21.1km

by

Hatuma Lime Half Marathon

Date: 20 September 2015
Distance: 21.1km
Time: 2:09
Previous: 2011, 2014

Despite terrible weather, still a rather big field.
Ready for action!
We started off with a 400m out-and-back stretch.
A high-five with Rob.
Lake Hatuma in the distance.
Gerry being handed water at the first drink station by a little volunteer.
A dreary day for it, won’t you say?
Wet, windy and rainy. Could have been worse, I guess. 🙂
Lovely country roads.
Gerry quite visible, especially on an overcast day.
Prize-giving took place on the grand stand, out of the rain.
Nichola handling the prize-giving with a representative from the main sponsor, Hutuma Lime.

 

Evidently ’tis the season to be sick, for me. Despite gulping down fists full of vitamins and probiotics, I can’t seem to build up my immunity to fend off any germs coming my way. This has been the case since having to undergo minor surgery end of June coupled with a course of antibiotics. The latter will surely be the end of us as a species … Continue reading →

by

Cambridge Half Marathon

Date: 23 August 2015
Distance: 21.1km
Time: 2:15:41

Lovely sunny day for it!
Some 300+ participants in the half marathon run and walk.
A short out-and-back stretch in the first kilometre.
And then we headed out of town.
The farmyard flavours always puts a smile on my face. Maybe it’s because it reminds me of a good Merlot. 😉
Stock grazing peacefully in the paddocks.
Runners making their way up the most significant “hill” on the course.
Having a laugh with volunteers at the second aid station.
Beautiful late winter scenery in the country.
What can I say … you can’t break a long standing tradition.
From around halfway we began catching walkers, who started 30 minutes ahead of the runners.
You know Spring is around the corner with all the lambs in the paddocks.
Not too far to go, but I was quite sore by then.
Always eternally grateful for volunteers helping to remove timing chips at the finish.

This was one of those runs. The kind that just happens to be there when you are. Without giving the distance or anything else much thought, you end up doing it, because why not? With work, lots of traveling and a few other things in the mix, turning up for the event was just another item on our to-do list for the week. And I’m glad we did. Continue reading →

by

Ignorence is bliss – Norsewood to Takapau

Date: 12 July 2015

Distance: 21.1km

Time: 2:15.03

Previous: 2014

Our lift taking us from Takapau to the start at Norsewood.
Friendly helpers at the registration desk.
A cold and drizzly race briefing.
The field of runners/walkers in the second batch. The first batch of slower walkers started earlier.
The small field quickly spread out.
Beautiful scenery, albeit misty and miserable.
No getting lost. This sign indicates the out-and-back section for the runners/walkers.
There’s a mad cow on the loose!
Kevin and Peter doing great.
Caren speeding past.
Marian having a good day out.
The water points were well-stocked with water, bananas and some lollies.
Dark and dreary.
Some steep downhills and a few uphills to keep us honest.
The end, in sight. Still cold, but a wee bit of sun peeped through for a short while.

If it wasn’t for the fact that in my mind it wasn’t going to rain, we would probably not have driven all the way to Hawke’s Bay to do the Norsewood to Takapau fun run again. The last time we checked the weather forecast (the night before), the prediction was for a fine day, overcast and cool, but no rain. So blissfully unaware was I of the updated forecast overnight that I didn’t even bother to pack any wet weather gear!

You can only imagine my surprise then when we found ourselves amidst a drizzle/mist spray during our drive from Palmy to Norsewood. Worst is, our training was also a bit off the rails again – another week of only two training runs, due to bad weather and other unforeseen circumstances. The usual weekend long-run was looming and because of a change in work schedule we ended up having the day free. And what better way to spent a Sunday morning than with other runners/walkers on an event. It was meant to be. Continue reading →

by

Shoe Clinic Wellington Half Marathon

Date: 5 July 2015

Distance: 21.1km

Time: 2:18.45

It’s been three months since our previous event. We took a couple of weeks off, travelled some, worked some more, winter rolled in, and with few events on the calendar as motivation or targets to work towards, we were very slack at trying to build up our fitness levels again. It’s not easy to get going again after a long lay off. I battled through every training run – the few we did manage to fit in between work and really crappy weather conditions.

Hard to imagine the Super 15 Rugby finals between the Hurricanes and Highlanders took place only a few hours prior to the start of this event. Everything was cleaned-up already.
Gerry and I shortly before the start. A bit of a nip in the air, but overall very good conditions.
Long shadows in the early morning sunlight.
Jazzy entertainment around the bays.
Gerry really having a walk in the park.
Hup hup hup. Need to get rid of some of that energy.
Look mom! The tooth fairy got hold of my tooth!
An out-and-back event, making it very social.
Yeah!
Are we there yet?
Finally Westpac Stadium, after the only “uphill” stretch, but then still a lap of despair to get the the finish.

Luckily the Wellington Half Marathon was on our calendar (not being ready for the 42 this time), forcing us to step out the door on occasions when you would much rather snuggle up in front of a fire. Unfortunately these occasions only happened few and far between, and for the most part laziness got the better of me. So with the minimum training and lots of trepidation, we headed south the night before. Friends had a house-warming party and what better way to carbo-load than with bubbly and pizza! Continue reading →

by

Back-to-back 21s #2: Pahiatua Bush Harrier Half Marathon

Date: 22 March 2015
Distance: 21.0
Time: 2:13.11

The field of runners at the race briefing.
Gerry seems ready for the second 21 for the weekend.
Wet roads from the rain we woke up to early in the morning.
At this point there weren’t many other runners behind us going straight.
Luckily only a short bit of the course is on a busy road (State Highway 2).
With Tui’s doors already open for business, it’s very hard not to hang a left for a pint or two!
Another lovely tranquil run in rural NZ.
You even get to share the road with tractors.
Striking a Charlie Chaplin pose. We are the Tail-end-Charlie’s after all. 😉
Minor confusion whether this cone meant ‘go straight’ or ‘turn right’.
Farmyard flavours, reminder of the great Merlot’s we’ve shared with good friends over the years.
While the skies weren’t as blue as the previous day at Taihape, we were still treated to near-perfect running conditions.
The hilly little twist in the tail.
Once over the crest, it’s not far to go on a downhill and flat stretch to the finish.
Uhum, still too much energy.
Prize-giving was a jolly affair with sausages, beers, tea, coffee and cake.

The weather for our second back-to-back 21 could again not have been better. No wind, fairly warm, but rather humid. The start and finish for this mainly fast and flat run, is at the Pahiatua stadium. Organised by the Bush Harriers, the highlight of the day is probably the amount of spot prizes. You know there’s no shortage when every single participant receives something. And then the club president would still request anybody who has not received something, to put their hand up. And even after that, there was still a box full of prizes left over for next time!

The course runs through the residential part of town before heading north on SH2 towards Hawkes Bay. Just before the 5km mark, you leave the main road to run past the famous Tui Brewery HQ heading east between farms. Nice and quiet roads with great weather made for a comfortable easy long run.

At about 9km, a short section of about 2km is run on a gravel farm road. We were happily trotting along, and started to pass a walker here and there before the route gradually started on an incline from about the 15km mark. And with 2km to go, a proper 700 metre long hill reduced most runners to a walk. But once over the crest, it is downhill and flat to the finish.

Sausage sizzles and beer were for sale. Tea and coffee were on the house. As it was the 30th anniversary of this event, lovely moist chocolate cake was also passed around to everybody.

A nice run in the country, well worth the outing. Water stations at about 6.5, 12, 16 and 18km. A good course also for walkers as it is mainly flat easy terrain. Since this event is in our neck of the woods, a lot of familiar faces were out and about. Great to see so many of our own club members and also starting to recognise a few from neighbouring town clubs. Unless anything critical comes up, we’ll most probably be back next year.