It all started for me in May. I was on holiday in the North Island when I got a message from one of my good mate’s dad and friend, Hemi Vincent. I’m based in Wanaka and Hemi wanted me to go into the Night & Day to find out what happened the previous night, resulting in my buddy Kahu Vincent ending up in a coma and being rushed to Dunedin hospital,. I felt sick after hearing this. “I can’t help” I said,  as I got more details from him and wondered what kind of twisted person would do this to another human being. My holiday was coming to an end and I was camped on 90 Mile Beach- it was stunning and that evening I decided to go for a run on the beach, having barely run anywhere before! I ran about 3kms and it totally cleared my head, from then on I decided I would keep at it when I got back to Wanaka.

Some winter training on Mount Iron. Photo Brook van Reenen

The next day scrolling through Facebook a sponsored message from Queenstown Marathon came along, “flat out beautiful” it read, I jumped at the chance and signed up then and there! It was still 6 months away so I thought that was enough time to train and I thought it would be a good goal to achieve before I turn 30 next year! Back in Wanaka I asked a mate Andrew Town how to train for a marathon, he sent me back a basic 24 week training programme. I checked the dates and discovered that the next 24 weeks through the middle of the coldest winter we’ve had in a long time and Spring that I was going to be running a lot but I was keen. It was pretty full on and I enjoyed every minute. There were days that I couldn’t be bothered but I was determined to complete every run and sometimes they turned out to be the best runs!! September 5th came around and my buddy Kahu Vincent was doing well, I was using his step by step progress as motivation for my own step by step progress towards my goal of running a marathon. It was also the day of my first ever half marathon at Jacks Point in Queenstown put on by Andrew Town. It was steep, muddy and greasy but I was stoked to finish it in 2 hours 19min. A prize was up for grabs just for entering and I somehow got lucky and won an entry to the Kepler Challenge. I’d often wanted to walk it but didn’t know the crazies ran the big 60km lap in a day! I spoke to Andrew and he thought I’d be too tired as it was 2 weeks after the Queenstown Marathon, but me being me I like to take every opportunity that I get and I decided to go for it! I wanted to run it for Kahu! He was home now getting better and it was good to see him again. It was a whole lot better than seeing tubes in him when I visited him in Dunedin hospital.

Cromwell Half.

Next up at the end of October it was Cromwell half marathon. I’d learned a lot from Jacks point, as well as from picking mates Andrew’s and Grant Guise’s brains and I went into it feeling fresh. It was fast, hot and a lot of road running which I wasn’t used to but I paced myself and got home in a time of 1 hour 42. A new personal best and I felt I was on track for the big one less than a month away! From now on it was getting intense. I was training during the week for Queenstown and on Sunday’s hitting the hills and training for the Kepler. Breast Hill, Mount Roy and Corner Peak were some good work outs – I had improved a lot and was getting fitter. I thought about how awesome my mate Kahu was doing, he had bet me at a game of chess and I admired his strength and determination.

Kahu, and friend Matty Town, after beating me at Chess!

November 21st Rolled around, Queenstown Marathon day. I had 4 hours in the back of my mind and it was cloudy and quite chilly, near perfect running conditions. We started at Millbrook and headed through Arrowtown, where everyone was in good spirits and towards the end it was a thrill to run through the closed streets of Queenstown with random supporters cheering everyone on. I finished in 4 hours 6 minutes and was stoked to see my Mum and Dad at the finish. Then it was back to Wanaka and time to rest up with 2 weeks to go for the ultimate goal- The Kepler Challenge!

Queenstown Marathon.

Kahu was doing awesome he had now made it to the top of Mount Iron. I was impressed as it is a tough wee climb and a perfect hill to run and train on. Friday the 4th of December came around and I packed my gear and running shoes into the car and headed to Te-Anau excited and pretty nervous at the same time! I caught up with Grant Guise and got some nice last minute tips and was stoked to meet running legend Malcolm Law! Malcolm’s book one step beyond had inspired me after he ran 7 of the great New Zealand walks in 7 days. The Kepler was his last stop!

The view on the way to Luxmore Hut.

The briefing was that night and the next morning bright and early at 6am we were underway, this one was for my buddy Kahu. Grant was out in the bush supporting everyone at the start and I gave him a high five as I ran past, finding out later that he would get 3rd in the 27Km Luxmore Grunt! The run to the first hut, Luxmore was a grind- I checked the time and it was 10 to 8. I was feeling good and got my gear checked by the people dressed up as animals at the first aid station it was going to be a long day but fun! I understood early on why we needed all the gear, I put on my polypro and jacket as a cold southerly was coming through and some sideways rain blowing on my face! Pretty soon the gloves came on as well! I got onto the switch backs and running was a breeze it felt good and I met up with another mate who I’d met at every event I’d done previously Glen Christiansen, from Cromwell. We had a good yarn until we got to the Christmas themed aid station Iris Burn where I fueled up and he went on ahead. He told me to pace myself because now it starts to hurt, with 25kms to go!! He was right, from only eating energy bars, fruit, jet planes, drinking GU and water all day, my body started playing tricks on me and I started feeling sick. I got to Rocky Point had an orange and a rest, and carried on to Moturau Hut, which was 16kms to go. I sat down at one of the tables and had a decent rest, drank some more water and got up again, I was determined to finish this.

It was a good feeling heading into Rainbow Reach, at the 9km to go spectator area. Mum and Dad had come to support me and I told Mum I was exhausted but I plodded on. It was the longest 9km of my life! Every hill big or small was torture! 5km to go there was another aid station, another cup of water and I carried on. By now I could hear the sound of the commentator’s voice travelling down the Waiau River- more torture! I continued on, shattered and exhausted and made it to the finish line in 9hours and 47 Minutes! A finisher’s medal went round my neck and I had my photo taken! Mum and Dad greeted me I was tired but pretty stoked with what I’d just achieved. Kahu hadn’t given up and even though I felt like it, I hadn’t give up either!

Kepler Finish line.

That night after dinner Grant invited me around to where he was staying for some long overdue beers! and a catch up on the day’s events. Among others Malcolm and his wife Sally Law were there, Ruby Muir the first girl home in 5 and a half hours! Matt Bixley and 2nd place getter in the Luxmore Grunt, Kristian Day. There was lots of camaraderie in the room and it was cool to be there and meet those talented people. I was hooked on running and we were already thinking ahead to the New Year and planning our next events! Motatapu, The Routeburn Classic? Who knows! So thanks to everyone who has supported me in my new hobby and my friend Kahu for being such an inspiration. This Quote helped me throughout the year when I felt like quitting “It always seems impossible until it’s done” Nelson Mandela.

I have always wanted to write an iRunFar-esque preview. So I went to their TNF50 preview as I do each year as it’s on at the same time as the Kepler. However I just don’t know enough about everyone in the field to name 57 men and 35 woman as people to content, win, podium, watch or not start. So I’ll keep it brief.

Last year 57th place male went to Wayne Ramage, he’s lining up again this year. Wayne is a Mosgiel local so as I write this he’s about 5km away at work, like I am supposed to be. He has plenty of experience with this being his 4th Kepler and has the goal that most of us who return regularly aim for, and that is to run a PB. I’ll bet a lazy $5 he lines up for his five year medal next year as well. Have a great day Wayne.

On the womans side, 35th place went to Cherie Richardson, but she doesn’t appear to be starting this year. The nearest I can find who is returning is Sally ‘The Gazelle’ Law. Word on the street is that Sally has been on a coaching program, so if conditions are favourable expect to see her run a PB.

Womans Field-

Ruby Muir winning the 2012 Kepler.

Last years 1st and 2nd, Ruby Muir and Beth Cardelli have been joined by the return of the record holder Zelah Morrall.

Ruby Muir – in 2012 Ruby (as far as I can tell) became the 2nd fastest woman at the Kepler with a 5:37:55. Since then, while injury hasn’t stopped her from winning it has hindered her desire to chase the race record of 5:23:34 set by Zelah in 2003. Ruby has spent the winter running Cross Country and Marathons, so barring anything going wrong, I suspect she will be motivated to push hard from the start and see what she can achieve.

Zelah Morrall – 5:40ish jogging around taking photos in 2002, followed by her race record and 2nd overall in 2003 before returning home to the UK never to be heard from again. Until now. It may well be 12 years since the race record, but THIS year she ran her Marathon PB of 2:47 in London, and October/November have seen her run two more in what I assume was a solid training block. Who knows what she will be capable of on Saturday, but the track will be in better condition and she is faster than when she set her record.

Unless Ruby or Zelah have other plans or some misfortune, the race will be between those two, a 5:30 or course record is possible.

Beth Cardelli – a fantastic and dominant year of running in the inaugural SkyrunningANZ series, a 6:07 last year but should go better than that. Exceptionally good climber and if the above two are conservative, Beth could take the QOM title.

Lizzie Wesley-Smith – 1st at Abel Tasman, 1st at Jumbo Holdsworth (Course Record) and plenty of marathon experience.

There haven’t been two woman break six hours since 2010. These four could.

Mens Field-

Martin Dent on his way to setting the Kepler course record in 2013.

The return of last years top three, plus 3x winner Vajin Armstrong and Australian David Byrne.

Martin Dent – All good journalist have sources, I’m not a journalist so I make stuff up, maybe. “Marty is in great shape. I reckon he’ll clear out early.”
When one of the contenders says that, you’d have to think that another 4:3x is on the cards of conditions play their part. Everyone else is running for 2nd.

Mark Green – 2nd last year, but I suspect will need to improve on 5:04 and is six foot track 3:20 earlier this year suggest that is possible.

Stafford Thompson – ran out to the swamp after Moturau then corrected himself only to start running back to Moturau before being further corrected by Mark Green. Clearly a man who knows how to run right to the very limit. Expect to see him push the 5 hour mark.

Vajin Armstrong – the 3x Champion with a 4:55pb is back. You’ll never die wondering if Vajin has been training hard, he very rarely has a bad day and is very self-aware of his strengths and weaknesses.

David Byrne – editor in chief at “The Long Run”. David is from the old school, where “elite” means you’ve been to World Champ or Olympics, not someone who wins back yard races. The former Strayan XC rep, has been quietly dipping his toe into trail running in the last couple of years, bit by bit. My pick is for Dave and Vajin to go hammer and tongs at each other with the result being a coin toss for 2nd.

Steven McKinstry- A name I’ve always wanted to see on the start list. He is a Three Peaks winner, 2 day coast to coast winner as an individual and teams, with a 4th fastest ever over the Mingha/Deception run.

QUIZ – who is the fastest Miler and 3000m runner in the field. He’s my dark horse for the top five.

Luxmore Grunt –

In the woman, expect to see Emma Rilen, Louisa Andrew and Shireen Crumpton to battling it out. In the men’s, it is likely to be a race between Tane Cambridge, Kirsten Day and Richard Ford.

This weekend, in the Canterbury foothills, the final race in the inaugural New Zealand/ Australia Skyrunning Series will wrap up with the “Sky Rock n Run” on Mt Oxford. With 3600mD+ the race climbs from Coppers Creek, up to Mt Oxfords summit, down to the Whalfdale and then up to Black Hill. From here the course re-traces its steeps down Black Hill and back over Mt Oxford.

While I would love to offer a full blown preview, I 1) Don’t have time, 2) or have a start list……. Adrian puts on a good race, but is terrible at getting a starters list out

I for this reason don’t really know what woman are running. Beth Cardelli has the series sewn up and from what I hear, don’t expect to see her  racing at Oxford on Saturday. Whitney Dagg who won Mt Difficulty is out with injury and Jo Johansen just raced the Tarawera 50km, so unlikely they will be there either. It is wide open.

Expect Kellie Emmerson from Australia and local multisporter Sia Svendsen to duke it out for line honers.

Via the grapevine I have heard a few “names” that will be lining up in the men’s race-

Ben on his way to winning the Shotover Moonlight in 2014.

Ben Duffus is back! He owned the Hounslow Classic 6 weeks ago and more recently ran the 2nd fasted time ever at the Kawerau King of the Mountain- very very impressive. This is his, no doubt the “race” will be for 2nd. “If” Ben wins, the series shoudl be his.

John Winsbury stated months ago he was aiming for the series win and after his big win at Mt Difficulty it was all on. A injured toe ruled him out of Hounslow, which makes the series win that little bit harder, but still doable.

Expect Nick Hirschfeld (crazy fast Routeburn’s) and Brendon Bradley (2nd at the Mt Somers Marathon in October) to be in the mix also.

It should be a great finish to what has been a great fist ever Skyrunning Series down this way.

The second annual Air New Zealand Queenstown International Marathon takes place this coming Saturday morning and a record 9,000 athletes from all parts of NZ and the globe are lining up to contest one of the three distances on offer, these include the full marathon, the half marathon and the 10km dash!

The Marathon course follows a scenic point to point route from the picturesque Millbrook Resort and follows the Queenstown Trail’s Trust trail into central Queenstown, there is a good variety of trail and road to negotiate and a few gentle undulations along the way, it finishes in the Queenstown Recreation Ground.

This year will see a total of 2,000 athletes lining up for the Marathon distance, expect  fierce and exciting competition at the business  end of both the men’s and the women’s  race this year.

James Parsons crossing for the win in last years Qt Marathon. James is defending his title in 2015.

The men’s field includes last year’s winner James Parsons 28 of Napier who will be gunning to retain his title, with him is Hirotaka Tanimoto 30 of Wellington, Tanimoto won this year’s Christchurch Marathon, added into the mix are Stephen Lett 31 of Auckland, winner of the 2014 Auckland Marathon, and Wanaka triathlete Ben Logan 30, who is also raising funds for the Epilepsy Collective foundation, expect young Ben to lay his heart on the line for this personal campaign. Keep an eye too on Sweden runner Simon Karlsson 26 for a possible dark horse surprise result.

The women’s field is equally exciting on paper! It appears it will be a possible 4 way battle, with Australian based orthodontist Dr Vic Beck 33, last year’s marathon winner who has travelled back to retain her title,  she will have the evergreen Mel  Aitkin 38 a Police Inspector from Dunedin to contend with. Mel was second in this race last year, but she is something of a different runner now, with numerous NZ titles under her belt since last year, and plenty of experience to boot. Keeping both of these young ladies honest will be Yingjie Sun 36 from Beijing, China and Shannon-Leigh Litt 36 of Christchurch.

In the Half Marathon where, 5,000 athletes are lining up this yea,r it will be a battle royal in the men’s race between last year’s winner  Adam  Jaques  28 of Christchurch up against fellow Cantabrian Chris Dunell 28. But don’t be at all surprised if local Queenstowner  Thijs Hubber 32puts the pressure these two and wins the race, he is a fast and experienced athlete  and was 2^nd in the2015 Dunedin Marathon.

The women’s field sees the return of both the the winner of the 2014 Queenstown Half, Lizzie Spencer 30 of Christchurch and runner up Sarah Gardiner 39 also of Christchurch. Expect both these ladies to be at or close to the front pack with the very likely company of Australia’s Claire Ashworth 29 who has a Half PB of 1:16:17.

Best of luck to all the runners and let’s hope for better conditions from the weather gods for this years running.

Peak Trail Blazer start.

In near-perfect running conditions, a record-breaking 720 people took part over the two courses, with Mr Speakman crossing the finish line in an eye-watering 46:40 on the 12.8km Te Mata Peak trail, beating the previous course record of 50:54 set in 2012 by Scotsman Graham Bee.  

Mr Speakman also took home the newly-formed ‘Lucky Legs’ prize for both the quickest up- and down-hill legs pocketing a further $100 for his efforts, and was inducted in to the prestigious Hall of Flames sub 60 club along with 20 other runners, the largest number of people inducted to date.

An Olympic 1500m hopeful, Mr Speakman is a Napier Harrier who has recently returned from Stonybrook University in New York after graduating in May.  

Race Director Jo Throp said the results were amazing.  “We’d heard prior to the race predictions the Sub-50 barrier may be broken, and when we recorded Eric at the top of the Peak in 27:20, we knew it was game on!  But to break it by such a margin – we’re a little lost for words, really.”

Eric Speakman crossing the finish in record time.

Ruby Muir retained her Hawke’s Bay Orthodontics Queen of the Peak title for the second year, crossing the line in 55:25, convincingly beating her time of 56:06 from 2014 and setting a new female record.

But Ms Throp said that people shouldn’t be fooled by the apparent ease with which the top runners cross the finish line.  “I can tell you that these guys don’t just roll out of bed and run this fast.  It takes a lot of training and dedication to run like this – it still hurts, they’ll be wobbly on their legs for a few of days and most of them need to walk at some stage on the course.”

Rod McDonald Wines King of the Peak Eric Speakman said he was feeling pretty tired.  “The climb up Te Mata Peak was a lot more challenging than I remember, but it’s an awesome course – hard and fast to begin with along Joll Road, with little time for rest on the way up, but then you fly down the other side.”

He spoke at the prize giving about the amazing vibe of the event which he had been hoping to compete in for the last couple of years, commenting on the great ‘shout outs’ he’d received from others on the course on his way up and down.  

Walking on the Te Mata Peak trail, Derren Hutchinson took out the title crossing in 1:37:01 bettering his time from last year by a mere 40 seconds, while not far behind him Anna Treadwell came in at 1:40:31 in her first attempt at the Peak Trail Blazer.

Sixteen year old Napier Boys High School student Bradley Christison 52:30 took the title of Up & Coming (fastest 5-17 year old boy on 12.8km Te Mata Peak), coming 4th over all and running himself into the Hall of Flames.

Olivia Webster from Hastings out the female Up & Coming in a time of 1:17:09.  Both up and comings will get some guidance and training help from Steve Willis, Athletics NZ and local man Craig McDougall, Hastings Giants Boxing Academy.  

Second place in the men’s 12.8km Te Mata Peak trail went to Lucas Duross 51:14, who was the King of the Peak in 2011, and third place ($50) went to Devon Beckman 51:35.  Second place ($150) in the women’s 12.8km Te Mata Peak trail went to Dulia Daly 59:35 and third to Kirsty Skidmore 1:05:03.  

On the short course, the Tainui Trail, the title of Prince of Tainui went to Arthur Miller School student Seb Barton-Ginger 17:51 and from Parkvale Primary Aniela Apperley 19:13 on what had been a slightly longer course than in previous years due to the changes made in the Tainui Reserve because of safety concerns.  

Back on the 12.8km Te Mata Peak trail, earning themselves a bottle of wine each and a place on the highly-sort after Hall of Flames sub-60 club leaderboard which hangs at Hawthorne Coffee in Havelock North are 21 runners: Eric Speakman 46:40, Lucas Duross
51:14, Devon Beckman 51:35, Bradley Christison 52:30, Ross McIntyre 52:40, Brad Donovan 52:56, Duncan Morrison 54:15, Phil McKay
55:17, Ruby Muir 55:25, Steve Charles 55:25, Greg Thurlow 56:26, Dougie Kyle 56:35, Nathan Biggs 56:41, Kane Elms 57:18, Damien Christofis, 57:43, Leighton Clark 57:49, Ben Wright 58:02, Andy Horne 59:11, Dulia Daly 59:35, Vernon Preston 59:35, Stefan Holm 59:36.

Ms Throp said organisers were thrilled with how the day went.  “We certainly had our challenges this year, there’s always something to throw a spanner in the works, but the people who take part and their enthusiasm for the event make it all worth while and keep us coming back.”

The brainchild of three Havelock North Primary mums, Rachel Cornwall, Susie Devonshire and Jo Throp, the event aimed to raise funds for the school, raise the school’s profile within the wider community, promote health and wellbeing, and utilize the fantastic natural resources of the Tainui Reserve and Te Mata Peak.  

As well as raising funds for Havelock North Primary, the event has donated over $17,000 to the community to date.  This year 20% of the funds raised would be donated to the Te Mata Peak Trust and a further 20% to Heretaunga Women’s Centre.

Peak Trail Blazer gold sponsors are Aesthetic Dental, Rod McDonald Wines, Natasha Bousfield Tremains, Hawthorne Coffee, Hawke’s Bay Orthodontics, Bramwell Grossman Lawyers, BWR Chartered Accountants and SpecSavers Hastings, along with silver sponsors Good Pixel, MR Labels, Shoe Clinic Napier, ImThere and Simon Cartwright Photography.  The event is supported by Sport Hawke’s Bay.

Full results will be placed on the website as soon as possible at www.peaktrailblazer.co.nz

This weekend the inaugural  running of the Hounslow Classic will take place in the Grose Valley of the Blue Mountains of Australia. The Hounslow is part of the 2015 ANZ Skyrunning Series and like the Buffalo Stampede back in April a strong crew of New Zealand runners will travel over to take on the best “skyrunners” in Australia.

Hounslow has 2 distances- 68km with 4100mD+ on the Saturday and 23km with 1700mD+ on the Sunday, with girls and guys from New Zealand likely to podium, if not take the win in both distances.

Ruby Muir, when fit and healthy, has the potential to win whenever she takes to a start line- no matter the distance or terrain. Most are well familiar with her trail/mountain running exploits, but over the last year Ruby has been running more and more road, in both training and events- winning this year’s Wellington Marathon in 2hr49. Ruby is running the 23km SkyRun at Hounslow as she works towards defending her Kepler Challenge title.

Kristian Day has also been focusing big on roads and speed as of late. From the outside looking in Kristian seems to be easily running the best he ever has, as he works towards the Auckland Marathon on the 1st of November. How this road forms transfers into a 23km trail race with 1700m vertical is another question, but I am sure he will be in the mix on Sunday.

Jo Johansen ground out a tough day at the Tarwera Ultra earlier in the year, but seems to be back on track and showing the form that saw her win the 2014 TuM and Hillary Ultras. Jo had solid outings at the Buffalo Stampede and Mt Difficulty Skyrunning races and recently won the  Kinloch Offroad Marathon. The Hounslow 68km course should play to Jo’s strengths!

Marty on his ways to placing 3rd at the Buffalo Stampede Ultra in April. Photo: Greg Robinson.

I think Marty Lukes was somewhat of an unknown to our brothers and sisters that occupy the West Island before the Buffalo Stampede Ultra earlier in the year. After placing 3rd (2nd in the Oceania Sky Running Champs) he goes into the Hounslow as the highest place getter from Buffalo. For the win, it will be a race between Marty, Ben Duffas and John Winsbury.

Other kiwis toeing the line-

Jean Beaumont is as tough as they come. A former Northburn 100mile winner and record holder. Add podium finish in her age group at the 2014 UTMB and a sub 25hr, 10th place at this years Leadville 100, Jean will be in mix.

Matt Bixely returns to Australia for his 3rd Skyrunning event on the West Island. I am sure he travels over for the smack-talking as much as he does for the runs themselves. Matt enjoys nothing more than damaging peoples egos and I expect there will be a bit of that come Saturday if he runs as well as he did at Mt Difficulty back in June.

Grant Guise- too much beer and not enough chocolate after walking and napping my way around UTMB for 35hrs, but I am looking forward to a fun day  in the Grose Valley all them same.

Outside Sports 21k Half Marathon

I’m going to get this out of the way early in the piece:  The La Sportiva Helios could be the last pair of running shoes you’ll ever need.

My relationship with the Helios began 9 months ago. In my preparation for the Coast to Coast, I searched for every conceivable advantage- I needed a light shoe, with the right grip to tame the slick Granite boulders which the race is famous for. I tried several other shoes, which from the outside looked to have a lot of grip, but discovered they were almost useless when it came to real world conditions, where a runner might encounter any number of surfaces during a run. Over Goat Pass, some “trail running” shoes are almost useless. By my definition, a trail running shoe relies on its aggressive tread pattern to have traction on soft surfaces like grass, mud and trail. However the rubber which makes them great for that purpose makes them almost useless when it comes to traction on slick wet surfaces.  Goat Pass demands a Mountain Running Shoe, and in the Helios you have it.

La Sportiva is an Italian company that was founded in 1928, with its roots in mountain sports. In the mountains, having the right grip can be a matter of life and death and these guys have a reputation for making the stickiest climbing shoes out. Their mastery of rubber has trickled into their running shoes, and when you wear them, you’ll feel like Spiderman.

Sam during the 2015 C2C.

On to why these may be the last pair of running shoes you’ll ever need:  I am a multisporter, which by definition means I take part in a multitude of sports and often under the toughest of conditions. So here is a rundown of what I have put my Helios through:

Several Multisport races, including podium finishes in the New Zealand, European and World Championships. Several Adventure races, ranging from 6 hours to 5 days. Two Ironman triathlons and two 70.3 races,  an ultramarathon, the world’s largest swim-run race, dozens of trail runs, Northern Europe’s largest kayak marathon and hundreds of hours of training in between.

They also combine well with a pair of blue jeans.

As always, there is no “right shoe “ for everyone, but if you’re searching for a great all round shoe that performs  on the road and on the highest peak, then the La Sportiva Helios might be the shoe you’re looking for.

Sam finished 2^nd at the 2015 Coast to Coast Longest Day, using his La Sportiva Helios over the Goat Pass mountain run. To find out more on Sam, check out his athlete page.

About 7 or 8 weeks ago I got an email from Daniel Jones. It went something like “Do you want to do a race with me in China?”  Yip! What is it? I thought. The email continued. “It’s a 100km ultra near Zhangye. In teams of two. Last years winning time was 15 hours 20 min.” Ouch! I thought. I did a bit of research on last years race. The winner was a team including Yun Yanqiao who has a pretty impressive resume. That pretty much ruled out finishing in the daylight. After a little more investigation I realized we would finish in daylight. Last years race started at 9pm. It had a total elevation gain of 6000m “Ouch!” An average altitude of 2500m. “Ouch!” And a max altitude of 4200m “Ouch!”
Having raced with Daniel’s Dad and adventure racing legend Neil Jones in my previous life as an adventure racer I figured if Daniel was half as strong we should go well. I’ve raced Daniel quite a number of times given that we both ran for Whakatane Harriers a few years back. Daniel has been in the U.S. on a running scholarship for 4 or 5 years and is currently on a bit of a gap year racing here, there and everywhere. Should be fun. In a strange kind of way. We were both going into it a bit green. It was Daniels first race longer than “about 32 km” and no racing at altitude. It was my second 100km with no altitude racing under my belt since my aforementioned previous life.
Emails flew back and forth as we coordinated flights, accommodation and organised Visas. The race was also evolving a little from last year. It was now an individual race. 5000m elevation with a max of 3800m. Also now it was 102km. Still “Ouch” though.
The weeks also flew by. I few good runs under my belt and feeling healthy I headed to Zhangye. I met up with Daniel on the Wednesday before the race in Lanzhou, with just the final 1 hour flight to race HQ to go. Flying north to Zhangye we were told on the plane that it was 30 degrees Celsius on the ground. As we approached I looked to the east and saw a massive expanse of desert and some rolling hills. I looked across the plane. Then I tapped Daniel on the shoulder and pointed out the windows to the west. “Snow!” He exclaimed which put an instant smile on his dial.
Once we were on the ground we were lucky enough to catch a ride with some of the race crew to the race HQ. The following day we were even luckier to get a guided tour over a large section of the course. Sections of the first 50km were on road and gravel 4×4 tracks. As part of our guided tour deal, Daniel and I along with Chinese women’s favourite Dong Li and race organiser Wei Jun had to do a few (20 to 30) poise run through shots for a promotional video for the race. We walked from about 3000m vertical to 3400m. While we weren’t pushing it at all the affect of the altitude was noticeable. Getting snowed on as we descended made us realise just how quickly the weather can change at that height too. It was a great insight into the course but it had us thinking that times would be a lot quicker than 15 hours especially considering that the race was now going to start at 5am.
On Friday afternoon, Taiwan based Kiwi Ruth Croft joined us. Ruth was there to have a crack at the 50km before heading to Europe for a few key races.
Come race morning we both woke before the 3:30 alarm and crammed down some breakfast. We both had slightly dodgy stomachs for the first time on the trip. Nothing too major but not quite normal. After early morning gear checks before being allowed into the starting box, Daniels curly locks were attracting a bit of media attention having to do a few interviews pre race. He seemed to be taking it in his stride though.
Under the starters orders we hung back a little to keep clear of start chaos. With about 15 km of road to start the predicted chaos never really happened. Everyone obviously respected what was in front of them. About 30min in Daniel jogged up beside me chomping at the bit and said something along the lines of “Is this pretty much it for 12 hours?” “Pretty much.” I said with a smile. However after hitting the first checkpoint at the 13km mark clearly under an hour I thought the second half must be slow.
After CP1 we headed for the hills up a large valley. 10km later at CP 2 the lead group was down to about 12 but it was all about to get interesting. We left the 4×4 track and hit the stream bed. One Chinese athlete went off the front. After a gap had opened up two more went after him. Daniel tagged along looking full of running. Over the next 20min Daniel gradually got away from me and I could no longer see him. I seriously hoped that he wasn’t cooking himself and strangely I also hoped that I wouldn’t see him until the finish, hoping he could carry on that form all the way. Through the stream I was happy in 8th place. Not really pushing it and kind of enjoying the cold stream crossings.
My vague race plan was to run to the 54km mark at CP 4 where the course pitches up steeply. Walk to the top, cruise to the 70km mark back down to about 2700m then try to pull myself together. Seeing as it was only my second 100km race and first time racing at that altitude I was open to suggestion.

Back to the race at hand, I hit CP3 40km at a little over 3:40, then the altitude hit back at 53km and 2900m. I began to walk. I did have a small laugh on the inside as I saw the irony. I began to walk about 400 metres before the site of our first run through photo shoot site a few days before. I had unintentionally made my way from 8th to 6th as a few runners began to drop. Then back to 7th as Aussie multisporter Klayton Smith went by just before CP4. I ate as much as I could and filled my bottles at CP4 knowing that there was 16km of slow going without aid stations in front of me. So my bladder and both bottles were full of electrolyte drink. My stomach was feeling a little odd so I figured I would take an aid station water bottle with me for an extra option. I was promptly told via sign language that the bottles could not leave the aid station. I hastily drank as much as I could then headed off up the mountain. I last saw Klayton a few km later. The terrain was getting tough which I would normally love but I was having trouble getting going. I was reduced to adventure racing trek pace on the ascent.
6km into the mountain crossing stage and at 3600m above sea level and 60km through the race I came to the realisation that I might be turning into an ultra runner. My positive spin on my snail pace was that I only have another 200m vertical to the summit and only 42km to the finish which will effectively be down hill.
I dropped back into eighth just before the top which was quite handy over the open paddocks  for the next 10 km, giving me a little focus. We followed fence lines along an exposed ridge for what seemed like forever. The scenery was pretty amazing, having the desert and open plains disappearing behind us and snow capped mountains all around. Running through paddocks of a breed of small yaks I kept thinking to myself “They will shift out of my way. They’re more scared of me than I am of them. That’s a high fence with barbed wire on top to jump. Those are some big horns!” Evidently my mind was wandering.
I was struggling to take on food and just wanted straight water. Whether it was the something a bit dodgy inside or just the altitude I wasn’t totally sure. I wasn’t really pushing to a lung bursting level. My effort was determined by my uncomfortable stomach. 10km later at CP7 I could still see 7th a few minutes in front and was feeling confident that last years record would be smashed even by me in 8th.
Dong Li caught me shortly after I refuelled at CP 7. We ran together for over an hour. Dong Li would lead on the downs and I would take the lead up hill. Ascending the penultimate hill of the day through untracked low scrub filled paddocks in the heat of the afternoon sun I actually stopped for the first time in my trail racing history for no other reason than being a little cooked. Hands on knees for a few seconds a few deep breathes then I was off looking up toward the saddle. Dong Li was a little way behind as I neared the top but on the down hill she skipped away from me like she’d just started the race.
The course undulated a little before we hit the long descent to CP 8 where it would mark only 20km to go. I met the marshal at the top of the climb, said “Hey” then  began heading to my right and down the ridge. Before I had made a nav mistake  the marshal called to me and indicated that the track was off the side of the ridge. There was no track! I ran, walked and climbed down 600 vertical metres of what was a cross between a steep hill and a cliff which then flowed into a dry stream bed. It was almost as if a few kilometres had to be cut from the course so it took the straightest line possible. It was a fun piece of track and would have been a mission to scout out for the organisers.
At CP 8 I made the most of the aid station and simply walked off down the road drinking red bull and eating crackers and bananas. When I was done still with no one for company I plodded off down the road. The rhythms running down a gentle grade for 5 km was a nice change of pace.
The night before the race I’d written the length of each section on my arm plus a rough estimate of ascent and descent per stage. So I knew there was only 15km and one climb to go followed by a 500 metre vertical descent to the finish. At the top of the final climb I was surprised to see another aid station. Even more of a surprise was the Cp sign saying 97.6km. So only 4.4km to go! Only 20 to 25 minutes in my current state. The track got wider and descend down a valley. As the valley opened up the track turned to loose scree. It was such a heavenly way to finish. Loose scree in soft Hoka Huaka shoes was like floating. After 15 minutes of floating and clock watching I came back down to earth as I passed an unmanned CP10. According to my arm “Now” I had 4.4km to go. 20 - 25 minutes from now. A slight mental readjust. Someone had got something wrong but I wasn’t too major.
After quite a few sneaky looks behind as the course left the hills and entered the streets I was finally confident that’s how I would finish. 8th. I crossed the line in 13hours 25minutes relieved, exhausted and pretty happy to stop and lie down. I congratulated Klayton beside me. Having finished some time before he’d decided the recovery tent was a good place to stay.
I hadn’t seen Daniel since about the 25 km mark. I was totally relieved for him for two reasons. Firstly he certainly hadn’t blown up and secondly we didn’t have to race as a pair so he could show how good he is. He finished in second place after 10 hours 50 minutes. A truely classy performance.
We both came away from it with a great experience, a few lessons learnt and some room to improve. At least Daniel left himself one place to improve.
In the 50km largely up hill race Ruth had cleaned up and was still looking as fresh as a daisy the following day while Daniel and I had our old man walks going.
I always find it funny that in the heat of the race when things are going tough I ask myself why am I doing this and tell myself I will never do this again. Yet moments after finishing I think of ways I could have done better and will do better next time.
Thanks to Ron Hill clothing and Hilly socks for my threads. Thanks to Hoka one one for the shoes on my feet and the fast recovery.