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.

In blustery, dry conditions and a field of 600 competitors, Quarter Acre Wines King of the Peak Kristian Day crossed the finish line in 51:42, beating his 2010 time of 58:35.  While Hawke’s Bay Orthodontics Queen of the Peak Ruby Muir, ran the 12.8km course in a time of 56:06 smashing the previous female course record by over three minutes.   It was Muir’s first year competing in the Peak Trail Blazer.

Both also managed to run themselves in to the prestigious Hall of Flames sub-60 Club, with a record of 22 inductees added this year.  Muir was the only female recipient for 2014.

Quarter Acre Wines King of the Peak Kristian Day said he’d had a “good day”.  “The course was dry and fast.  I struggled a little on the climb up, and got blown around a bit on the way home, but the descent was fast, especially through the rock garden [Webbs Bush].  It’s a great course. ”

Peak Trail Blazer 2014 start

“I’m stoked with the win,” said Day.   “I’ve been meaning to come back and race for a while now.  $500 is well worth it, but we don’t just roll out of bed and run a race like that, we put in a lot of work and training to get that fast.  It all came together today.”

On the walking trails, husband and wife duo took out both the men and women titles, with Glen Petersen winning in a time of 1:29:37 while Cherie Petersen not far behind him in 1:38:37.

Hastings Boys High School Prefect and Deputy Head Boy, 17 year old Devon Beckman won the trifecta crossing the line in a time of 52:56 to come second over all ($150 prize money), win the Up & Coming Boy category (fastest 5-17 year old on 12.8km Te Mata Peak), as well as running himself into the Hall of Flames for a second year in a row. In 2013 Beckman came sixth overall in a time of 56:42.

Up & Coming Girl went to Napier’s Laura Langley in a time of 1:11:50.  Both winners of this category will get a training Sykpe session with top New Zealand running coach Steve Willis from New Zealand Athletics, and local man Craig McDougall, Flaxmere Boxing Academy.

Third place ($50) in the men’s 12.8km Te Mata Peak trail went to Kane Boulton.  Second place ($150) in the women’s 12.8km Te Mata Peak trail went to Rachael Tolhopf 1:04:00 and third ($50) to Jessica Kane 1:04:35.

On the short course – the 3.5km Tainui Trail – the title of Prince of Tainui went to Havelock North Primary students Hadley McDougall (16:12) and Evie Kennedy (17:51) making it the first time the school had taken out both titles.

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:  Kristian Day (51:42), Devon Beckman (52:56), Kane Boulton 54:47, Bradley Christison (55:01), Ross McIntyre (55:09), Brad Donovan (55:45), Ruby Muir (56:06), Steve Charles (56:40), Phil McKay (56:40), Ross Morrison (57:17), Nathan Biggs (57:31), Ron Middleton (58:10), Jeremy Natusch (58:21), Simon Hansen (58:28), Chris Shaw (59:00), Adrien LeClerc (59:05), Jared Jones (59:06), Andy Horne (59:24), Lachlan Cairns (59:28), Andrew Bott (59:33), Mike Fitzgerald (59:44) and James Bell (59:45).

Race Director Jo Throp said organisers were very happy with the day.  “It is such a buzz to see all these people run home – fit and not so fit, young and old, walkers and runners.  We’re blown away each year by the support this event gets.

“And 22 inductees into the Hall of Flames sub-60 club this year, that’s brilliant!  When we started the club, we honestly thought we might have a couple of names up there in total, but as it now stands, we’re going to have to increase the size of the board to accommodate all these crazy runners.  It really has become something people want to achieve and that’s very cool.”

“It’s truly exciting to be a part of it and see the top runners come in.  We have a call in from the top of the Peak so we know when they’ve hit the turn around, we hold our breaths and get ready – it’s usually around 20 minutes after that that they make it back – amazing!”

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.  For the second year in a row 20% of the funds raised would be donated to the Te Mata Peak Trust.

Peak Trail Blazer gold sponsors are Aesthetic Dental, Quarter Acre Wines, Red Consulting Group, 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 More FM.  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

For more information please contact:

Jo Throp

021 178 9999 or 06874 7991

Lucas Duross raced the Total Sports T42 this past weekend- after coming unstuck at the Tarawera earlier this year Lucas was after a good run, till the end- here is his T42 race report.

Heart pumping, legs twitching, and ready to race. It’s the morning of T42; a trail marathon located in the Tongariro National Park. The air is crisp. I always forget how hard a marathon is until I’m right in the middle of one, thinking “why do I do this!?”

Even at the start of this one I’m telling myself that it’s “only” a marathon. My plan was to start very conservatively and then smash the second half of the race. I’m just sick of blowing up and painfully running the last section, rather than racing it and finishing strong.

That was the plan, and looking back I did follow the plan, although, it can be debated whether the plan was right for that race.  However, if you don’t plan, you plan to fail, so some plan was better than no plan.

Lucas at the T42- Photo: http://www.photos4sale.co.nz/

The race had begun, the plan fresh in my head, I was off to work. Kristain Day and Kerry Suter were my targets, although I knew that if I tried to keep up with them I would end up blowing up and walking home, so I let them take off after about 3k. I kept saying to myself “Lucas stick to the plan, stick to the plan, don’t worry about them, focus on your race, run your own race” and, in the most part, I achieved this.

I got to 20k feeling good, and it was at that point where I picked up the pace and set the audacious goal of catching Kristian Day. I ran hard, I ran the up-hill’s fast, and flew down the downers. After around 29k I passed what’s called your ‘form threshold’, my stride length dropped, my knees were low, and my cadence even lower, I had started to slow down. I had to focus on my form or I knew that the race would be over; it had become a battle between my head and my legs. Eventually, my legs won – but remaining true to myself, I still put up a damn good fight.

In the end Kristian beat me by around 4mins and I don’t want to even mention how far ahead Kerry Suter was!  Did the plan work? Well, any plan is better than no plan. Could I of run faster at the start? Was I too conservative in my approach? Who knows? All I know is that at Tarawera I blew up at 28k and at T42 I ran strong to the finish and that’s the result I was looking for. The win will come, but I guess like all good things in life, it comes to those who wait…..or train hard enough!

LP.S the after party was insane!! It must be true, Tequila lubricates the joints!

This weekend will see the 7th running of the Great Naseby Water Race, taking place on the gravel roads, old water races and single tracks on the outskirts of the small historic Otago town that is Naseby. This year will see not only the biggest field ever for the GNWR but also a 100mile option – both things are great news for ultra running in New Zealand. But it is not just the quantity of runners, there is also a quality field turning up to Naseby. Arguably the best collection of runners at an ultra in the South Island this year over the 50km, 80km, 100km and 100mile distances.

Below is a small preview and a few names to watch- we are sure we have missed some off- but are not claiming this to be an all knowing preview, please feel free to leave comments of other competitors. You can read History and the Truth of the GNWR in earlier posts on BCR.

100mile- the new Main Event

• Marty Lukes (Asics), the GNWR 100km record holder and NB100mile record holder is hands down the one to beat here. Expect the Chch school teacher to “cruise” a few laps, teasing the field, before dropping hammer, winning big and then crawling into his sleeping bag some time before 4am Saturday morning.
• And this is where the 100mile at Naseby gets interesting (sorry Marty)- there are 6-7 guys that will be smashing themselves and each other in the wee hours of Saturday morning. When the dust settles (and the sun comes up?) I
  

  Jean and Glen after there wins at the Northbrun 100mile in 2012.

think 2012 Northburn100 winner Glen Sutton and John Bayne will likely round out the podium to become the 2nd and 3rd people to ever receive a Great Naseby Water Race belt buckle. But my dark horse pick (of the whole weekend) is Mark Wareing.

• Jean Beaumont’s last romp at 100miles in NZ was at the NB100mile in 2012 where she ran 2nd overall in a smoking 26hr45. Jean is as strong as they come, with lots of experience. Given she likely is a bit fresher than Amy, we are picking her for the win.
• Amy Howse (Campbell) (Asics) would no doubt give Jean a real run on this course with fresh legs, but having just run the fastest ever time by a New Zealander at Badwater little more than a month ago we are thinking Amy might still feel that stella effort in her legs. We are hoping not and would love to see her and Jean battle it out!

100km-

Michael Rodliffe, Naseby 2012 100km

• Gary Melhuish (Patagonia/Merrell) is making his 100km debut and look for him to run away for the win, much in the same fashion we expect Marty to in the 100mile. But this will be Gary’s first 100k and anything can happen in an ultra- if he falters- look for the 2 guys below to take advantage. But if Gary nails his nutrition and paces well early in the race I am picking he could go close to Marty Lukes 100km record…….
• Simon Wooding is another making his 100km debut, but with a solid run at the kepler last year and a win in the GNWR 50km in 4hr04 in 2012 he is ready to make the step up.
• Michael Rodliffe is no stranger to either Naseby or ultras. 2nd in the 100k here last year in 9hr23, he has had some big training lately and it does not seem that Naseby is a focus race for him.
• Shannon-Leigh Litt is back to defend her 100km title from last year and is our favourite for the win in the women’s 100km. Since this time last year Shannon has raced her fair share of ultra, including winning the NZ 100km title in May.

80km

• The 80km at Naseby seems to always have the smallest field, and this year there is a clear favourite in Brad Monaghan who clocked 7hr10min for the 80km her last year (it is  apity he is not lining up at 6am!).

50km

• Well there has been a bit of talk about Kristian Day (Barefoot Inc) running away with the win and course record in the 50km at this years GNWR, he will be pushed and made to work for it. Certainly KDay is our pre race favourite, even with a few niggles that have seen him on the bike training.
• Ben Aynsley from Greymouth clocked a 5hr39 (12mins faster than Kristian) in a very competitive Kepler last year and will push Kristian for sure and no doubt has the speed and endurance to win (and get the course record??).
• Victoria Beck (Nike) is the favorite for the women’s 50km win- the 2011 Kepler winner is a class act. It is the one thing that I think is almost guaranteed to happen this weekend in Naseby (and I guess Marty winning the 100mile- but that is a long way and anything could happen over that distance).
• late entry- Nathan Jones- Nathan’s name just popped up on the start list this morning. Nathan has a strong background in multi sport (top 10 C2C) and good showings at the likes of Kepler and Routeburn, he should round out the top 3 in the 50km.

There is also a 60km (2x 30km) relay event at the GNWR.

More exciting than the top runners lining up this weekend is all the people that are lining up in their “first”- first ultra, first 100km or first 100mile. Unexpectedly and with little fanfare, the Great Naseby Water Race has become a key event in the New Zealand ultra running calendar. As much for its mid winter show down between some of the country’s top runners, but more so for its key role in the development and fostering of ultra runners and the ultra running community in New Zealand- with a fun, challenging and social event that brings together like minded folks. I won’t be at Naseby this weekend, so if you can please make sure to thank Aileen and Jamie for me!

Chris on Rainbow Mountain. Photo- Michael Rodliffe

The inaugural UltrAspire Double Rainbow Marathon kicked off at 8am on Saturday morning in perfect conditions from the shores of Lake Okaro, 15 min south of Rotorua. Shaun Collins of Lactic Turkey events had given us a brief description of the first farm loop that we would encounter. There was no mention of the heavy frost on lush grass that almost saw the entire field come to a grinding halt on the first hill. We were probably trying to run at about 12km an hour but only going about 8. After loosing both big toes to frost bite we left the paddocks and hit the farm tracks.
The plan for the day was to cruise the first 10km until the first of 4 climbs up Rainbow Mountain then see how Kristian Day was on the hills. It was the first time I’ve raced Kristian so I figured I’d just let the rest of the plan sort itself out.
We cruised along at a conversational pace, swapping the lead on single track sections and running side by side on the farm races. Approaching the underpass of SH38 we passed by a paddock of yearling dairy cows all gathered by the fence as if to cheer us on. I told Kristian “Just slow down a bit so they don’t stampede” not wanting to wreck the good thing that Lactic Turkey have got going with the local farmers. Kristian obliged which made me think why have I never told the guys I’m racing to slow down before. It would make racing that much easier.
After leaving the farms and a short forestry road section behind, we hit the mountain bike and walking trails around the mountain. Having only ever run on the track we were soon to ascend on, the majority of the course was new to me. Kristian took the lead into the single track and the talking stopped. After a few km we both got a glimpse of third place not far behind and the paced quickened a little. At the start of the first climb of the day, Kristian said “After you” which ruined my plan completely. Half way up and I could no longer hear footsteps behind me. At the summit smorgasbord aid station I couldn’t make my mind up so just had water.

The small loop at the summit allowed me to gauge how far in front I was. Third was less than 90 seconds behind so I assumed Kristian was in the loop somewhere. On our first and third descents we ran down a mountain bike track, while our second and fourth descent we ran down the gravel access road. The mountain bike tracks were amazing. The whole time I was thinking, “I definitely have to come back here to ride these tracks”. A sneaky look back on a straight section and there was no sign of anyone.

Ascending the second time I gave myself a bit of a challenge to run all four ascents. At the summit I stopped for a quick bottle refill and a banana before passing Kristian 90 seconds behind at the start of the small summit loop. Down the gravel I decided to take it quite easy due the facts that I was really only half way through and my shoes had very little forefoot impact protection as I was finding out. A quick look behind near the bottom and I was still in the clear but hold on to your steak and cheese because it was about to get interesting. A few corners later and I could hear the footsteps of someone behind. Kristian had taken 90 seconds out of me in a 10 minute descent. Onto our second figure eight lap and the pace was a little more intense than the first along the forestry roads. We both fueled up before the more technical single track to come. I took the lead and decided to push a bit, hoping that Kristian might be feeling the effects of his fast downhill. A small gap opened but I could still hear him.

The third ascent was proving to bit a bit tougher and I decided to walk a little to recover. By the summit my lead was out to 2 minutes. I made sure I ate and drank everything I could. However, it proved to be insufficient. After making sure I maintained my lead down the mountain, on the approach to the final ascent my legs began to fall off. A bit of a dizzy spell made me eat and drink even more. The ascent was a bit painful as I walked about half of it expecting to be passed at anytime. By the summit my lead had increased to over 2 minutes and there was no sign of Kristian at the top. Making an effort to focus on passing people in the 15km course I descended faster down the gravel and was still clear at the base this

time. The final 5km home through the farms and around Lake Okaro was hard but with unlimited visibility on long straight farm races the pressure was off and I could enjoy it as much as my legs would let me. Crossing the line in 4:14:15 I was very relieved and was really looking forward to stopping. Kristian came through in second 3 minutes behind also looking happy to stop.

Chris and Kristain post race with Jason Birchall “who pestered me to put on this event starting at his family farm and helped out heaps with the event.”- Shaun Collins

The UltrAspire Double Rainbow marathon was tougher than expected (possibly longer according to some measurements), but with three choices of course length there is a distance to suit everyone. A big thanks to the Lactic Turkey team for putting on another great event and a big thank you to the marshals for being out there in such crisp conditions.

FULL RESULTS HERE

It was a bit of a mixed bag when I found out I couldn’t go to GWTM because Ruby and I messed up the flights. On one hand I was a bit gutted, but on the other hand the last 12 weeks of training have been going super well and I didn’t feel like compromising it yet with the standard taper/recovery regime of a hard trail marathon.

Likewise, when Shaun invited me up to the inaugural Double Rainbow trail marathon, I was unsure whether or not to risk a tough blowout and lose valuable base training for my focus races later in the year. In the end though, I figured I would head up for the race anyway. My thinking was by not tapering or preparing specifically for the run my legs would be fatigued enough that they wouldn’t be able to physically push hard enough to cause any serious damage. So, after 110km in the previous 5 days I lined up next to Chris Morrissey and a handful of other cats, looking down the barrel of a big day.

The first 70 minutes or so we minced around some rolling farm land, slipping on the frosty grass and breaking the ice puddles. I was well aware that Chris’s level was a par above my own so I let him set what seemed to be an easy pace as we finally jogged off the farm and onto the single track of the mountain.

Kristain nearing the top of the climb. Photo: Michael Rodliffe

As predicted Chris flew up the side of mountain leaving me in his wake, and by the time I reached the summit he had already been through the small out and back section and was on his way back down. Well, it was fun while it lasted. I had a great descent however, and the awesome downhill MTB tracks reminded me of home and by the time I reached the bottom for the 1st small loop of the figure 8 I could see Chris 15-20s ahead of me.

By the time I started climbing for the 2nd time I was feeling pretty nifty, and as it turns out it was my fastest ascent of the day. Not fast enough obviously because at the top Chris had increased his lead again. Damn mountain goat. The 2nd loop around the base of the mountain is longer than the first and takes in a lot more flat road running, and I was surprised when within a few minutes I had caught Chris again and I was back in the competition for 1st.

After another 10-15 minutes yarning with Chris we started the third climb which was pretty average, I was getting to know it pretty well now and I knew I was slowing down.. a lot. Again Chris pulled away, and unfortunately I wasn’t able to smash the descent like I had the first time so wasn’t able to reel him in again. I was still running well on the rolling sections of the small loop though and was confident that, as long as he wasn’t too far ahead I would be able to run him down on the final flat K’s back into camp.

The fourth and final climb was epically bad, I was being passed by old ladies who were walking up and it was fairly demoralizing to be fair. Needless to say when I got to the summit and found out that Chris was only 5mins up on me I was pretty surprised. Maybe he was having a bad day?

Kristain crossing in 2nd place, 4hr17min, 3mins behind Chris. Photo: Shaun Collins/ lacticturkey.co.nz

I flew down the mountain road fairly fast and passed all the ladies who had kindly crushed my soul on the way up, fueled by thoughts of catching me some sweet Morrissey steak. Unfortunately at the bottom my legs just wouldn’t respond, and it took all my will power just to keep upright over the final few farm K’s to the finish. In the end though, Chris was only 3 tantalizingly close minutes ahead of me which I didn’t think was too bad.

Overall a sweet, sweet run. 47km all up and brutally hard, the 4 descents surely know how to smash quads into jelly. Cheers Shaun Collins for putting on a stunner, and thanks legs for still working today.

Full results HERE

Tomorrow- a race report from Double Rainbow winner Chris Morrissey!

This race has been my target since I could first run in September/October last year after my knee operation in July. It meant a lot to me, as it was my proof to myself that I could heal and run again after so long of thinking that might never happen. More so, my hunger for this race was driven by the hours I spent at home waiting for my K-Day to return from his 2012 Tarawera training runs. The awesome long runs he did with all our running friends, while all I could do was hobble around the supermarket leaning on the trolley to buy them post run snacks. Whetted further by the hours I had waited in the car for him to emerge out of the bush as it got darker and darker, knowing he had no headlight and knowing I couldn’t make it up those stairs to find him. I resolved that I’d not remain the worrier and that these trail adventures would once again be mine to share.

Ruby early on at Tarawera Ultra, next to Blue Lake

Being a novice at the 100km distance I figured I’d play it safe and do what I always do; run my own race to feel, none of this tactical rubbish. This was made simpler by the fact that there were really only two other female names being talked about in the 100km field. I started out behind both of them and passed Beth early on upon the stairs in the dark of the morning. I continued climbing, both up the stairs and up the field until I fell into place beside Shona.

I ran beside Shona until about 11km in. Sadly, in spite of how much I’d been looking forward to running with some other ladies and having a good conversation on the trails, we said little. Not that we didn’t try, (I’m sure there are few people in the world as of yet unaware of how chatty Shona is) only I was suffering the phlegm attack of hell, and was wheezing, hacking and spitting which was less than social. I hate hearing myself when my breathing gets like this, and to cope I often put my headphones on and turn my music up loud. I left Shona accompanied by the first good metal song that played, and I’m sure she felt secure in letting me go, seeing as how I sounded like a chain smoker racing a 10km.

Next I ran with Timo Meyer, a pleasant young man in Solomon whitey tighties, who was to keep me company more than anyone else that day. We came through Okareka together and began our long relentlessly gradual and run-able climb from there to the high point of the race. I was feeling pretty comfortable and we climbed past 5 or 6 more guys near the front of the field. I’m not going to lie, not all the faces of those I passed were pleasant. I always try to share a word or two with fellow runners on the trails and when all I get in return is a hurt look, or shock even, it does grate me the wrong way.

Let’s not pretend, we all know it’s because I am a chick. A lot of guys out there seem to find it demeaning to be passed by me; I guess they haven’t considered how insulting this can be. The only way I can read this is that my gender is considered so inferior it demeans you if we can run faster. This really saddens me. The way I look at it, we all started at the same time and are all running to the same place, I don’t look between your legs before I decide if I’m racing you. I know there are lots of arguments about how one gender or another is better adapted, but then think of someone like Kilian, or any of those top guys, surely they have a few genetic advantages over most of us. Whatever our bodies are like we are all just runners out there on the trails. This said, I’ve yet to give my trophy to Sage Canaday who was overall winner, so go ahead and call me hypocritical.

Anyhow, moving on, which coincidentally happens to be what I did during the race, at least until I saw the back of one Emilie Forsberg. Now this gave me pause. Not only is Emilie an international level sponsored athlete, she was also running only the first 40km. Had I gone too hard? Feeling good as I was I decided to try and rein things in a bit, and watched Emilie pull away from me up the hill.

The rest of my run was a fairly lonely affair. I left Timo Meyer on the descent into Okataina and he passed me again about 3kms out. Aside from that I ran with no other competitors for the rest of the day. Had a chat with the lead mountain bikers, crazy bastards were out there on single speed bikes. sadly they only kept with me for a km and then I was alone again. I did see them after the turn around having a swim which turned me green with envy.

A wee drama occurred at the Okataina aid station that I was luckily unaware of. K-Day finished his relay leg there, and had a very anxious wait for my sister and brother in law who were driving around with my bottle, fuel and belt for the long out and back where I wouldn’t see them. Running out of time he had sourced me a couple of packets of babyfood. Thankfully, just as I showed up so did my support with my gear. I did wonder why K was so terse as he gave me my goodies.

A couple of kms out I realised I was missing a ziplock bag with two hours worth of Gu chomps. I tried to ration what I had over those forty or so km. I was my own enemy as I couldn’t bring myself to eat much from the aid stations. I was getting over sugar and couldn’t bear the thought of a Hot Cross Bun (Although I did actually consider grabbing one to use its butter for Vaseline at Humphries Bay, thankfully there was vas for me at The Outlet). Instead I supplemented my Gu’s with the odd handful of pretzels, I always seemed to stuff a load in my mouth just around the corner from every photographer on the course, and let me tell you, dry pretzels don’t go down in a hurry and don’t make for the nicest smile.

Sage went charging past me a good 4 or 5km after the turn around, I swear he was doing at least 16km an hour. I enjoyed being able to see the layout of those lead guys. It was also a boost to pass everyone heading out on my way back. I loved seeing those I knew, even when I got whacked on the back by them. More so, I loved seeing what an eclectic mix we all were; such a diverse range of people all out there sharing such a powerful experience. Running back through the field made this race extra special for me.

My supplies finally ran out at my second trip through Humphries Bay. I slogged through those final 10km before picking up my pacer getting hungrier and hungrier. I started walking some of the ups, even though all of them were gradual. I was pleased with how well my ultra mindset was working. 10km didn’t seem far in the scheme of things, unlike during shorter, harder races when 10km can feel like a trip around the world.

I picked K up at Okataina feeling optimistic in spite my hunger. I told him I was behind on my calories and needed to catch up. He was a little unimpressed as I walked those first 2kms eating and eating and eating. I didn’t know why he was looking over his shoulder so much until he told me those 2kms had taken me 22 minutes. After a packet of Gu Chomps, a peanut butter and honey crumpet and a 300ml bottle of coke-a-cola chia magic and a bit of digestion walking I was ready to go again.

K blasted my ipod through his awesome sound vest, and with a mixture of Metallica, Rob Zombie, Mumford and Sons and Nick Cave I did my best to run that last leg. My right calf started to complain as we worked our way through the bush. This meant that although I was running some of the steeper climbs I was walking some almost flat sections that seemed to especially irritate it. Kristian tried to give me a few a pep talks but I was getting cranky and was less than appreciative. I was trying to think of loving and polite ways to tell him to shut up only he wouldn’t stop talking to let me. In the end I settled for communicating with irritated hand swish like batting a fly. This could mean: ‘skip this stupid song’, ‘get the f%#@k out of my periphery’ and ‘would you please shut the hell up.’

Ruby finishing, with KDay and his “speaker vest” in tow

I’m painting a bad picture here. Actually, he really helped me, and we had some nice, relatively coherent dialogue, even a few laughs. He ran me across the line to the sound of Guns and Roses singing Paradise City which was fitting. Little did I know the hardest part of my day was yet to come. Working my way through the folks with cameras and people with congratulations and questions was neigh impossible! I feared I’d never make it to the lake.

I’d like to thank Paul for a sweet event, it looked like a heck of a lot of work, also for those times I’ve slept on your bean bag/couch/floor. Thanks to Dylan and Gayle and the whole barefoot ink crew that were there. Of course K-day, who I’m told had to gracefully deal with multiple questions about the brand of toilet paper I use. Also thanks to my Sis and her husband, who got their first ultra experience; as I warned them it was a lot of waiting around. I was really glad I was able to race Tarawera. But more importantly I’m glad I’m able to run, not just today, but tomorrow, next year and hopefully in 30 years time.

irunfar.com post race interview with Ruby HERE

The Triple Peaks Challenge

The course is roughly 65% off road cross country, 20% grass/dirt farm road, 10% tarseal and 5% true single track with a few river crossings and fence jumps thrown into the mix. The race is one that comes with a bare bones, no bullshit type of attitude. The “aid stations” are pretty lacking and the course marking is even worse but that’s what makes this event special. It’s a true local gem that the entire community seems to back and the laid back attitude is infectious and makes a pleasant change from the super glamorous races that are quickly popping up throughout the race calendar.

The race itself starts with a 2-3km hash right through the guts of Havelock North village, stomping through cafe foyers and knocking over anyone out for their Saturday morning tea and Scones. Almost instantly the course starts to climb gently towards the summit of Mt. Erin, more of a large hill than a mountain but still high enough to get whipped around by some crispy winds. After taking the summit, the course plummets towards the river and the first transition area at around 13km.

Through the transition area another long but gentle climb takes competitors to the summit of Kahuranaki, the highest point of the day at around 700m or so, tagging the top at roughly 22km. The descent back down Kahuranaki is long and fast as it’s on farm roads and tripping over cow shit is a real possibility as is being taken out by hooning mountain bikers who are completing the same course. After dropping off the top, an undulating mix of single track and open farms takes competitors through a waist high river crossing and into the 2nd major transition area at around 34km. You could grab a banana here if you want, but I prefer to just top up the water bottle with coke and stomp on up the road towards the final peak of the day.

The final climb up Te Mata peak is achieved via the infamous goat track, which to be fair could put a lot of “mountain races” to shame with its pitch and scrambley nature in places. A fairly rude awakening after roughly 40km or so. Once at the trig at the top it’s another sharp descent back into the redwoods at the base. This year there was a lovely group of ladies up the top who I had some quick banter with around the pros and cons of having gin and tonic on a race like this, we all decided it was a great idea.

The big news this week in NZ trail/mountain/ultra running- the big course change at the Tarawera Ultra Marathon due to fire risk would have to be it. I think it is a real shame, and no disrespect meant to Sam Wreford and Nicola Gildersleeve, but it was very possible both 100km course record would have tumbled this year with the stacked women’s and men’s fields. The upside is the best part of the Tarawera course will be run twice and there will be more single track and more vertical! If you are racing Tarawera this year- you’re very lucky, don’t get hung up on not running the “real” course, as this one I think will be a real treat. Click HERE for full details of course changes.

In other Ultra news- Marty Lukes sounds like he has, finally, committed to the Northburn100. While much hype and excitement has been made of the Tarwera field (and rightly so), the Northburn100 mile is also set to be a great race. Lukes, the 2011 100mile winner, only adds to it.

Salomon Running International - members of the Salomon Running international team are arriving a week before Tarawera and will be hosting 2 events- Dunedin March 9th and Queenstown March 12th- Q&A, drinks and nibbles and a movie. This is a great chance to rub shoulders with some super stars of the trail/mountain/ultra running world.

2013 New Zealand Mountain Running Camp- Glenn Hughes, former NZ mountain running champion and 4 time NZ representative at the World Champs (and all round nice guy) is putting together an excellent weekend over Easter at National Park. Also attending will be NZ’s greatest (and most under appreciated?) sports person, Jono Wyatt. Details HERE. Not to be missed, especially if you are running the NZ mountain running champs 2 weeks later.

New Zealand’s most extreme running race- got your attention ? Details to come, but what I will say now is if you are keen, you will need an ice axe, crampons and a head for heights…….

Races this weekend-

Motatapu Off Road Marathon and Miner’s Trail 15km- a very popular off road marathon to say the least. I have not heard (or admittedly looked into) who is racing the marathon, but have heard that Vajin Armstrong and Gary Melluish are racing the Miners Trail- hear’s hoping that those racing the Miners do not have a repeat of last year’s poor course makings….

Triple Peaks Challenge, 47km in Havelock North. Jeremy Forbes, the current course record holder of 3hr56 is on the start list, as is Kristian Day who is running well and will be looking to back up his solid run at Shotover Moonlight.

Tararua Mountain Race- don’t expect to see Andy Simond’s stunning 4h27 course record to fall this weekend, but with the run of dry, warm weather lately look to Dan Clendon to go faster than his 2011 winning time of 4hr55. Dan is the clear favourite here, being a  2x winner at Tararua and having good course knowledge, but expect challenges from other former winners Jamie Stewart and Phil Wood. Great to see a few more on the 930am start time this year, after only 2 starting at that time in 2011 and with over 75 individuals and with a further 16 teams, the Tararua Mountain Race (and the likes of the Kaweka) are showing not everyone wants their challenges to be easy.

BCR news- after being at the Shotover Moonlight doing live updates last month we will be at the Salomon event in Dunedin this weekend; in Rotorua from next Wednesday in the lead up to Tarawera- don’t expect too many BCR updates here- we will leave that up to the big boys- Bryon from irunfar.com and Marcus from ultra168.com, but we will be floating around, popping up here and there; and then at Northburn- we will have the BCR shop set up Friday and then bring you live updates of the 100mile, 100km and 50km races during the weekend.

Latest BCR Trail Shop Newsletter- some great deals this month on all shoes, UD handhelds and HydraPak vests. Make sure you check it out!

Ruby marking the BCR Kaweka Mountain Marathon a few days before racing it! Photo- KDay

It was a while ago now that BCR asked me for a race Report for the Kaweka Mountain Marathon. Considering there has already been two awesome reports on that beast there is not a load left for me to say. I will touch upon it anyhow while discussing my last few big weeks pre Tarawera. I hope I am interesting enough for y’all.
Pre Kaweka I had a week and a half off (once again) because my hip and knee were playing up. This has been a re-occurring saga and I know well enough now to simply think “here we go again” with out any major tantrums. I assume it’s from those 16 months when I was pretty much incapable of bending my knee pre-surgery and my limp has left me a fair few imbalances that I am having to work through. I gamely headed up along the track on Tuesday and Wednesday anyhow, to do that awesome marking that you all appreciated. Walking made it seem a hell of long way.
Still no running Thursday and Friday but I forked out the cash for a massage to loosen those bastard muscles that have been causing the grief and lined up that morning with my fingers crossed. For some crazy reason Chris Morresy motioned me to go first through the start control… was he taking the piss?

It was a  long, hot days work; with more then the usual amount of walking. Seeing as I finished 30 minutes behind Chris and third overall, I am assuming everyone walked; a lot. The BCR Kaweka Mountain Marathon is defiantly one of my favourite races, technical and harsh and a lot of fun. With descents one can bound down crying “I am Kilian” and “I love thee Montanges” (In my defence I was drugged up by accidentally taking Kristian’s prescription 800mg ibuprofen instead of my supermarket 40mg, just don’t tell the anti doping agency). Not only did this make me cry out inane spanglish Kilian utterances, it also made the ridges spin and blur to such a degree that I considered pulling out during the first half. Note to self, do not enter mountain runs whilst drunk or stoned, some claim it helps with surfing performance, definitely not the case with running.

Ruby blasting through the first check point at the BCR Kaweka Mountain Marathon. Photo- Kim Allen

Instead I sat with my head between my knees on the summit of Kaweka J as first, second, and third place pulled away. I managed to gather myself enough to think it’d be safe to descend trials spur and went for it. That decent is super fun, especially when playing catch up.
The only other events of the day were booting a baby eel and tripping on my shoelaces. Although I agree with concept that calories are the currency in the montanges, I am vegetarian. So with a few swearwords I turned and run back up to the river to release him. The tripping also induced a few swear words, but first a long and heart felt ‘Uuuuurgh’. Luckily hobbling soon became jogging soon became running and it gave me a good excuse not to try and run the final ascent of Kuripopango due to a nicely torn up thigh that wouldn’t play the game. There was no way I was going to run it unless they moved the start line to its base.
Since then I’ve been running fairly consistently, thank god. I’m getting a bit anxious that I’m still having these issues so close to Tarawera. To reassure myself I spent another four hours in the Kawekas this Tuesday and followed it with a course recce on Wednesday.
Kristian and I meet up with a runner from Auckland who took us out at a whopping pace. They both stopped near or close to Okitina. I put my headphones in and picked up the pace to try and reach 60km in exactly 6 hours; stopping the watch at 6.00, which was spooky accurate. I am more than a little reassured by that, as it was on top of a big week and with a lot more stopping then I would on race day.
Looking ahead I have the Moonlight Mountain Marathon next Saturday which is promising to be blast. I am looking forward to running a new course. I aim to follow it up with another long run on the Sunday and then it’s all downhill till March the 16th. I keep telling myself that no-one has the perfect race build up, and feel I have done well to manage the issues without ending up with any actual injuries in-spite of the pressure of Tarawera.