried that the course might be long when we passed 5km with no water point in sight. After we got back to the aid station on the way back, we knew it was basically six kilometres uphill to the finish.

The rain persisted and rounding certain corners, the wind would be very chilly. In the second half, the temperature must have dropped, as well as the wind picking up. I was getting colder as we went, despite going quicker and uphill. From being almost a bit hot in the first five kilometres, I was quite cold in the final five.

As it turns out, the uphill back is quite runable. Not that I could go very fast, but I could keep going at a reasonable pace. With three kilometres to go, we caught up and overtook another runner, so we had two others behind us at that point, and in the final kilometre we overtook another, nearly catching three more.

I was soaking wet. My hands started to look like prunes and we couldn’t really take photos of the scenery. Not that there was a lot to see. Everything was grey and covered in mist and rain.

Some parts of the course reminded me a bit of the backside of the Wairarapa Country half marathon, except this was hillier, but nonetheless some lovely country roads.

Relieved to get to the finish, I surprised myself by having run a negative split! We did the first half in 1:11 and the second half in 1:06.

This event should be called the Buttbuster, as it kicked my butt. Although I ran a reasonable time (quicker than Footprints in the Sand), it remains a challenging course.

Afterwards we got into dry clothes as soon as possible, and went around the food stalls for some sustenance. Being allergic to certain things meant I couldn’t have anything, but Gerry and Nina bought some sandwiches.

It is a great community event with wonderful support from local businesses. I was surprised that there wasn’t a 10km event, as I’m sure that would draw even more people. All up the event saw about 150 participants across all the events.

While waiting for prize-giving, we were hiding in the fire station from the rain. Afterwards, we poured some coffee and started making our way back to Palmy. This year’s event happened on my mum’s birthday, and next year’s will be on my brother’s birthday. Perhaps we should make another trip that way and see if I could improve on my time.

A big thanks for Cathy and the team for putting together a lovely event.

by

Brine to Wine (and some)

Date: 16 April
Distance: 12 + 5km
Time: 1:41

Since our last running of the Brine to Wine back in 2016, the course has changed a bit and was shortened from 16km to 12km. The walkway has also been sealed (cemented) all the way, as apposed to our last running when parts were still on shingle (limestone).

As was the case previously, with the event being a point-to-point, we had to get to the start. Luckily this time, and with the changed course, it was only a 5km run (and not 16km) to get to the start.

We left early from Palmy with the idea to have 15 minutes or so spare to park and pee and get ourselves sorted for the run. On the way there we thought of driving by the start first (to see where it is) and to potentially register. Which, fortunately, we could do.

But by then and with an entry in hand, we ran out of time and quickly had to drive back to the finish, park, pee, and start making our way back for the 9:15 start. For some reason I was terribly unorganised since I woke up. If I hadn’t put out my running clothes, and dry clothes for after the run, the night before, who knows what I would’ve arrived with. Luckily Gerry was a bit more organised and made coffee for the road, packed jet planes jelly sweets for the run, and some snacks for afterwards.

Needless to say, we started later than planned. Only after we started running, did I realise that actually I would have loved to walk the first kilometre or two. However, there was no time. We had less than 30 minutes to run the 5km to be on time.

While running I started making planes in my head for when we arrive late, as I was convinced we would be. I figured we could either run until the last runners came past from the front, then turn around and follow them, or keep going to a deserted start, turn around and just be far behind everyone else. Luckily neither of these were necessary, as we made it in time.

After the first kilometre on our way to the start, I realised that we were going at a (almost) 6min/km pace, and I wasn’t completely winded. Somehow I managed to pick up the pace from there to dip under a 6min/km and kept going at that pace all the way to the start. I knew I could do a parkrun in less than 30 minutes going flat out, but thought I would pay for it later in the run.

By the time we reached the start, race briefing was underway, and with a four minute late start, we ended up spending five minutes hanging around.

It was reasonably cool (about 11 degrees) and being wet from running there, the light breeze just added to my discomfort. Both Gerry and I had to put back on the layer we took off halfway through our run to the start.

Paula counted us down and then we were off on the official event. It took a few kilometres, running into the breeze, before I could take off my extra layer again. This time of year, having to put on and take off layers mid run, is a constant for me. We started near the back, but managed to overtake a couple of other runners. And that remained our position for the bulk of the event. Only near the end did we pass a few more runners and walkers.

As we were running, we saw lots of other runners just out on their Sunday run, and I couldn’t help but wonder why more people wouldn’t sign up for the event. At only $15 for the 12km event, why not support it? Every year with the Manawatū Striders’ Super Sevens events, hundreds of runners crawl out of the woodwork, and one has to wonder where they go the for rest of the year. Obviously there are heaps of runners out there, so why don’t they do the events? My theory is that the running culture in NZ is still one of ‘racing’. Unless you can go with guns blazing, you are not a true runner and should not waste time with events. Whereas in South Africa, the running community was much more inclusive – everybody ran and did events. The system with clubs and events was also different, which might have added to more runners and walkers participating.

The weather was just about as good as it gets. A little bit too cool for my liking, but no rain and no gales. So, ‘perfect’.

I was going surprisingly well. It felt like the good ol’ days when I could run anything from a 5km to a 50km at a 6min pace without killing myself. By the time we were about 3km from the finish, I realised I might be able to make it to the finish in 1:42 – a six minute pace. Surprisingly, I could keep going while the kilometres ticked over quicker than usual. It has been a good few years since I last could managed a six minute pace for anything further than a 10km. I got to the end not feeling like the walking dead, and very pleased that I could keep the pace. I would have been happy with two hours for the 17km run at this stage of my fitness, which on hindsight is probably what I should have done.

It is an enjoyable run, mainly on the walkway away from traffic, with just a short stretch on the pavement in a suburb. At a water point at 6km we got a 500ml bottle of water which Gerry and I could share. As a single person, a whole bottle is a lot of water to down, and not many people would want to run with a water bottle, but it worked well for us. At the finish we got another one, as well as some cheese curls-type chips. We were also handed a token for a free beer at the Stellar pub across the road from the finish.

After changing into dry clothes, Gerry and I went to the pub for our drinks and prize giving. Dave and David were also there with fellow race walker Graeme, whom we met for the first time. 

While this should now be the ‘Brine to Beer’ run, I opted to go for wine, keeping with the Brine to Wine theme. The house also offered some nibbles, really making this the best value for money event out there.

After prize giving (no spot prizes for us), we went by the supermarket for some salad, chicken and olives, to make a picnic at Araheke MTB park/Lakelands Holiday Park/Lake Wiritoa, before heading home.

Cheers to another small, value for money event in our region – long may it continue.