running

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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 →

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Parkrun – Hamilton, New Zealand

Date: 22 August 2015

Distance: 5km

Time: 31.44

Why not dress up to make your mark at Parkrun?
Although quite chilly, it was a lovely morning for a run.
From the Hamilton Yacht Club, just follow the path around the lake.
Scenic and well kept park.
Circumnavigating the beautiful little Lake Rotoroa.
Pathway cutting across and through boggy areas.
No wind or rain – yay!
Gerry on an leisurely morning trot.

Parkrun has taken the world by storm! And there’s no signs of slowing down – all over the world new Parkruns pop up and more people join every day.

This all started in 2004 in the UK with the Bushy Parkrun (formerly known as Bushy Park Time Trial) when it was founded by Paul Sinton-Hewitt. The organisers figured it would be a good idea to spread the Parkrun event to other locations and in 2007 new events started popping up across London and the UK. It has subsequently also spread to other parts of the world and roughly 13 countries currently participate in what is now a worldwide event run entirely by volunteers. The Bushy Parkrun is the oldest parkrun in the world. Continue reading →

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Hoka One One Taupo Marathon

Date: 1 August 2015

Distance: 42.2

Time: 5:00.52

Founding Member! 🙂 Nice touch for everyone doing the inaugural.
About 300 marathon participants, starting at Huka Falls.
A chilly, cloudy, misty, drizzly start.
Off we go, next to the Waikato River at Huka Falls.
Passing underneath the SH1 bridge. We’ve driven over the bridge many times, never expecting to be running under it!
A few short hills, reducing some participants to a walk.
Some open patches in the otherwise misty landscape.
Just follow the colourful stream of runners.
Cabbage trees lining the single track.
I love how they propped up distance markers!
Crossing the mighty Waikato as we turn back towards town.
En route back to Huka Falls. Just after the 8km mark.
Despite the cool conditions, the hydration provided at the aid stations was most welcome.
A close encounter with a hydroelectric power station.
Great off-road conditions, with mostly hard-packed tracks.
The warmth of the Wairakei Thermal streams looked very inviting on a cold morning.
A footpath next to the road.
Totalsport branded bunting marking the way.
Gerry speeding down the hills.
Through a redwood forest as the sun made a quick showing, before disappearing again.
Reaching the halfway mark just outside Taupo.
Marshalls making sure we crossed the roads safely.
Some minor chaos when we, together with hundreds of 10km walkers, hit the returning marathon, half marathon and 10km runners and walkers.
Two thirds down! This is the point where you really start wondering why you keep doing this to yourself.
Some entertainment provided by the can-can onesies near the 30k mark.
The long and winding road. A sealed walkway leading us all the way back to the finish.
The bagpipe player is a feature we remembered from our previous running of the Taupo Half Marathon.
The finish, yay!
Friendly volunteers braving all the smelly feet to help remove timing chips.
Delicious buns and chicken soup at the finish – a lovely touch.

If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn Totalsport created this new event as a sneaky way to lure people into trail running. 🙂

The Hoka One One Taupo Marathon is new on the calendar for 2015. Totalsport took over the reigns in 2014 for all events – a 5, 10 and 21km, adding the new 42km to their offering this year for both runners and walkers. And what a great addition, I must add!

The first half is a non-technical trail run while the second half is on-road. The second half is the same route as the original half marathon, with a couple of minor changes (like the short stretch shortly after the second turn-around point, that is now also paved. Previously it was an off-road dash back to the lake walkway). Continue reading →

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In it for the long haul – Manawatu Striders Winter Series

Date: 26 July 2015

Distance: 15km

Time: 1:39

At the start, Kevin getting ready to get the show on the road.
Running along the Bridle Track.
The track was still in the shade, making for a rather chilly start to the run.
Beautiful tranquil Palmy on a lovely sunny morning.
David making sure everybody goes where they should.
On Massey campus, a small uphill stretch before looping around a car park and back down.
Another out-and-back stretch, making for a more social run.
The only water point, nicely positioned so you pass it twice.
We were too late/slow for the biscuits, but coffee and tea were still on offer.

The weekend long-run is probably the most important item in your weekly schedule on your way to fitness. Without the long-run, your endurance will not improve. Especially for okes like us who like to go far and long.

Not wanting to miss out on the Manawatu Strider’s Winter Series 15km event (which was too short for our build-up to the Taupo marathon), our only option was to fit in another few kilometres before the start of the Striders’ event. Wanting to cover about 30km, we could either do the course twice, or just do our own thing on a different path. We opted for the latter, and at about 7:30 in the morning we started out from the race start-and-finish area, heading out west through the Esplanade, past the swimming pool, turning onto the Bridle track at the Holiday Park, and ran all the way to the far end of the track and back to where we started. From the Holiday Park to the end of the track is 7.5km, so out and back is a nice 15km run. Continue reading →

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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 →