trail running

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Chasing the cut-off – Jumbo-Holdsworth Trail Race

Date: 27 January 2018
Distance: 24km
Time: 4:42.08

Race briefing.
And away we go!
Very early on, runners were queueing at a foot bridge, but since we started off so slow, we only had a wait a short while.
The first seven or so kilometres were all runnable. After the bridge we were by ourselves the whole time until we reached the massive uphill.
A one-person swing bridge where I was reduced to a walk.
When the imposing uphill started, we finally caught up with some other runners.
Gerry was feeding us every 20 minutes or so.
Up and up and up we went.
Finally above the treeline, but then into the fog.
Tall grass and scrub made the going difficult. Not that it seemed to bother most other runners.
Scary bits on the ridgeline.
I thanked my lucky stars that it was foggy, as I’m sure the drop-offs on either side would be very scary!
i decided to rather walk all the edgy bits.
Sidling around the ridge.
Another drop-off to the right. I was secretly shitting myself.
On the edge.
Nice to see a volunteer up on the ridge.
This is more what I thought it would look like at the top.
Into the mystic …
Another ridge to sidle along.
One is quite exposed on the mountain (nevermind the runner in front of me that exposed himself!).
Gerry seems happy that we reached this point.
Having some solid ground on either side of the path is much more comforting.
Foggy path.
One of the more runnable bits at the top.
Sweaty and tired, but happy to be heading downhill for a bit.
Finally we reached the volunteer at Mt Holdsworth.
Mt Holdsworth trig and a friendly volunteer.
Back on the ridge, and finally going down.
Don’t slip!
You couldn’t see too far ahead – possibly a blessing in disguise.
Happy days.
Starting a tricky descent.
A steep descent brought us to the Holdsworth Hut.
Lots of steps on the first stretch down the mountain from the hut.
And of course back into the forest.
The Gentle Annie Track is quite runnable.
Mt Holdsworth in the back.
My quads stopped working at some stage.
We still had a long way down to the start/finish.
Whoohoo! Not far now.
Happy to be so close to our first Jumbo-Holdsworth finish.
“Flying” for the last bit.
Clearly we didn’t go fast enough. Too much energy still.
A fantastic finish to a great race.
Grub on the house! Loved the veges!
Is there a prize for the dirtiest finisher?
Prize-giving in a beautiful spot on a lovely sunny day.

For the past seven years, this event has been on our to do list. But every year there’s something preventing us from entering; too much traveling and sitting over Christmas, too much eating and not enough training, injury, it is always this, that or the other. Finally, this year we took the plunge, very last minute I might add. We only entered five days out from the event (my apologies to the organisers). Continue reading →

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The David Fletcher Mortgages Urban Trail Run

Date: 11 June 2017
Distance: 12.5km
Time: 1:40

While we were in New Plymouth for the weekend, we figured we might as well participate in another Cut a Trail event. The previous one was most enjoyable and since this one was cheap enough, we thought we’ll give it a go.

As an out-of-towner you can’t pre-enter, meaning you inevitably pay the late entry fee of $15 ($10 for locals if you pre-register at the Frontrunner shop during the course of the week). You also don’t come into account for certain of the spot-prizes if you enter late. But, I guess, these events are small and low-key community events – not really meant for outsiders. That might also explain why there were no water points or toilets. The latter being a bit of a problem when you have x-amount of people queueing for the one public toilet in the area. On the bright side, the banter while waiting in line turned out to be fun. When all the men turned to the bushes (on the East End Reserve, main beach and playground area no less!) one lady casually commented, “it is already full moon, a couple more won’t make a difference”. Continue reading →

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Tauhara Half Marathon

3 July 2016
Distance: 21.1km
Time: 2:48.56

Beautiful Mt Ruapehu.
Icy roads causing accidents and a holdup on the way.
Mr Ngaurahue.
And away we go, just in time to catch the last participants crossing the narrow start chute.
The wide open area of the paddock helped to quickly spread out the field.
Up and up we went.
Until we came across this little congested bottleneck.
A beautiful sunny morning and crisp air.
This is one of the worst bits.
A nice and easy stretch on the edge of the forest.
The first water point with freezingly cold water.
Cold, cold, cold in the forest.
Finally a bit of sun again.
The start of the out-and-back stretch up a shingle/gravel road.
Gerry at the turning point and second water station.
Frosty conditions and very cold temperatures kept us going to try and keep warm.
What does this even mean?
It almost felt like we were running in a freezer.
The final, very chirpy waterpoint.
Frozen soil.
The long walk up a 1.5km hill, 3km before the finish.
Finally the finish area came into sight.
Back on the cattle tracks.
A long queue of participants waiting for a sausage sizzle and a beer.
Glad we did!

After four days on the road travelling to Auckland, back down to Wellington and back to Palmy the night before the Tauhara, I was a little reluctant to get up at 4am to travel to Taupo for this event. It was just all becoming a little too much. But, we were entered, and events usually cheer me up, so despite no running (and a lot of sitting!) for four days, we took to the road once again to see what this event was all about. Continue reading →

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RuapehuEXPRESS Half Marathon

Date: 27 February 2016
Distance: 19.1km
Time: 2:09.36

The birthday boy having a peaceful night.
Overcast and a bit fresh at the start.
Rob and me – ready for action.
Less than a minute to the start.
Briefing by Tim Day.
Shortly after the start, a dash across a paddock.
More paddock (cross country) running in the first few kilometres.
Time to shed a layer as it quickly warmed up.
Gerry comfortably jogging along as I was huffing and puffing to keep up.
A short stretch of farm road.
Jumping fences is normal for these kinds of events.
Having a blast out on the trails.
“If you go into the woods today, you’re in for a big surprise”.
Rob about half a kilometre ahead of us.
An awkwardly placed water station. First you veer off to the left, missing the table (my thoughts were that the water point was maybe meant for the 15km guys?) and when you pass it again from the other side, you turn away towards the right before reaching the table, missing it again.
Crossing one of many similar little bridges.
The trail winds through beautiful forests.
No doubt we’re on the right track.
A short little uphill after crossing the railway line.
Remnants of the Taonui viaduct.
Halfway – yay!
The cobblestone of the historic path is still visible in parts.
Pete still going strong.
Information boards along the Old Coach Road.
The second water point about 2km from the finish.
On the home straight back to the Powderhorn Chateau.
Final bridge across the railway line before the finish.
All done. Happy with what I’ve managed to achieve.
Prize-giving.

As it was Gerry’s birthday on the 26th, we decided to make a little outing of the trip. Not sure where we would stay – the only requirement was to camp somewhere nice and quiet – we went to the nearest DOC campsite only a few kilometres outside of Ohakune on the mountain side. It looked quite nice but decided nonetheless to check out the campsite at Raetihi which was only $4 per person more. However, the latter being more busy and civilised, we opted for the more scenic out of town rustic option at the foot of Mt Ruapehu. 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 →