Waipukurau

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Running on memory

Date: 18 September 2016
Distance: 21.1km
Time: 2:21
Previous: 2011, 2014, 2015

If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right. 😀 Photo by Caroline Williams.
Shortly before the start, with all the Hatuma Lime Half branded Ts.
Gerry even donned his T from last year.
The out-and-back section, before heading into the countryside.
We started off on an easy jog so before the end of the out-and-back section we were already right at the back of the pack.
An easy run, with Graeme keeping us company.
Gerry and Graeme enjoying the open road.
A glorious day to be out in the country for a run.
Water point with fruit chew toffees! What a nice treat.
The third water point, signalling the arrival of the last quarter of the race. Water points doubled as change-overs for the 4-person relay teams, so were spaced roughly 5km apart. Plus a bonus water point roughly two kilometres from the finish.

All photos by us, except where otherwise indicated.

The Hatuma Lime Half Marathon reminds me of a mini-Rotorua marathon: once you’ve done the first busy section through town (in this case, the short out-and-back stretch outside the race course), you head into the country where on a good weather day, you cannot ask for a better setting while you make your way around a lake (Lake Hatuma here). Great community support on country roads where you can just cruise along admiring the scenery, until you reach the final quarter of the event – the stretch from the airport (a small rural air strip in this instance) which takes you back through town, not as scenic and also the toughest part to the finish. Continue reading →

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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 →

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Hatuma Lime Half Marathon

All smiles at the start of the race: Johann and Nettie who joined us again for this event, moi and Gerry.
A large-ish field for a small town event.
Some super heroes also took part. I was trying to catch the “well endowed” banana, but he stayed a few hundred metres in front of us.
And away we go! The blue t-shirt worn by the lady in front of us is the official race t-shirt, kindly sponsored by Hatuma Lime.
Nettie and Johann in the first kilometre which is an out-and-back stretch to make up the distance for a 21.1km event.
Me at the second turn, finally about to head out on the open road.
A typical scene of me in three layers while the locals wear T’s and shorts.
The snow-capped mountains made for beautiful scenery (and a bit of a nip in the air).
Country ro-o-ads, take me h-o-o-ome!
A nice chap next to the road had beers on offer. Would have loved to just park there and share a couple of beers with him. Next time!
The transition and water points were usually a jollyfication with lots of supporters and team members cheering runners on.
Fly, fly away.
The last few kilometres are run in the streets of Waipukurau.

I recently read in Runner’s World magazine that a PB has an expire date … of about 3 years or so. And here I thought I could still claim my PB’s from when I was in my early thirties.

But I think most runners have an urge, or a longing to reach those goals that have always been eluding you. Whether it’s a 5km, 10km, half or full marathon (or whatever distance), there will always be a little voice in the back of your head wondering if you can still go faster. Even if you’re 15 years older and much weaker. And even though it hasn’t been a conscious decision for me to try and improve on my fastest 21.1km time, I have been hoping to still one day complete a marathon in under four hours. I have never really trained for it, and with 4 hours being a very reasonable target, I’m sure it’s still do-able. Continue reading →

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Hatuma 21.1km – 18 September 2011

Registration at the Waipukurau Racecourse. Gerry all smiles with him number and clearly unfazed about the distance ahead.
Shortly before “take-off” in the small town of Waipukurau.
The short out-and-back section at the start of the race.
Lake Hatuma in the background. Look carefully – this is the last time you spot the lake.
Gerry with the typical rolling green Kiwi hills dotted with cows or sheep.
The snow covered Ruahine ranges in the distant background that makes for a chilly breeze.
The quirky signs indicating the kilometre marks. A very nice touch to keep you amused. 🙂
Friendly supporters at the water tables making sure everybody stays hydrated. The water point at halfway even featured some porta-loos.
Not so much hanging in as hanging on!
Sweet as.
Barely hanging in, running through town around the 18km mark.
Prize-giving with close to 100 spotprizes – basically enough for half of the field! Gerry had his share in the form of a Makita cap from Carters.

Having relocated to NZ a bit more than a year ago, I am still trying to grasp the kiwi accent. For instance, one of the things that I’ve noticed is that the kiwi’s don’t seem to pronounce the letter “t” when it is in the middle of a word. Okey, I realise that it is a gross generalisation, but some examples include: butter becomes “bada”, better becomes “beda”, photo is phodo, water is “whoddah”, tomato is tomado and so on.

So, to my amusement I found it very interesting when overhearing one young lad talking to his mate at around the 8km mark of the run, saying something about the next “wa’rr” stop, letting it almost sound like a “war” stop. 🙂 It is a slight deviation to the more general “whoddah” pronunciation. Could the wa’rr pronunciation (the guttural sound) be more related to the South Island accent? Continue reading →