UPDATE 23rd April

The 2015 Routeburn Classic takes place this weekend, traversing from The Divide on the Milford Road, crossing over Harris Saddle and descending down the Routeburn finishing 32km and 1200mD+ later. This time a year ago I wrote the following about the Routeburn Classic-

“The event has it all and I struggle to name another race in New Zealand, especially in the sub marathon distance that is better.”

Well a year on and I would now go as far to say it is my all time favorite race. A big call I know and one I hope does not upset other racers/race directors, its just, well, it’s the Routeburn Track….. its kind of hard to top a course like this. And there is Evan- BEST pre race brief’s EVER. I am excited to again be lining up, albeit still tenderized from the Buffalo Stampede.

Last year saw some fast times- Nick Hirschfeld finally got the Routeburn monkey off his back, winning in the 2nd fastest time ever at the race, while Sarah Douglas and Jess Simpson both went under Vic Beck’s course record, with Sarah taking line honors in a smoking 3hr17.

Jim Hawkridge racing the 2007? Routeburn Classic.

None of the above names are on the start list this year, which leaves things wide open, especially in the women’s race. Hilary Totty, Evelyn Armstrong, Katie Bolt and Johanna Jackson should all feature in the race. It is some what wide open and I am looking forward to being proven wrong here!

Another name of interest in the women’s race is Sally Currie, who is married to Routeburn course record holder and 3x Coast 2 Coast winner Braden Currie. 

Floortje Grimmett is a late starter and will defiantly feature. Part of team Tikki Tour in GodZone and recently won the Southern Lakes 10km.

The guys are a little easier. When a New Zealand Mountain Running reps name is on the start list, it is not to hard to pick! Tane Cambridge represented NZ at the 2014 World Mountain Running Champs and earlier this year raced Godzone, so endurance over the 32km course shall not be an issue.

Stafford Thomapson placed 3rd in the Kepler last year and again recently won the Dunedin Three Peaks. Between Stafford and Tane expect an epic battle, one that could get close to Braden’s stout 2hr44min course record.

Mitch Munro ran 2hr58 at the Routeburn a few years ago and was on Tane’s Godzone team (as was Hilary Totty) earlier in the year. He will certainly feature on Saturday. As will Hywel Dinnick and the ever constant Nathan Jones. And I guess the Try Hard writing this race preview…..

Andrew Town is another late entry and maybe he is well past his best days (they don’t call him Old Man Town for nothing) I have to mention him here other wise he will make me fell guilty on the drive to Te Anua. That and he is still likely to be knocking on the 3hr mark- the Routeburn course will suit him well.

A special mention to James Harcombe who will be running his 10th Routeburn Classic this weekend! Nice one James!

 Routeburn Classic website

Outside Sports Routeburn blog

The 2014 Routeburn Classic

32km, 1200mD+, stunning scenery in Fiordland and Aspiring National Parks, with a trail that is technical and smooth. Throw in almost any weather you like (I have run in rain, snow and sun the 3 times I have raced it) and you have a race that pretty much ticks all the boxes and has enough of everything to appeal to everyone.

Personally the Routebrn is the race that really got me motivated to training hard a few years ago and I can’t wait to race it again after missing the last 2 years. Evan McWhirter always puts on a top event and it is no wonder the race is a regular sell out.

Over the years many top trail runner have cut their teeth at  the Routeburn, with the likes of Richard and Elena Ussher, Phil Wood, Whitney Dagg and Braden Currie all having a crack at the race, meaning it is a great yard stick in New Zealand trail/mountain running.

Men’s Race

Nick crossing the Route Burn.

Nick Hirschfeld (Inov-8) will be the one to beat when the gun goes off at the Divide on Saturday. Nick has twice gone under the Routeburn course record, but both times finished 2^nd- making him the fastest person to never win the race. Most recently was in 2012 when he finished behind Braden Currie, running 2hr47. But it has not all been smooth sailing- last year Nick bombed out, running 3hr25 (the race was won last year by Luke Hurring in 3hr03). But still, Nick is hands down the one to beat and is in good form, recently winning the Loop the Lake in the Nelson Lakes.

Geoff Williamson’s name is not on the start list, but we hear he is going to be racing. Geoff won the Luxmore Grunt at the start of summer, had a strong showing at the Challenge Wanaka and a few  weekends ago finished 2^nd in the Three Peaks Mountain Race in Dunedin.

Grant Guise (La Sportiva/Ultimate Direction) (yeah, I am dropping my own name in here….) clocked2hr53 in 2010, but that is a long time ago. A good run 3 weeks ago at the 75km Buffalo Stampede has left me tired and tenderized.

Women’s Race

Victoria Beck (Nike) set the woman’s course record last year with a blistering 3hr25mins and returns as the race favourite. Vic recently moved to Australia, so has been missing from the running scene here over the summer, so hard to know what kind of form she is in. But Vic is all class, so expect her to bring her A game to the Divide on Saturday morning.

Sarah winning this years Motatapu Marathon

Sarah Douglas (New Balance/Outside Sports) won the Motatapu Marathon in March and then a few weeks ago took out the Athletics New Zealand Mountain Running Champs on Mt Campbell. The climbs will not cause any issues for Sarah and the fast running out from Routebrun flats should suit her also.

Jess Simpson (Salomon Running) has had an epic summer! She broke Ruby Muir’s course record at The Goat, dominated the Coast to Coast multi sport race (beating former Routeburn course record hold, Elena Ussher) and is “fresh” off an adventure race win in China. I talked with Jess months ago and she was excited about the Routeburn then, so I expect her to be bringing her A game. (Jess is not on the start list- but we understand she will start)

Got to say I am pretty excited to see how the women’s race plays out and it is great to see a strong women’s field this year- it is much more interesting and stronger than the men’s field and that is refreshing to say the least!

The official start list is HERE- check it out and let us know if we have missed anyone who you think might be in the mix.

Whitney at the Wanaka River Run Series

Whitney the TNF100 will be your first 100km race- how are you feeling, what are your expectations? Well I’m feeling pretty excited but a tad scared at the same time. Because it’s my first 100km I don’t really know how my body is going to feel after 80ish km. I’m not expecting to do a super fast time, and will be happy with a finish, but would like to make the top ten women. Most of all I want to make sure that I still have fun, despite the pain that I will most likely experience at the same time.

In the last 12months you set the Routeburn and Naseby 50km course records, but also have had a few niggles- how is the body feeling with the training you have done for a 100km race? I have had a few niggles come and go during my training, so fingers crossed the body can hold up for the distance. I felt good during the Routeburn return trip that I did a few weeks ago, but my hip has been a bit tender since then. It’s just an inflammation overuse thing that I’m sure most runners are aware of. I have also struggled with ITB friction syndrome for a few years now, so hoping they don’t give me any trouble.

You ran the Routeburn Classic a few weeks ago and then ran back to the start at the divide- how was the training run? How was it to be racing this, knowing you had to run back to the start- did you give the race 100%? The Routeburn return trip had to be done as it was my last chance at a long training run and at the same time I didn’t want to miss out on the race. I ran hard during the start of the race and managed to catch Victoria Beck, however had to tone it down a bit in the second half of the race, knowing that I had a long day ahead of me. She did the opposite of course and got faster rather than slowing down. So, no I didn’t give it 100%, but still had heaps of fun. Check out Whitney’s Routeburn return “move” here.

One of the biggest things with ultra distance is being able to fuel and take food in, have you been training for this during long runs? Yip I have been eating and drinking during my long training runs and have a selection of foods/gels that I know work for me. I am a Sports Nutritionist and studying to be a Dietitian currently, so have a bit of knowledge that I can put into practice.

You’re a The North Face sponsored runner- what will you have on your feet and back? Shoes – Women’s Single Track II, Pack – Women’s Enduro plus pack.

As we said above, BCR and Whitney’s sponsor The North Face have teamed up to offer a little prize pack- we have a TNF day pack (not a running pack, but great for a drop/gear bag, or for small day hikes), a TNF beanie and TNF cap. To win this all you need to do is leave a comment at the bottom of this post, with what time and place you think Whitney will finish The North Face 100km in. One guess per person and comments must be in by 7am NZ time, 18th May.

To keep up with all the action at TNF100 this weekend keep an eye on the Australian based Ultra 168 Facebook page and the Ultra168 blog for full race preview.

We will have an interview with Vajin Armstrong this week also and your chance to win some UltAspire gear!

The 10th edition of the iconic Routeburn Classic is almost upon us and as always things are shaping up to be a great day in Fiorland and Aspiring National Parks. Starting on the Milford Highway at the divide, the Routeburn Classic follows the Routeburn Track, a Great Walk that re traces Maori Greenstone trails.

Last year saw both the men’s and women’s records fall, with Braden Currie (2:44:29) and Whitney Dagg (3:26:30) setting the new standard for what is arguably New Zealand’s premier non ultra distance trail or mountain running race. If conditions are favourable expect winning times in this year’s race to go close to those set last year.

Women-

finish

Whitney Dagg is back and sounds to be in very good shape. Whitney is using the Routeburn as a training run for TNF100km in Australia 3 weeks later (and there is even whispers that she will run back to the divide after finishing).

Last year’s runner up Helen Gillespie (in 3hr31) will no doubt be looking to pick off another 5mins on her time from last year, now having course knowledge.

2008 Routeburn Classic winner Everline Coombe (3hr38) is returning and said to be one to watch also.

2011 Kepler Challenge winner Vic Beck will have the endurance to match it with any of the above names and will certainly feature.

Men- 

Last year’s winner Braden Currie is not on the start list and we hear he will be off shore racing, but you never know…

No one has ever run the Routeburn Classic as fast as Nick Hirschfeld and placed 2nd. Nick is back again and has to be the red hot favourite after being 2nd the last 2 years (in 2hr47 and 2hr 52). It will take another record breaking win to beat Nick like it has in 2012 and 2011 and I don’t see any names on the start list that can do that.

Dougal Allan from Wanaka is one name that is not on the list, but rumoured to be racing and could really shake things up. But I heard the same rumour about Dougal racing the Shotover Moonlight earlier this year….

Back to names on the list- Mitch Munro is a young guy with a lot of talent, running 2hr58 at last  years Routeburn.

Luke Hurring would be one of the “faster” runners lining up, with success on the track and road, not to mention good genes in the form of his father Russell. He has the Arrowsmith Thee Run Marathon record, so doesn’t mind the hills.

There is a “Jimmy Hawkridge” on the start list- we are not sure if this is Jim that won the 2007 Routeburn with 2hr58 or not? A little mystery never hurt….

Phil Wood- the big man has gone sub 3hr here in the past and it is great to see him back at the Routeburn again!

Did we miss someone? Do you know someone that is in great form? Please let us know what you think!

If you are keen to be apart of the 10th Routeburn Classic on April 27th spots are still avalible- visit Goodtimes.net for details.

While much of the NZ summer focus and effort is on events in March like the Tarwera and Northburn, not every one is into the long stuff and April has some real highlights on the trail/mountain running calendar. A few of those races that we are excited to see are-

April 6th

• Arrowsmith Thee Run, 42 and 17km, Canterbury Highcountry. (Lee Cook and possibly Vajin Armstrong running)
• Wild Turkey Off Road Marathon, Half Marathon and 15km, Auckland. BCR story HERE (Chris Morrissey, Tom Reynolds and James Kuegler running)

April 7th

• Porirua Grand Traverse, 18 and 7.5km, Wellington.

April 13th

• Athletics New Zealand Mountain Running Championships , Wainuiomata. (Keep an eye out for race preiview next week)

April 20th

• Alpine Lodge Loop the Lake, 25km, St Arnaud.

April 21st

• Three Peaks, 26 and 10km, Dunedin.

April 27th

• Cape Brett Challenge, 37, 17, 10km, Bay of Islands. Latest CBC News
• Routeburn Claissic, 32km, Fiordland 

Routeburn 2012! Wow- I feel like I hyped this race up quite a bit in our preview  for it last week and man did this race, racers and weather all delivered for what has to be the race of the year thus far on NZ soil. 2 very solid course records got beaten down in what sounded like some great conditions. We did publish the “official press release” that was sent to us on Sunday, but we do prefer original content whenever possible- something that you can’t get anywhere else. So we have managed to get in touch with a few of the key players from the 2012 Routeburn. Rather than full blown race reports, we have just taken a few snippets from comments we have had from folks.

Whitney Dagg- 1^st woman in a new course record of 3hrs26mins- “Helen Gillespie and I challenged each other going up the 1st climb, I took full advantage of the downhill and ran it as hard as possible to stretch the lead. At lake Mackenzie I had about a minute lead on her, once I got to the Harris saddle I took a look behind to see that she wasn’t far behind at all. I think she was a bit stronger on the uphills but I was stronger on the technical downhills. By the end of the race I had stretched the lead to 5 minutes so was pretty pleased with that. I had my mind set on breaking the record and also wanted to make a decent improvement on my time from last year’s race. So breaking the record by 4 minutes and improving my PB by 8 mins felt satisfying and rewarding.”

Helen Gillespie- 2^nd woman’s overall in a very fast 3hr31- “The last time I was on this track was tramping it from the other direction 14 years ago so didn’t really know what was around each corner. I did seem to be more comfortable on the uphills than Whitney but she was faster on the technical downhill stuff. The gains I made on the uphills she got back on me on the downs. The gap at the McKenzie Hut was 90 seconds (not impossible to make up I thought), the gap at Falls Hut was 3 min (hmm still not impossible) and the gap at the finish well….what can I say..”

Nick Hirschfeld- 2^nd place in 2hr47- “Braden Currie blew the race wide apart from the start, but I was 2^nd in 2hr47- 5mins quicker than last year. I smashed the downhills and flats, but will have to get better on the uphills- really happy with my time. Glenn Hughes and I had a good battle, swapping places 3 times. A north Islander has never won the Routeburn, so we are moving to Hanmer…”

Glenn Hughes- 3^rd place in 2hr51- “Race was great, at least until the rocky downhill, I took a few spills. Probably didn’t have the right shoes. Braden went hard from start. Nick and I had a good battle with me passing him going up and he would get me coming down. I probably should have run the uphills harder. Scenery looked good form what I saw, Evan is a funny guy!”

Braden Currie-Updated 1 May- 1st place in a new course record of 2hr 44- “the race was just one of those days that all worked out. Ihad no plan to go by myself at the start but I have my pace and I like to run at it, relly enjoyed the whole race”

Sensational weather conditions and a hugely strong field saw records topple in yesterday’s (April 28 2012)  9^th annual Routeburn Classic, an exclusive adventure run staged on New Zealand’s world famous Routeburn Track.

Braden Currie from Wanaka smashed the previous record in the Peak Performance male category to complete the rugged 32km course in an outstanding 2hr 44min 29seconds, taking just over five minutes off last year’s record-setting winning time.
In sunny, still, warm and dry conditions and with the track in perfect shape – it hadn’t rained in nearby Te Anau for about the previous six weeks – he was a full three minutes ahead of second placegetter Nick Hirschfeld of Auckland in 2:47:34 and third placegetter Glen Hughes in 2:51:24.

Returning women’s champion Dunedin’s Whitney Dagg made it two in a row when she took top honours in the women’s race also with a record-beating time of 3:26:30, breaking Elina Ussher’s 2006 record by a full three-and-a-half minutes. Second female was Helen Gillespie of Hokitika in 3.31.53 (she was also the first Masters women in the 40 to 50 year old category) and third was Claire Corbett of Alexandra in 3.44:44.

Men’s and women’s champions Currie and Dagg are cousins, so were delighted to join each other at the finish line with a celebratory hug.
Twenty-five-year-old Currie, who has only recently returned to racing following the birth of his son three years ago, said the Routeburn Classic win had topped off an “amazing” summer of events.

“I came third in the one-day individuals Coast to Coast, won the Wanaka Half Ironman breaking the record by about 11 minutes, and I’ve also been in the Motatapu and Godzone events,” he said.

“I did the Routeburn about four years ago and came second, so I thought I was in with a good chance. I was leading straight off the bat after the first couple of hundred metres so I just kept going and pushed all the uphills because I know my strength is technical downhill running.

“I’m stoked, really happy with the result, it’s a beautiful race and I’ll probably be back next year.”

Currie said it was “very special” to see his cousin Whitney winning her division. Because he had to return to Wanaka to take care of his son, he could not attend the prizegiving ceremony at Skyline Queenstown, so asked Whitney’s father Chris, who came last in the race overall, to collect his award.

“It was a really nice touch to have the man who placed last collecting the prize for the fastest man, and he made a really great speech,” said organiser Evan McWhirter of Good Times Events. Mr McWhirter described conditions for the race as “sensational”.

“It was another brilliant weekend, with conditions perfect for record setting and views from all over the track,” he said. “No-one can believe that I keep on consistently picking good windows of weather for the race, and the conditions we had yesterday were the reasons I believe these records will stand for some time.”

First male in the Masters division, Michael Stone of Queenstown achieved his ‘three-peat’ with three masters titles in a row, even though he was beaten on time by Legends division winner Colin Earwaker of Rotorua.

Mr McWhirter praised his volunteer administration and marshalling teams for the work they did on the course and behind the scenes, keeping the athletes buoyant and in high spirits.

More than 300 runners took part in the tough adventure race which starts at the Divide on Milford Road, crosses the Fiordland National Park, over the 1127 m Harris Saddle and finishes in the Mt Aspiring National Park near Glenorchy.

McWhirter said he was already looking forward to next year. “The Routeburn Classic is a renowned mountain run in one of the most beautiful places in the world,” he said. “It’s a real highlight of the annual running calendar, a true adventure run in stunning Fiordland national park and a unique challenge for athletes of all abilities and ages.”

Coming at you this week- The Routeburn Classic. 

So, less than a week until the Routebrun Classic, a 32km mountain run from The Divide on the Milford Rd to the Routeburn Shelter in Aspiring National Park. Having raced the Routeburn 3 times myself, I have a real soft spot for this race, but from what I have seen, which really is not that much, this is one of NZ’s must do mountain running races- if not the must do race. It’s just such a fun trail and Evan and his team really do put on a “Good Time”! I was lucky enough to catch up with race director  Evan McWhirter over the weekend- sounds like things are falling into place very nicely for Saturday’s race.

So we will jump right into it-

Mens Race-

Nick Hirschfeld- second male home last year in 2:52:38 and back for more! He is our race favourte and check in for a full interview with him later in the week.

Vajin Armstrong – well we all know what kind of runner Vajin is, the question is how will his technical running skills hold up on the descent from Harris Saddle to the Routeburn Flats- if he is anywhere near the front you would be hard pressed to beat him in the fast final section home from the Flats.

Braden Currie- multi-sport stud who is pretty handy on the rough stuff! Braden recently teamed up with the Ussher’s SubWay team for GodZone- they dnf’d “so he should be pretty fresh”. Oh yeah- he ran a 2hr59 Routeburn back in 2007, so has the course knowledge to get it done.

Adrian Bailey- ActiveQT’s head man was 2nd in 2009 in 2hr59 and if he makes it to the start line expect him to go well under that time. He has had a solid 3 months focused Routeburn training, including on-course training.

Jim Hawkridge- the 2007 winner (in 2hr58) is back after a break- well if you can call racing mountain bikes a “break”. Jim ran well back in January at the Shotover Moonlight Mt Marathon- if he has kicked on from that form he will be in the mix. We got a great e-mail from Jim earlier in the week and wanted to share some of Jim’s thought’s on the race also- “I am looking forward to being out in such a spectacular environment. Whether it will mean gliding along the Hollyford face admiring the view across to the Darran Mountains or being hammered by gale force winds, rain and snow. Whatever the weather brings, it’s always spectacular out there. I am also looking forward to being surrounded by the bubble of positive energy that these events seem to harness. A lot of local legends are coming out of hibernation. They are guys that inspired me when I first got into mountain running. Back then they kicked my arse so hopefully we get a chance to share some trail time this time round! There are also some younger guys that will smash it.”

Colin Earwaker- a bit of a legend of NZ trail and mountain running. “oh he is really old and a Vet now” you say. Well he just bitch slapped Andrew Howse and Kristain Day this past weekend at the Bush to Beach 22km, any other questions?

Nathan Jones- a very solid 3hr09 last year and a former top 10 C2C finisher. He will be cleaning up any carnage that occurs out front.

Phil Wood- the big man has run a 3hr02 finishing 3rd here before. We hear he might be carrying a few niggles, but we are not going to write him off all the same.

James Coubrough – He is on the start list and if he was racing I would say 1st place and a new course record without a doubt. James is on another level, especially on this kind of terrain, but we have heard he is unlikely to start. It is a real shame, but every cloud has a silver lining, this time in the form of….

Glenn Hughes- still to be confirmed, but it looks like Glenn will snap up his Wellington Scottish team mate’s (James) entry. Glenn is a former NZ Mtn Running rep and recently finished 3rd on Mt Campbell, at the NZ Champs. We briefly chatted with Glenn- “ I am most looking forward to what looks to be a very scenic track with some good terrain. Even though I enjoy uphill running, I find the downhill most exciting in these kind of races.” (Sounds like Glenn’s biggest worry might be having no mates at the Routeburn, so make sure you say hi to him!) He is our dark horse pick.

Dark, Dark House- have to throw this one out there-  Rob Frost. Who? I know….. but Rob ran a 3hr10 off bugger all running last year, just big missions on the hills. If he has been “training” he could hurt a few people’s feelings for sure.

Woman-

Whitney Dagg – last years winner in 3:34:34. She is coming back and coming out swinging by the sounds of it! Look for a full interview from her later this week.

Helen Gillespie - I don’t even know where to start- Helen is very experiences and very accomplished! This will be her first Routeburn, but before  this she has represented NZ at the world mountain running champs (in ’95) and over the last 3 years she has either placed 2nd, or won the Croesus Crossing, Loop the Lake, Motatapu Marathon and Avalanche Peak . Can’t see her not continuing this trend on Saturday

Sia Svendsen- 4th last year in 3:47:42 and returning for her favourite mountain running race (well it’s a tie between this and Avalanche Peak). Sia is another multi sport stud and recently did GodZone, where she managed to twist an ankle, so her build up has not been Routeburn focused. And of course GodZone was  a few weeks back now- she did the Contact Epic 125km Mt Bike race since then also! She will be pounding Gu’s to get her over Harris Saddle.

Sarah Chisnell- Dunedin’s 3 Peaks course record holder will certainly be in the mix.

Megan Martin- 8th in the 2010 Routeburn, Megan also works for Mountain Run Guides.

But wait there’s more….

Other folks of interest-

Mark Douglas who is in the Guru category is the only man to have completed the event each of the eight previous years is back for number nine.
Dom Harvey of the Edge radio station is making his first foray into adventure running attempting to convert from a road runner. He is blogging about his journey on the Routeburn Classic website. As is  Michelle Blair, who has quite a following amongst the athletes.  Check out Dom and Michell’s stories to date at goodtimesevents.net/blog.php