Below is, our guesstimate, of the top 15 males and females in the Skyrunning Australia New Zealand Oceania Series after 5 of the 7 races. Hounslow Classic and Sky Rock ‘n’ Run both have 400 points available for the winners. Scores with an * are unlikely to add to their points this year.

Women
Beth Cardelli keeps her spot at the top of the Table but Jo Johansen has moved close enough that she could take the title. Two wins for Whitney Dagg would also see her put pressure on the top of the table and she is likely to start the last two races in the series. With a bit of luck we’ll see Emma Rilen and Hanny Allston having another run somewhere as well.

Series leader Beth Cardelli at last weekends Mt Difficulty Ascent. Photo: Crank Photos.

Men

It’s all on for young and old in this table. John Winsbury is back to some of his best form and has confirmed he’s lining up at the Sky Rock ‘n’ Run in November (and we expect to see him at Hounslow also). Dave Byrnes work commitments saw him miss the Mt Difficulty Ascent in the weekend but again he’s stated an intention to turn up in NZ as well. Add Grant Guise, Andrius Ramonas and Martin Lukes to that list and Scotty Hawker will have his work cut out holding on to #1.

Interestingly, of the 30 names on the 2 lists above, only 15 of those have run in more than 1 race in the series.

The Mt Difficulty Ascent on Saturday delivered on its promise of a brutally steep, demanding course. While the races namesake, Mt Difficulty its self, lacked any significant snow cover, the wind picked up the slack (and almost some runners) and added an extra element to the race.

From the gun, Australian John Winsbury set out with a firm race plan of running the runable sections hard and walking the steeps with purpose. Not a surprising tactic from John, but what was a surprise was that no-one went with him. Other pre race favorite Andrius Ramonas choose to  hang back with the social run group of Tom Hunt and Grant Guise, as well as 1/2 marathoner Andrew Town (Andrew went onto win the 1/2 for the 2nd year running) .

By the 18km mark John’s aggressive tactics had yielded him 10+min lead over Andrius, Tom and Grant, with Matt Bixley  with in 3-4mins of the chasing group. From this point the course climbed 1000m in less than 4km. Positions were maintained over this section, with John firmly in control- it was a race to see who would round out  the podium. The chase group splinted at  the 23km aid station and 12km later, with 8km, 800m downhill to the finish Grant held a questionable 3-4min lead over Tom, with a similar gap back to Andrius.

Despite a questionable fashion sense, John Winsbury is all smiles with 8km to go. Photo: I am Alice

Things stayed this way to the finish, with Matt Bixley rounding out the top 5. But the day definitely belonged to John Winsbury, who ran strong from start to finish and was a class above. He collected the big points in the Skyrunning Series and plans on running the remanding races- he is making a late run.

The woman’s race had a lot more jostling for the win, with at least 4 different woman leading the race. A late starter was Wanaka Adventure racing guru Jo Williams, which added to an already competitive field. Mel Aitken took the early lead, running with the leading guys up the first climb over Nipple Hill, before being past on the first of 2 steep descents by Jo Johansen, Whitney Dagg and Jo Williams.  The 2 Jo’s lead up the 2nd climb, with Whitney, pre race favorite Beth Cardelli from Australia and Mel in pursuit. On the major climb of the day, both Jo’s still held 1st and 2nd, with Beth in 3rd, until the summit of Mt Difficulty, when Whitney Dagg started to move through the field.

Just before the days highest point Whitney moved into 3rd, then just 2km later, at the 23km aid station she caught Jo Williams, moving into 2nd. From here Jo Johnsen was in sight and by the time the Slapjack Saddle aid station was reached at  29km Whitney had moved in to first. Whitney held the lead, in the end wining by 9mins, with Jo Johnasen 2nd and Jo Williams in 3rd.

Whitney around 10km in.
Photo: Flashworks Media/John-Jo Ritson.

It was exciting to see the marathon grow from 11 starters last year, to the much bigger and competitive field of this year. Certainly the Ascents inclusion in the Aust/NZ Skyrunning Series helped boost interest and race numbers, but personally I think it has more to do with a growing interest in this style of race.

Results-

Woman-

1. Whitney Dagg- 5hr54
2. Jo Johansen- 6hr03
3. Jo Williams- 6hr10

Men-

1. John Winsbury- 5hr18
2. Grant Guise- 5hr27
3. Tom Hunt- 5hr34

FULL RESULTS

When I heard that the Sky Running circuit was coming to Australia, I jumped at the chance to have a crack at the Aussies on their home soil and on some big hills near the alpine village of Bright, 300km north of Melbourne.

With two races being run over the weekend the marathon competitors would get to watch the ultra marathon runners on the Saturday before racing on Sunday morning.

The marathon consisted of 4 major climbs and a few additional undulations at the end adding up to over 2900m of ascent and 1900 metres of descent. Essentially it was a point to point race with a 7 km out and back at the final summit. The Ultra course included a return  journey back to the start adding another 34km to the marathon and totalling over 4500m of ascent and descent.

The ultra had been a real eye opener. American Dakota Jones totally dominated the race winning by over an hour in 7:48:03. Behind him it was a race of attrition. 4 runners in the top ten pulled out of the race showing varying signs of fatigue. Top kiwi and possibly the fastest finishing was Grant Guise placing fourth within 2 minutes of 2nd.

With the luxury of not having to run with a light due to the daylight savings change over night we had the same 6:30 start time as the ultra but an hour later. An Australian friend who was racing informed me of the change. I did believe him, but I still googled it anyway and I did turn up at the start an hour early just in case. I was up anyway and only staying just down the road.

Big names on the start line were Vajin ( kind of like Madonna or Cher. No last name needed) and talented Aussie’s  Dave Byrne and John Winsbury. The initial approach to the first hill would reveal how many serious contenders there were. Quite a few as it turned out. Once we got going I settled in behind Dave and Vajin. Ten minutes later I had obviously made a subconscious decision to let them go as I drifted back a little. Gradually a little became a lot. They were out of sight as I hit the final pinch of the 700m climb up Mount Mystic and I had faded to 6th. Taking on a bit of food and a drink, 6th soon became 7th as we began to descend toward what was reported as the most technical descent in the race. The 4×4 track we had been running on took a sharp left turn down the side of the hill. In front of me was a track as steep as parts of Mount Edgecumbe, as slippery as a tough guy challenge and as loose as the Tongariro crossing. But more importantly there were 6 guys slowly weaving there way down. 7th became 6th became 5th became 4th (hi Vajin) became 3rd, then I took a spill. Back up with a bit of Mystic dirt in my elbow and a butt graze I continued down and into second not quite catching John Winsbury in first. Wondering if I was the only one who enjoyed that I cruised down the track, eating and drinking before refilling at the first aid station where I lost a couple of places.

Chris on the top of Clearspot. Photo- Philip Murphy

My relaxed approach was due to the fact that we were only 6km in and just around the corner was a rather steep hands on knees fire break for 500 vertical metres to a summit named Clear Spot.  Still early in the race I paced myself off those in front of me. Vajin went by half way up, we exchanged a few words which was quite conversational for me mid race. I decided not to hang on too close and just make sure I was comfortable. His lead over me stretched out to about 40 metres by the summit with John pushing hard and out to over 100m. I was back in 3rd and feeling good.

Drinking and eating was the theme of the day. Rest on the downs, take in as much nutrition as I could, hopefully be strong on the final big climb with enough in reserve to hit the last 7km out and back section hard.

Coming down off Clear spot 3 guys went past. Another loose  steep fire break descent and they began to come back. I went past Dave again, grazed the other butt cheek and sat in 5th at the base before a rather long trek out to the second drink station at the 15km mark. Luke Preston in 4th was just in front of me and Vajin was about a minute up the road at the aid station. After the aid station we headed into the bush  for the smallest and most runnable climb of the day over Keatings Ridge. I made my way up into 4th but still a way behind Vajin in front of me. After the summit Dave Byrne went by with Luke Preston in tow. I didn’t chase  but heard the spectators ringing of the race pack cow bells in front of me as they both left the next drink station less than a minute ahead.

Chris starting up “The Big Walk”. Photo- Grant Guise

Into the major climb of the day. At 10km long and with over 1100m of climb the “Big Walk” track would probably be the make or break of almost everyone’s race. Around a few corners I caught a glimpse of Dave and Luke just ahead. Shortly after I went by a casuality of the race due to injury so I was back in 5th. The next time I saw the two guys in front they had a split between them. By the time I finally caught Luke 30min later Dave was no where to be seen. I made my way past Luke but was suffering from a few cramps and was out of water. Fortunately we crossed a stream about 10 minute  from the summit. A big drink and a few electrolyte tabs later I hit the summit in 4th with no sign of Luke but more importantly I was told I was just 3 min behind John Winsbury in 3rd having made up 5 minutes on the climb.
The race was on. Hoping I still had enough in the tank I barreled down the hill to be told by a spectator that I was 2 minutes behind.  With some long straights around lake at the summit of Mount Buffalo I tried to catch a glimpse of John.  It wasn’t to be. With several over the shoulder glances nearing the finish, I crossed the line over 3 min behind John and more than 12 minutes behind 1st equal Vajin and Dave (They agreed to finish together after both getting caught up in pedestrian traffic through a cave/ squeeze section)

I am rapt with my result. The field was strong, these days I race a lot on muscle memory and a strong will, hoping to still race solidly on limited training.  A big congrats to Vajin and Dave for putting in such strong performances. To all those who finished, that was a tough race by anyone’s standards so well done.

Thanks to Karhu NZ. My Karhu Flow Trail with the perfect blend of grip comfort,cushioning and protection in a trail racer they were the perfect choice for the trails of the Buffalo Stampede. Hopefully we will Sky Running continue in Australia next year and even better it would be great to see it come to NZ. If it does be sure to have a go. They put on a great event.

Vajin eating a gel at Iris Burn in 2012. Rumour has it is he will be eating Australians during this years Kepler. Photo-Barry Harcourt.

The 2013 men’s Kepler Challenge, like the woman’s race, should will be epic! On paper the line up  promises fast times and a depth that has been absent for some years. I don’t think this is going to be the same as the days of the epic Hurring/Murry show downs of the 1990′s (go to 20min45 in that video- 5 under 5hrs!), but it has the potential. there is some real speed and experience up front.

Leading pack-

• 
  Vajin Armstrong (MacPac/Ultimate Direction/Saucony)- 3x winner and defending Kepler champ. What else do we need say- his exploits and success has been well documented here on BCR. He will be as focused and determined as ever and it is pretty hard to go past Vajin as the pre-race favourite, but if there is one person that could dethrone the current Kepler King, it is the man below. “My build up has been the best I have ever had, I am feeling stronger than ever before and am looking forward to seeing what I can do on Saturday. This year I expect that the race is going to be fast. With the quality there is at the front of the field this year I can’t see things playing out any other way.”

• Martin Dent, Australia (New Balance)-  Martin is bringing some serous speed to the start line- a marathon best of 2hr12 (current course record holder Phil Costley’s marathon PB is 2hr13), and Martin represented Australia in the marathon at the last Olympics in London- so yeah, he can run! But over the years there have been a few top marathoners come unstuck during their “lap”. A fast marathon is not everything, but jeez, in Martins case it will help! And Martin has plenty of mountain and trail running experience.“Kepler has been my main race focus for the last few months, but with the Kepler taking more than twice as long as I have raced before I will be going outside of my comfort zone. I expect to be competitive at the front of the race and am prepared to take some risks to get the result I am after.”
• Rowan Walker, Australia (Asics)- Another class marathon runner from Australia, I can see Rowan rounding out the top 3. He has experience at ultra races and sounds like he has recovered well from another solid run in Auckland- “I‘m really looking forward to the race and visiting the area. I raced Auckland Marathon four weeks back and managed to hold on to third feeling strong–if not fast. I’ve since recovered really well and put in a few more solid trail runs in training with an emphasis on climbing. In all I’m feeling strong and think I can put in a solid performance. Without knowing the course first hand, or the competition other than my friend Martin Dent, I’m not too sure that I’d want to make any bold predictions. I’ll shoot for the top ten and see how the legs hold up for the last 20 kms.”

The Chase Pack- this is where things could get really interesting, especially if we have a few “blow ups” out front. Well in the past few years the “depth” has been in the 5hr30-6hr range, I think this year might see a lot more in the 5hr-5hr20 range. At least on paper it has the potential.

• Martin Lukes (Asics/Ultimate Direction)- the 3x Kepler winner, with a 4hr49 best at Kepler (no one on the start line this year has run faster!) Marty should really be listed above! But we don’t want to put to much pressure on the old boy . He has never finished worse than 3^rd in his 10 previous Keplers, I expect him to keep that steller record in tack.
• John Winsbury, Australia- John will be very familiar to many here in NZ, with a string of solid performances and wins in NZ. He has a 5hr03 best at the Kepler. A shoe-in for sub 5hr10 and if he keeps it together sub 5hrs is on the cards.
• Kohta Araki Kumamoto, Japan- Yeah, I have not heard the name neither, but my source in Japan tells me he is the real deal. A 2hr22 marathoner, we hear he has had some very good success in trail races in the 30-40km range. He is one to watch! Just hear Kohta is now not coming due to work commitments.
• 

  Gary Melhuish at Shotover Moonlight early this year. Photo-GTG

  Gary Melhuish (Merrell/Patagonia/Ultimate Direction)- I made the call back in April’12 that Gary would one to watch – a 3^rd at Loop the Lake, a 6^th place 5hr25 Kepler last year and then breaking the Motatapu Miners Trail course record. If things fall into place a 5hr0X is not out of reach for the “Hack”

• Flavio Vianna, Brazil/New Zealand (Specialized/Chain Reaction)- Flavio, original from Brazil, is likely to be the happiest guy you will come across at the Kepler, OK, maybe not last year when he ran 5hr45 (I think he is still having nightmares about Ruby passing him), but if he finds the form that saw him finish 2^nd at the Shotover Moonlight (in front of Richard Ussher, Armstrong, Lukes and Melhuish!!) then look out! Flavio did race the Big Day at the Office last weekend, so  we will see how he has recovered…
• Mark Green, Australia- Mark has a 5hr08 Kepler to his name, that was back in the late 90’s, so hard to know if he can run that time again. But he has had a strong 3^rd place at Six Foot in Sydney beating the likes of Mick Donges, so should certainly be in the mix.
• Christiaan Greyling, South Africa (Salomon)- We know Christiaan represented South Africa in this years World Trail Running Champs, but beyond that our only real reference (ie has raced some one we know) for how quick he is- finishing 13mins ahead of Ruby Muir at the Otter Trail in South Africa. Put it this way, 13mins ahead of Ruby at last years Kepler = 6^th place!

What are YOUR predictions?? Leave a comment!