trail running

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First time centurion – the Tarawera Ultra 100km

Date: 7 February 2015
Distance: 100km
Time: 17:25.54

All photos by us, except the ones containing the TUM logo which are courtesy of Photos4sale and TUM. 

Happy to reach the finish. But leading up to this was a long journey …
Gerry at Te Puia, waiting for the opening ceremony.
Entering the Te Aronui a Rua Marae.
Nervous smiles before the big day ahead.
Wandering around Te Puia thermal world. The Pohutu Geyser putting up a show worthy of an international audience.
Malcalm Law, keynote speaker ahead of his High-5-O challenge. Very inspirational. (BTW, you can still text to contribute or make a donation.)
Q&A session with elite athletes from around the world. Seated LtoR: Pau Bartolo Roca, Dylan Bowman (2015 male winner), Jo Johansen, Nuria Picas-Albets, Mike Wardian, Robbie Britton and Ruby Muir (2015 female winner).
Nice touch – a stand at the expo where supporters can create signage to encourage their runners.
Daunting to see these registration tables and you know you have to go to the one with the longest distance.
All the entrants’ names were printed on a huge banner that featured outside the hotel.
I don’t think what lay ahead had sunk in at this stage yet.
Only a couple more minutes before the start. Can you feel the tension?
And away we go.
Only about 99.95km to go.
A few steps early on in the Redwood Forest on well maintained trails.
Beautiful scenery. Living here we sometimes lose sight of the lovely natural surroundings.
Long train of runners snaking through the forest.
Gerry clearly in high spirits.
Wonderful to run into a familiar face, June also from the Manawatu Striders.
A fantastic spread at the aid stations, fit for a king.
Running around Blue Lake. Little did we know when we first walked this trail in 2008 during a visit to NZ that we’d one day run this as part of a 100km ultra!
Happy days on the shores of Blue Lake.
“I can’t do this alone, oh oh oh oh o-ho…”
The variety of refreshments on offer made it difficult to choose, resulting in us perhaps spending a bit too much time at the early aid stations.
Sharing a laugh with the aid station crew.
No lack of fun and entertainment en route!
Aid station activities – eating, sorting out drop bags, filling water containers, checking gear.
Much of the day was run in the shaded forest, ensuring mild temperatures perfect for running.
Yet at the same time us Africans enjoyed the stretches in the sun, offering wider views of the rolling landscape.
Beautiful tree ferns lining the track.
Time for an aid station selfie! My cheeks bulging from sampling the spread on offer.
Slight change of scenery on the shores of Lake Okataina.
The heavy winds of the days leading up to the race left some challenging obstacles on the route.
More obstacles to slide over…
…or slip under.
Past the Tarawera Falls aid station (and 60km finish) the environment changed, with a greater percentage of the route run (or walked!) on forestry roads.
Made it! Having passed the final cut-off at the 70km Titoki aid station, we knew we just had to hang in there for another 30km to finish.
Not too impressed with the “arse-bitingly steep” hills on the loop of despair around the 80km mark.
Close to sunset, with just over 15km to go.
Over the final 5+ kms, many sections of the route were lit up with colourful fairy lights, turning our late night run into a forest fairytale. This picture doesn’t do it justice at all, but it was a really special experience.
Finally reaching the finish after almost 17.5 hours. Tired. but relieved and elated.
Such a special feeling, being able to experience these events together. I don’t know how lonely those hours in the dark must have been to solo runners.
A hug from organiser Tim Day, making each finisher feel special for having made it to the finish.
Receiving our lovely wood-cut Tarawera medals.
A special moment at the end of a very long day.
“Ju-ust the two of us, we can make it if we try…”

Turns out writing about a 100km event is just as hard as doing it. What can you say that hasn’t already been said before? Instead of repeating what you can read about the race on the comprehensive official website, I thought perhaps I should just give a broad overview of my experience of the race weekend.

We drove through to Rotorua (the venue for the race) on the Thursday, two days prior to race day, figuring it might be a good idea before taking on our first 100km run to arrive well in time and settle down before the event. The official opening was quite early on the Friday morning, so even more reason to arrive the day before. After the official race welcome (Powhiri) at Te Aronui a Rua Marae, Te Puia, things moved to the Holiday Inn where registration, the expo, talks, presentations and all the rest took place. It was a jolly occasion, with lots of athletes and their support crews pitching up for the pre-race activities. There was even a rogaine on the Thursday that drew quite a number of participants.

One of the highlights of the proceedings during Friday morning was the keynote talk by Malcolm Law. He really is an extraordinary person, being the first to do the seven Great Walks in NZ in seven days to raise money for leukaemia and blood cancer. This time around he is pushing his limits even further by attempting to scale 50 peaks, and in the process run a total of 50 marathons, in 50 consecutive days, of which the Tarawera Ultra marked the start. Through his extraordinary High-5-O Challenge Malcolm aims to raise $400 000 for Mental Health (having lost a brother-in-law to suicide). One of the things he said that stuck with me, was that if you ever think of doing something, just do it. And that is so true. All the things that I’ve ever thought of doing, but haven’t yet, still taunts me every day (like that PhD!). Another excellent point he made was that if something cannot be scientifically proven to be impossible, then it must be possible. Definitely something to keep in mind next time you feel something is “impossible”. Continue reading →

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Lake Kaniere track

Date: 3 January 2015
Distance: 22.8km
Time: 3:37

Hokitika is a gem of a town on the west coast of the South Island. How’s this for a super-quaint town sign?
The “spit” – a sand bank stretching into the sea creating a natural bay at Hokitika.
This cross near the spit has lots of hooks where different flags used to be attached, to inform incoming boats of the conditions at the entry of the bay.
We parked some distance from the actual start of the track and got a kilometre extra training on a jeep-track.
One of the very technical sections, with lots of roots, mud and uneven ground.
The sounds of boats and other “water toys” were humming in our ears for most of the first half.
Lake Kaniere visible through the trees every so often.
Some rocky sections, presumably side-streams running into the lake.
It was a really hot day and we did not take nearly enough water. I was hoping to get some at the other end of the track. Not to be, unfortunately, so we ended up pretty dehydrated.
A tricky little path.
A big climb at the end of the 11km before turning around and going back along the same path.

In the setting and frame of mind of The Luminaries (Gerry is finally making the time to read Eleanor Catton’s Man Booker Prize winning book), we arrived the evening before in Hokitika – historically a gold mining town. Driving up and down the city centre streets we tried to picture various scenes in the book, wondering which buildings (or remnants of buildings) might have featured in the story, which of the hotels might be the one where Moody walked into the closed meeting of the twelve men who’s collective experiences make up the novel. Standing at the “spit”, staring out at the ocean as the sun goes down, had us wondering if this was where some of the fictional characters in the book had also stood. This piece of land, the neighbouring harbour, and our subsequent drive up to Lake Kaniere, conjured up vivid visions of scenes from the book.

We saw the Lake Kaniere Track in a local brochure and decided it looked ideal for a trail run. What better way to experience a place than to do it by foot? New Zealand is literally a network of trails in every nook and cranny of the country. It is a trail runners paradise. Not only are you safe from muggings, but since there are no natural dangers like snakes, scorpions or spiders that can kill you, it really is the setting for an invigorating, stress-free run. Continue reading →

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Staples Rodway Cape Kidnappers Challenge – 32km

I guess you can call this a painfully funny moment. (Photo: Supersport Images)
Equally excited and worried about what lay ahead. A lovely Hawkes Bay morning despite all the severe weather warnings.
En route to the beach. The destruction caused by recent storms and high seas can clearly be seen on the side of the road.
A wonderful morning on the beach, with the early morning sun causing blinding reflections on the water.
It may be flat, but the uneven terrain ensured that you work for every kilometer gained..
Nice to run into fellow Manawatu Strider and friend June Wirihana along the way.
Wouna passing the majestic Cape Kidnappers cliffs, which we had only ever seen from a distance before.
On this section of the beach the sand gave way to large, flat rocky sections.
An early morning run along the beach with the wind at your back – life doesn’t get much better than this!
Out of breath but still smiling – near the end of a 120m ascent up one of the early hills. (Photo: Supersport Images)
Photographing the photographer, while I put up my best pose. (Photo: Supersport Images)
This photographer picked a great spot, catching runners at the top of a picturesque hill where even the most hardy competitors would be moving fairly slowly.
All gates had to be closed behind you, or scaled near the post, which sometimes proved the faster alternative.
Clear directions all along the route.
We noticed a caution sign ahead…
…and soon realised what it was all about – the gnarliest downhill, requiring some clever footwork.
Approaching the first water stop and transition point for the relay teams.
The complimentary bananas were a welcome alternative to our regular race diet of jelly babies (and occasional baby food).
Descending all the way to sea level again – no doubt a precursor to another giant climb.
The very novel checkpoint system, logging your splits along the route.
Running along the coastline on the southern side of Cape Kidnappers.
Enough to stop you dead in your tracks – the mother of all climbs (246m) shortly after Rangaiika.
Taking an involuntary breather.
Clearly Red John was here! 🙂
Relieved to be near the top (or so we thought!). (Photo: Supersport Images)
Despite the climb I still managed some on-camera silliness. (Photo: Supersport Images)
Like ants scaling an anthill.
Just when you think you’re near the top, another uphill appears.
Looking back at the majestic views behind us made the climb worthwhile.
Wouna doing some windsurfing in the 100+ km gales threatening to blow us back down the hill.
No matter how tired, the amazing views kept us energised.
A change of scenery, running through native forest along a jeep track.
Showing off my mid-race snack – some super-tasty chokolate custard baby food!
A rare mild downhill helping us regain our breath.
Approaching the second transition point, where we almost missed the water point as some confused official told us the water point for the solo runners were still further ahead.
The excellent route-marking made sure no-one could get lost.
Another scenic downhill amidst the blustery winds.
With the race happening earlier than in previous years, we passed lots of young livestock along the way.
Tiny specks of people on the opposite hill (with a huge valley in between).
An early river crossing, giving a taste of what was to come.
Up on the hill where we saw little specks of people earlier. Scary gale-force winds threatening to blow you off your feet.
The picturesque Maraetotata waterfall marking the start of our river-crossing section.
One of the few sections reminding us of our Tora experience from a few weeks back.
At least the muddy section was flat, helping you stay upright despite the slippery conditions underfoot.
One of many ankle deep crossings (or knee-deep, depending on your height!).
This looks idyllic, but the path underfoot was very slippery and we saw many spots where previous runners slipped off the path into the river.
A small makeshift ladder helping you get up the riverbank.
The “elbow-deep” river crossing coming up.
Wouna negotiating the best way down the riverbank. I cannot imagine how cold this marshall must have been, after standing in the river for who knows how long to help us poor runners across the water obstacle. (Photo: Supersport Images)
Co-o-o-o-l-d!!!! (Photo: Supersport Images)
Getting a bit more used to the cold, we were even able to smile for the very well-positioned photographer. (Photo: Supersport Images)
After the elbow-deep experience, mere ankle-deep crossings were a walk in the park.
I even tried running through the river every now and then.
Wouna finishing our final crossing before the last little stretch to the finish.
We ended on a short, flat tarred road section, which was most welcome after the preceding tough terrain.
Tired but happy – the end of a truly enjoyable run. (Photo: Supersport Images)
Our timing splits receipts – a great race innovation.
At the prize giving, where some amazing spot prizes were handed out. Not our day to win any, but still a great feeling to sit around with other contented finishers.

I don’t think anyone can blame us for feeling some trepidation in the days leading up to the Cape Kidnappers Challenge, a trail run on the Hawkes Bay coast near Hastings. This race came four weeks after the Tora Coastal Challenge – the mud bath we muddled through in early September. As with the Tora Challenge it was a 32km coastal trail run, taking place on the East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island. As with the Tora the weather leading up to the event had been pretty dismal.

Given our Tora experience, battling through 32kms of mud for 6 hours, we weren’t exactly expecting a fun day out on the trails as we set off to Hastings the Friday before the race. It was a miserable day – cold, wet and windy – and Metservice had issued a severe weather warning for the entire Hawkes Bay area for gale force winds over the weekend. We were clearly in for crazy weather. We even briefly contemplated abandoning the event – weighing up the cost of not doing an event we already paid for, against the added costs of travelling the 150+ km from Palmy to Hastings, paying for overnight accommodation, and risk having the race cancelled and losing our entry fees anyway (the race had a no refund cancellation policy). Continue reading →

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Karioi Classic Run – 44km off road

 

The beautiful Mt Karioi – the playing ground for many a runner and cyclist.
Registration at the Fire Station.
Lisa explaining the route.
Beautiful morning with the sun just waiting to poke an eye over Raglan.
Mt Karioi visible in a distance as we made our way out of town. Most other competitors already disappearing into the distance, never to be seen again.
Gerry going strong.
Passing the golf course and me already huffing and puffing.
Gerry flying down the gravel road.
Passing farmlands in the early morning rays of the sun.
A friendly volunteer handing me a cup of water.
Follow the shadows.
Passing typical farm scenes along the way.
Aside from one or two trucks and cars rumbling past, the road was all ours.
Downhill! Finally :-).
Because of the possum infestation, and particularly their night time escapades, possums are often turned into what is locally known as “kiwi speed bumps”.
The loneliness of the long-distance runner. That’s of course if you don’t run with your partner.
Arriving at the first transition point.
Transition point and drinks table at about 15km into the race.
Mt Karioi as seen from another angle. Slowly working our way around the mountain.
Entering the farmland, the terrain changed to grass and paddocks.
The red dirt girl on the red dirt road.
Sharing the green hills with the local farm stock.
Mt Taranaki should be visible on a clear day somewhere in the distance.
Stunning scenery to make you want to sit down, pour a glass and appreciate the moment.
Pigtail pegs marking the route across the paddocks.
The loneliness of the long-distance runner, Part 2.
Lots of muddy sections on the farm roads.
Mud, sweat and tears.
The organisers making sure participants head in the right direction.
The community rallied behind the event – young’uns manning the water station at the 20km mark.
Very appropriate signage after the kids water point. 🙂
Stunning views in abundance on the Karioi Classic.
Huge Manuka (or is it Kanuka?) trees to provide shelter and shadow on hot windy days.
Running back towards Raglan on the ocean side of the mountain.
Volunteers at a very exposed spot on the mountain. Luckily the weather was good, although a bit chilly.
Sixth cyclist from the front and still enough time to take some pics.
Rolling green hills with happy woolly sheep.
Time for a walk break as a bunch of cyclists came past.
Lots of steps on the scenic pathway that leads to the beach.
Run, in the Forest, Run!
Making our way down to the beach.
Being so far towards the back of the field, we reached the beach as the tide was going out, resulting in hard sand and “easy” running.
Only about 4kms to go. Yeah!
Gerry still feeling strong and running well within himself.
Gerry all smiles on the final 2kms.
The grassy bit to the finish felt like it was nine miles long.
Lisa encouraging and congratulating participants at the finish.
Dirk handling the prize-giving.
And moi as the second female finisher in my age category – a first time ever for me! Age has it’s advantages. 😉
Celebrating with a well-earned bubbly.
Watching the sun set after a wonderful day out.

In our buildup towards the Tarawera (I still get sleepless nights every now and again just at the thought that we’ve actually entered for this mammoth event), we opted to do the inaugural Karioi Classic trail run (a 44km run around Mt Karioi) which is luckily mostly just off-road and not very technical. The cycling event has been going for a few years, but this would mark the first running of the Karioi. Initially I was a little reluctant to enter, due to me maybe not being fit enough, Raglan being too far from Palmy and the event probably being to soon after our previous marathon. However, the race sounded so nice that we decided to do it anyway notwithstanding my trepidation – we desperately need time on the trails, and what better way to spent it than with like minded folk (although we were for the most part by ourselves on the trail). And there’s just something about an inaugural, isn’t there? Continue reading →

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Te Mata Terrific Tui 21km trail run (Hawke’s Bay) – 18 May

 

Queueing at registration.
Johann, Nettie, me and Gerry shortly before the start.
Race briefing on a lovely sunny day in Hawke’s Bay.
And away we go – first lap around the cement reservoir and back.
Second lap – the organisers’ plan to spread out the field was definitely effective.
Up and up and up.
Jumping over gates and fences – many times. Red arrows were for the 21km run, blue for the 13 and green for the 7.5.
Beautiful views at the top of the rolling green hills.
On private land with lots of fence crossings.
Nice downhill section through a paddock.
Up and up again.
A wee dam on the farm.
Poor startled sheep not sure which way to go.
Gerry coming out the redwood forest.
A hilly section on the Te Mata track.
Single track paths once you reach the Te Mata track.
Some very steep and technical sections needs to be negotiated.
What goes down, must go up. The trig point is visible at the top where the only marshal en route takes down race numbers.
Finally at the highest point with wonderful views over Hawke’s Bay.
Serious downhill swithbacks to quickly get down the hill.
Down, down, down. Finally.
Deja vu! Our second outing on the Te Mata track after following the earlier markers.
Sausage sizzle in the lovely countryside.

When last did you find yourself knee-deep in poo? Not that it is a prerequisite for this event, but if the opportunity presents itself, why not grab it with all four paws? Continue reading →