Trail running

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T42 trail marathon – 7 May 2011

Gerry and I on Friday afternoon at the race headquarters – The Park Travellers’ Lodge – just after registration and gear check. Nervously brave.
The Park, where registration and gear checks were taking place.
Doing some carbo-loading at the Speights Ale House.
At the start, with a long queue at the porta-loos on the left.
Gerry, making his way through the DOC footbath, just to ease into running wet.
Foam coming from my shoes after the footbath. Remnants of my attempt to eliminate the pong in my shoes.
Hopping over a fence for a loop through a farm.
Gerry going strong on a grassy patch.
In the early stages of the race, when we could still see some other participants.
A wee bit of a view when the clouds subsided.
Running through the water makes it no less wet.
One of many river crossings. Forget about dry feet!
The widest and deepest river crossing en route.
Mud, mud and more mud. Imagine what the MTB’ers looked like.
Gerry enjoying the hospitality of some very friendly volunteers at the water point/aid station.
Some lovely stretches on gravel road.
More mud, with a very apt caution sign for the MTB’ers.
Not far to go.
Relieved smiles at an almost deserted finish.
Tackling another mountain – this time a Mountain Burger at the Speights Ale House. Much appreciated after a day of jelly babies and water.

On Wednesday, 4 May, we received the fourth and final email update from Total Sport concerning the T42 Central Plateau marathon. Things that were covered in the email, included:

  • Weather update
  • Event contingency date
  • Compulsory gear update
  • Event course update
  • Department of Conservation / Didymo
  • Safety on the course
  • Event start times & locations
  • Course cut-off times
  • Aid stations
  • Gear drop off at start
  • Transport
  • Registration at The Park
  • Post event at Owhango
  • Prize Money
  • Event Photos
  • Dinner & post event at The Park

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DUAL – Motutapu-Rangitoto Traverse (42.2km) – 26 March 2011

At the start, me sporting full wet weather gear ;-).
Gerry at registration.
Nervous smiles on the ferry heading to Motutapu.
No turning back now!
The organisers must have had a snigger when they planned this start! Up, up, up.
Willie and me negotiating mud puddles early on.
Gerry and Willie with the start way below, right behind Gerry.
Fly, fly away.
MTBs and runners sharing a short section of the road.
Gerry and I on Rangitoto’s scoria.
Most of the surface of Rangitoto consists of volcanic rock and scoria.
Rocks under foot.
Gerry – full speed.
Taking a walk break up a small hill.
Before.
After. They smelled much worse than they looked!
Happy with our complimentary Speight’s Traverse beers at the finish.
What a awesome moment! The last finisher getting a hero’s welcome.

Wow! wow! wow! Phew … wow … I don’t have the words to describe the experience that is the DUAL. It is 2011. For me the year that will always mark our first running of the DUAL, a character-building experience that will probably be engraved in my mind for a long time. The weather god, Huey, played an evil trick on us to help make sure we will never ever forget this event.

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Kapiti Classic Beach Races (21.1km) – 13 March 2011

The participants at the start of the 21.1km beach run.
Gerry looking all ready to go.
Heading in a northern direction for the first 2.5km.
The first turnaround point at 2.5km.
The start of the kiddies 1km dash.
River-crossings added a bit of excitement to the race. Kapiti island is on the left.
Just enough to get your feet soaked.
Gerry, attempting to leap over the streams.
The finish line with a few supporters cheering participants on.
Very please to have won one of the two main spot prizes. You go Gerry!
My feet – clearly not used to running wet!

For lack of another word, I can only say that this race is awesome! What a gem. NZ is full of these very nice off-the-beaten-track small town races and the Kapiti Classic, a newby on the calendar, is no exception. Another inaugural for us.

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Eating on the run – is it rude to say no?

(by Gerry le Roux)

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I’ll never forget, years ago, chatting to a good friend (lets call him Pete) while running with the back-of-the-pack gang at one of those massive Johannesburg summer races, when the subject turned to eating on the run.

Pete had a very amusing “principle” on the subject: it’s rude to say no when a friendly spectator or helper offers you something to eat during a race. As a result, he obviously had his share of weird eat-and-run anecdotes – fish and chips (offered by a spectator with a huge toothless grin) on the Cape Flats, home-brewed beer from a shebeen in Soweto, church-bazaar fudge in a small Karoo town, and a generous helping of Old Brown Sherry presented by a group of very jolly, scantily-clad students during the sub-zero temperature Rhodes Run. Luckily for Pete, he had a strong constitution, and most of these culinary delights were handled without any adverse consequences.

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Manawatu Gorge trail run (30 January 2011)

Gerry under a big tree.
At the start.
Gerry making the most of an early downhill.
Taking a break at one of the lookout points
Happiness is…
A little “gate” through one of the fallen trees.
The pathway is well laid out with bridges over rivers and streams and steps where gradients are too steep.
Very windy viewpoint.
Wind Farm lookout.
A short “lunch” at the turnaround point.

Ever since moving to Palmy, the Manawatu Gorge walkway has been beckoning, literally in our backyards.  According to everyone we talked to and everything we read, the gorge promised to be one of the most beautiful places in the area, and Gerry and I have been forever threatening to make the outing to see what it is like.

It is a 10.1km point to point walk through the gorge, with the idea being that you leave a car at the finish, drive back to the start and complete the walk. But what to do when you only have one car? Continue reading →