🏃🏃♀️10 VERTual Survivors
+ NZ VERT CHUMPS?
Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
Welcome to Trail Running NZ. This newsletter is a bit like the Via Alpina: long, painful, a few peaks and a lot of valleys. If you tried to read every edition from front to back, it would probably take you about 60 days🤔
Here's what’s in the drop bag this week:
🏃🏃♀️VERTual July Results
👑NZ Vert Champs?
☢️Get WRECK’D
⛰️💊Mountain Skag Vote for July
😎Upcoming Events
⛰️💊Mountain Skag of The Week
Note: Due to the length, some email browsers will hide some of the content - make sure you click ‘view entire email’ or click through to substack.
WE INTERRUPT TODAY’S NEWSLETTER…
…to bring you something far more exciting than the drivel I had planned for the opening.
She’s done it! How good!
Sophie Woods, who I’ve only been calling Sophie Grant for the past 3 years (what a twat😣) has knocked off the Via Alpina in 28d 17h 59m, claiming the OVERALL FKT after traveling more than 2,000km with 117,000m of vert.
That’s an average of roughly 70km and 4,000m of vert every day for nearly 29 days.
What a shame she forgot to enter VERTual July!
But seriously, this is huge.
It’s not every day a Kiwi sets an overall FKT on the other side of the world. I’m struggling to think of the last one.
She’s even managed to grab the attention of the 1 News sports desk!
Congratulations to Sophie and the entire crew involved in pulling this off.
What a monumental achievement.
I’m sure there’ll be some incredible footage to come, along with a few podcast interviews for us to listen to over the next few weeks.
Rest up, Sophie, and soak up all that glory!
Check out the above Instagram post and click through to the end to see a clip of her finishing.
VERTual July Results
Alright, where were we?🧐
“But here we are on Wednesday morning, Day 29, and we still have 12 11 left.”
“12 11 people.”
“3 days.”
“9,000 m standing between them and making me look like a fool.”
The Dirty Dozen had just become the Final 11, with Ryan “Machete” Hattle deciding that having 4 police cars pull up on him was a sign from the VERTualverse that he had taken things far enough.
That left 11 to take on the final 3 days and remaining 9,000m.
🏃Brendan Varty
🏃Craig Thomson
🏃Chris Taylor
🏃Steve Tripp
🏃♀️Sara Vermeulen
🏃♀️Emma Rogers
🏃Geoff Williamson
🏃Dean Stewart
🏃Isaac Tripp
🏃Scott Bougen
🏃Simon Angus
Days 29 and 30 went like clockwork, with 0 eliminations. Everyone knocked off the combined 5,900m like they hadn’t already stacked a minimum of 40,600m that month.
It was official.
We had a VERT-off on our hands⚔️.
The rules I had drawn up, well before I thought there was any chance of having 11 people competing on Day 31, were simple: the fastest to accumulate the vert that day was the winner.
All activities needed to record both the up and down, apart from the final push to 3,100m. Once you clocked up the required vert, you could stop your activity.
I think they call this foreshadowing, or something fancy like that. What I mean is, that is an important piece of info for later.
Tony Sharpe, Trail Running NZ’s chief weatherman, sent me this message on Thursday:
“Friday will be spicy, especially for Dunnys and ChCh'ers with a Polar 100km/hr Blast roaring up the country. Snow and sleet to near sea level.”
Polar blast, you say?
Advantage to the lower North Island crew: Simon Angus on the urban streets of Wellyworld, Craig Thomson up the Sunny Kapiti Coast and Brendan Varty over in Masterton.
Anyway, the scene was set.
How did it all play out?
Craig “Flight Mode” Thomson set the early benchmark, completing his 3,100m in 3 hours 56 minutes and finishing with a massive 900m push up Kapakapanui.
Brendan “The Kid” Varty decided to have a sleep-in and run in the arvo, rather than continue with his increasingly early starts, which had got down to about 2:30 am. He edged out Craig by just 2 minutes, posting 3 hours 54 minutes on his local hill out the back of the farm.
Sara “Pocket Rocket” Vermeulen changed up her tactics, posting 1 activity per rep to keep an eye on her speed in the ever-deteriorating conditions down in Churchur.
It was in Sara’s Instagram story that the first hint dropped that Emma “Pipe Crusher” Rogers was up to something crazy. Sara went on to post 4 hours 49 minutes, taking the top female spot and 6th overall.
Down in Dunners, Isaac “Don’t” Tripp and Steve “Just The” Tripp, along with Wild Chris Taylor, were joined by the devout followers of Frigill on the summit of Mt Cargill at 7 am. They then went on a tour of vert around Dunnydin.
Sand dunes, windy AF grassy knolls and a stop for lunch were followed by some good old-fashioned reps on Leith Saddle, before hitting Emerson’s for the after-party.
No speed records were broken, but they definitely took the most style points in probably the most testing conditions of the whole month.
My Name Is Geeeeeeoff Williamson made a call to his favoured Telecom Line. He was posting good speed, but conditions grew increasingly dangerous as the day went on, and he struggled to keep warm.
Geoff was well on pace for the win. The question was whether he could descend fast enough and warm himself up enough to keep going.
Simon “CurraNZ” Angus overcame some early sabotage, with a skip truck cutting off one of his road hot spots on Hay Street. Across a few efforts, he posted a hard-to-beat 3 hours 9 minutes.
A smoking time. Even more impressive is that I still don’t think Simon’s wife knows what he’s been up to.
It was about then that a photo appeared of Emma being crushed by the Pipe down in Churchur, ultimately bringing her massive day to an end. A grumpy Achilles meant pulling the pin at 5,600m, still enough to take the most vert for both the day and the month. She finished July with 55,612m.
Guuurl, you are truly Emmazing…
Then word came in from Scott “The Boogey Man” Bougen that he had listened to his sensible side. He was officially a Did Not Start on Day 31.
A massive effort regardless.
With one of the top contenders officially ruled out, all eyes turned south.
Geoff and Dean “Martha” Stewart were the only 2 left who could knock Simon off his perch. Dean had knocked out a few 300m reps, and his pace was there or thereabouts. Meanwhile, Geoff was huddled up at home, trying to warm his body and mind for one last effort.
Geoff finished his day 10 minutes off the mark, posting 3 hours 19 minutes. A valiant effort in some sh💩thouse conditions regardless.
Finally, we got what we had all been waiting for. It felt like forever for Dean Stewart to upload the final piece of the puzzle.
In a tactical display, Dean had saved his final 1,000m for one incredibly steep push up the side of Roy’s Peak.
Cue the “Ahhhh” music as you remember my terrible foreshadowing from earlier: the Day 31 rules allowed the activity to finish as soon as the full 3,100m had been completed.
Not everyone has a 1,000m climb in their backyard. But not everyone is prepared to go full lactic lunatic in tough wintry conditions to get it done either.
His final time:
2 hours 58 minutes.
Sub-3 hours for the full 3,100 m effort.
Enough to take the top spot by 11 minutes.
Congratulations, Dean. That is quite extraordinary.
I managed to get hold of Dean, as I was keen to hear a bit more about how his month had panned out.
I know this is getting long, but I’m trying to soak up as much of the VERTual July limelight as I can before everyone moves on with their lives so feel free to scroll by.
This one’s for the hardcore.
What was your first thought when you heard of the concept of VERTual July?
“I was pretty excited and thought I had a good advantage as had been training lots for no particular event. Just keeping the fitness on standby for the next fun challenge.”
What was your plan heading in? Did you think 31 days was possible?
“I hoped It would all be wrapped up in the 3rd week. But that began to look unlikely so just sat in and watched it unfold.”
“Kept it a day by day decision to carry on until around day 20 where you’ve gone past the point of no return. The only way I deemed acceptable to quit was a major injury or loss of function on the worksite.”
You went to Fiji fairly early in the piece - how long were you over there and talk us through the challenges of getting VERT while travelling and having a holiday?
“Day 4-11 was in Fiji. I remember telling my flatmates ‘if I get to day 11 I’ll go all the way for sure.’ Luckily had a sweet 20m hill on a good gradient where I was staying.”
“Day 11 was a travel day stuck in transit. The gps was struggling to pickup the hotel stairs so had to resort to a 3m high garden path. Which took about 4.5hrs to get the 1100m was a bit grim.”
“Luckily my dad, who hadn’t been for a run in about 20 years, turned up in his good clothes and knocked out the last 70 reps with me.”
Was there a moment when you came closest to pulling the pin?
“Day 24 was definitely the toughest as had a pretty freezing night up Roy’s peak in a snow storm the previous night. Left me feeling a bit crook.”
“But this was the day I discovered the suno song of the day Bradley had been putting up and what a hit day 24 was so locked back in and did the full 2400 after work.”
As we got closer to the end and we still had 12 in and it became apparent this was going to shift from survival to a drag race on day 31 - how did your approach change?
“Definitely a bit of thought went into a strategy, I spent lots of time on strava maps wondering if pavement would be faster. Especially as day 30/31 forecast looked pretty bad.”
“Was honestly pretty psyched out by Simon’s daily speed. So prepared to complete the challenge for the reward of fitness.”
Going into Day 31 the weather was looking a bit suspect down your way, what was your plan to finish on top?
“About 9.30pm on day 30 I was up locals route on Roy’s peak giving the track a little trim with my building nips in the pouring rain.”
“Just so I didn’t have to get hit in the face by so many wet bushes and thorns. It was getting very wet which was pretty disheartening as I knew it would be very slow tomorrow if the hard clay turned soft.”
“After those shenanigans and waking to more heavy rain I didn’t even get out of bed for a run on race morning. Luckily by lunch it was actually quite warm and I got a few reps in.”
“Had 1500m done in daylight on a dry track. Then did the 2nd half in the dark. Descending a technical locals route like my life depended on it was a real adrenaline rush. Hands were getting pretty cut up dragging them through the bush’s trying to slow down on corners on the 33 degree gradient trail.”
“At 2100m my descending was done I just hoped the snow line wouldn’t be to far below 1000m and I’d have a pretty clean run to the finish.”
Run us through that final 1000m push; were you confident you had enough left to chase down Simon’s time?
“Yes felt like the work was done. Knew I had an hour to climb 1000m at 33 percent gradient which is good going as long as I didn’t hit heavy snow.”
What were the conditions like, and was that one of the hardest things you've done?
“I had a mostly enjoyable time it’s always nice to be in the hills looking down on Wanaka. Only got proper cold once and got through mostly niggle free. Not particularly the hardest but definitely the most consistent I’ve been at showing up.”
Lastly heres space to shout out and family, friends and sponsors etc
“Shout out to Bee fast for making epic bars and gels. Tony my flatmate for keeping me locked in until day 14. And to my wife for her support and patience through out the challenge.”
Thanks for taking the time to fill us in on your July, Dean.
But really, a massive congratulations to all 10 finishers and everyone who took on the challenge.
I didn’t genuinely believe anyone would finish this when we started.
It turns out you all believed in this challenge more than I did.
The level of commitment you displayed to get this done brings a tear to my eye.
I’m proud of every one of you and truly honoured that you chose to give so much of your time and effort to VERTual July.
Turns out Al Shelton was right.
There ARE crazies everywhere.
I didn’t create a beast. I just found them!
Finally, a few shout-outs from me.
First and foremost, the biggest possible mega kudos to Tom Peck.
He answered the call when I sent him an email, maybe 10 days out from the start, as I was beginning to realise the stupendous level of spreadsheets I had signed myself up for.
Tom brought the challenge to life. He put it on display for everyone to see.
Now, I know everyone who finished is an absolute beast. But I suspect that extra visibility pushed people further than they initially thought they could go. They could see how many others were still in and kept dragging each other forward.
The bigger the base, the higher the tip, right?
Anyway, I got distracted.
THANK YOU, TOM, for bringing this thing to everyone’s screens.
Next up, the sponsors.
That’s It Anti-Chafe!
They were the first to comment on my Instagram reel when I started talking about what I thought VERTual July could become:
“We’re in.”
I had never worked with That’s It before, but I liked their enthusiasm.
I’ve now met the team vertually and tried their products. It’s been great to have their support and, in return, be able to support a Kiwi business from the regions.
They’ve got a whole range of products, from ones that stop your bits from burning to ones that make bits burn on purpose (That would be the hot rub, don’t get them confused.)
If you’re in the market, give them a look here.
Merrell NZ
For the 2nd time, José and the pussycats from Merrell NZ have got behind one of my silly ideas.
Merrell might not be a Kiwi business, but Nevada, the company that distributes them here, is a family-owned business based out of Canterbury. They’ve been bringing some of the world’s top sports brands into the country since 1978.
Now, I’ll happily admit I had never tried a Merrell running shoe before they sent me a free pair.
I’ve now had 2 pairs and can say, 100% hand on heart, that they’re the 2 best pairs of free shoes I’ve ever had.
Check them out. Merrell is so much more than an American hiking brand these days.
Kinisi
Ian and the team at Kinisi, as you all know, recently started sponsoring the Results Desk. Being based in Wānaka, they were a natural fit to join the VERTual challenge.
I can’t speak highly enough of the team. I’ve only ever had great experiences with Kinisi, most of them as a customer long before they came on as a sponsor of the newsletter.
Check them out. They’re not just a Wānaka running store. They’re a bit like Liam Neeson; they can find you anywhere.
Huntaway Run Co
Inia and Vicki didn’t hesitate when I asked if they wanted in on the challenge.
They’re great people who in my opinion, make the best shorts in the game. I was once a devout T8’er, but I’ve been converted.
If you’re in the market, check out their shorts. And their tops.
They can take a lot of sh💩t. (I’ve tested this out, so you don’t have to.)
Creepers
Creepers seemed like a natural fit for the challenge.
They’re another great NZ brand, based out of the Metropolis of Ashburton, that has become a dominant force in the global trail running scene in just a few years.
I have a lot of respect for Shaun and the way he’s gone about building the business and how big he’s prepared to dream.
If you’ve never been creeped out, check them out here.
Singletrack Collective
Nic Ayson from Singletrack Collective has put up with my subpar training and diva mid-pack attitude for a couple of years now.
In my experience, she’s one of the most supportive, patient and experienced coaches out there.
If you’re looking for a coach who knows when to put an arm around you and when to strangle you, flick Nic an email at singletrackcollective@gmail.com or send her a DM on Instagram to see if it’s a good fit.
Do Ya’ll Want NZ Vert Champs?
WHAT IF THE VERT DIDN’T HAVE TO END?
I obviously had far too much time to think while out hunting vert during my own 12-day effort, which now sounds ridiculously non-hardcore.
It got me thinking…
Do we want an NZ Vert Champs?
Is this something people would actually want to enter?
Here’s the pitch:
6 hours. 12 hours. One hill.
Climb and descend the same hill for 6 or 12 hours.
Every completed lap adds to your total vert.
When the final horn goes, whoever has climbed the most wins.
There would be women’s, men’s and age-group titles, proper prize money and I’m thinking championship belts rather then boring old trophies.
But this wouldn’t be just for the hardcores hunting a national title.
There would be vertical milestones, rewards and discounts to unlock along the way. You might be hunting 2,500m, 5,000m or a full Everest.
At the bottom, we’d build a tent city, like you see at backyard ultras, where runners could eat, change shoes and receive crew support.
The possibilities are endless: live leaderboards, live music and whatever other stupid ideas we come up with along the way.
Essentially, it would take everything we love about VERTual July, mush it all together and spit it out at the bottom of one hill.
I’ve got a few ideas about which hill could work. I think a wide, non-technical course would be important for getting the best out of everyone, but at this stage, it’s all just an idea.
Does that sound like something you’d be keen to enter?
Reply to this email and I’ll add you to the list of people I’ll contact first if we manage to drag the NZ Vert Champs into existence.
Get WREC’kd
In 2019, I found myself scrambling to the side of an ever-narrowing valley in search of the “seam-sealed” jacket I had crammed into my Camel Pack.
Hail was bouncing off the boulders that we were climbing all around me. It was at that moment I began to question whether signing up for this race, at the suggestion of the race director during a group run, was the smartest thing I’d ever done.
Well, the hail stopped after a minute. Another minute later, the jacket was crammed back into my pack, as the steep climb up to South Saddle is enough to warm you on all but the worst of Wellington’s days.
I went on to complete the first of my 2 Mukamuka Munters before eventually creating and course-directing an even Munterier version: the Mega Munter.
But that’s a story for another time.
Sadly, this staple of the Wellington trail-running calendar hasn’t been held since 2023. But that’s all about to change, thanks to a new club in town called WREC’kd.
I caught up with Chief Wrecker Callum “The Hammer” Mallett to get the lowdown on WREC’kd and its inaugural event, the 2026 Mukamuka Munter, happening in 2 weekends’ time.
What exactly is WREC’kd?
“WREC’kd is an imperfect backronym for the Wilderness Running and Endurance Collective.”
“We’re an Incorporated Society for promoting grassroots wilderness running. We organise events for our members, then collaborate with other, volunteer organisations doing like-minded things so it can all happen.”
What was the moment that made you realise Wellington needed something like this?
“The vision was bigger than Wellington, I probably realised in the moment it was quickly built at a pub on Abel Smith Street, with the help of the most supportive founding members.”
“Like many things, the races we love rely on a surprisingly small number of volunteers. When the Mukamuka Munter and Aorangi Undulator went offline and incognito. I felt a growing gap between informal community groups and commercial running activity was becoming unsustainable.”
“This model already exists in other adventure sports—tramping clubs have been doing it for generations, and the FEAR Society showed what was possible in adventure racing on conservation land.”
How is WREC’kd different from an ordinary running club, a commercial race organiser or an informal group like Big Sunday Runs?
“It’s probably somewhere in the middle of all three.”
“Like an Afflettuce NZ affiliated club, we are membership-based and “some-what” democratic.”
“Like the influencer “clubs”, things are informal and our adventures look good on the ‘gram.”
“Big Sunday Runs? We’re align quite closely in philosophy- introducing people to amazing places through running.”
“We also organise races, but unlike a commercial event company, profit isn’t the objective—purpose is.”
“For the long-term health of trailing running and such: accessibility is a big thing.”
“Being a non-profit allows us to focus on preserving classic events, creating new ones where they make sense, advocating for public access, sharing knowledge, and encouraging people to explore responsibly.”
“At the end of the day, I don’t think anyone signs up to these races because of the diluted sports drink at the aid stations or the Temu medallion at the finish. People come for the experience, and to share it all with others doing great things.”
What does being a member look like?
“WREC’kd isn’t really another running club. I’d guess about 95% of our members already belong to another running community.”
“Membership isn’t just about getting cheaper race entries. It’s about helping build something, and collaborating.”
“Members can volunteer, then even volunteering for other groups like Greater Wellington Backcountry, the Conservation Trusts or local LandSAR are good things to shape and support future events.”
“Members come along to social runs and recee outings, contribute ideas, and support the organisation over the long term. Some people will race everything we put on. Others might marshal or simply believe these events are worth protecting.”
“It’s still early days, but beyond the Mukamuka Munter, Aorangi Undulator and whatever other adventures emerge, we’d love to run workshops and other member events as the collective grows.”
The Mukamuka Munter is the inaugural club event for WREC’kd. What is it about this race that made you want to save it?
“Full disclaimer: I’ve never actually raced the Mukamuka. I entered the final edition under Martini but got myself injured, then somehow managed to get even more injured while marshalling in my haste to get to the beers and sausages...worth it!”
“But the race itself has an incredible history. The Munter in various guises has introduced runners to this corner of the Remutaka Forest Park for around two decades, building on an even longer tradition that includes the Wellington Trampers’ Marathon (1930-1995) through the Orongorongos.”
“It’s rugged, unpredictable and a proper wilderness experience. You get exposed coastline, remote bush, technical river running and some delightful flowy stuff too. At the same time, its a great introduction to backcountry running, and the sort of race that complements all the other grassroots events about Wellington.”
“The reality is that when races like this disappear, they often don’t come back. This has existed in many forms, so its obviously what the people want!”
“The Aorangi Undulator was my favourite race. For many others, it was the Mukamuka. It seemed a shame for either of those stories to end.”
Has anything changed for the 2026 running of the Munter?
“The heart of the event hasn’t changed, and I have had no temptation to smooth off any rough edges.”
“We’ve strengthened the safety planning to fit within the box of the society. The race was organised and documented really well, much of as it was under previous DOC concessions is same-same. Entries and a lot of the behind-the-scenes administration have been modernised.”
“But it’s still meant to feel like an adventure...there’ll still be sausages and a beer waiting at the finish.”
What do you hope somebody running their first Munter in 2026 experiences when they reach the finish?
“There are number of first timers, and that is really exciting (somewhat nerve wracking too).”
“More than anything, I hope they leave with a sense that they’ve discovered a part of Wellington they didn’t know existed.”
“I hope they’ll be talking about coming back, and considering the other fine races locally - the Tararua Mountain Race, Aorangi Undulator and Jumbo-Holdsworth Trail Race.”
In three years, what are you hoping WREC’kd looks like?
“It’s been an interesting time to start an organisation like this. Adverse to the admin and bureaucracy, I never thought I’d find trail running, public land and politics feeling so connected.”
“Alas, I’d love to see a hearty volunteer community, some new races or traditions on the calendar, and that WREC’kd can best represent our sport, public access and making the trail running accessible to more people.”
“If people look at a race or other such challenge that’s thriving in 2029 and don’t even realise WREC’kd played a part in keeping it alive, I’d actually be pretty happy with that.”
“The goal here isn’t really about building our profile, its building the profile of wilderness running, for all of us.”
Thanks for your time, Callum.
It’s great to see one of Wellington’s iconic grassroots wilderness races back on the calendar. Fingers crossed everything goes well and we eventually see the infamous Aorangi Undulator back on the menu too.
If you want to find more out about WREC’kd and the Mukamuka Munter, click Here.
Mountain Skag Vote 4 July
It’s time to decide who’s walking away with the Mountain Skag trophy for July
Here are your contenders:
Vote for your favourite below! One of them will be stumbling away with a $70 Mountain Skag Voucher. I’ve removed the names so it isn’t a popularity contest.
Upcoming Events
We’re going from 0 to hero this week with a swag of events on, mainly down south. Fingers crossed the forecast cold snap has started to ease come the end of the week….
Hamener Springs Backyard Ultra - Sat Aug 8th
Meridian Hydro Half Marathon - Sat Aug 8th
Run The Forest - Sat Aug 8th
Mecca Trail Run & Walk: Riverhead Forest - Sun Aug 9th
Canterbury Winter Trail Run Series 4: Inverary Station - Sun Aug 9th
#Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
This weeks hit comes with a side of wasabi.
Allira Hanczakowski sent this in from her traverse across the Japanese Alps.
I’m trying to decide whether she’s standing there soaking it all up or staring across the ridge thinking:
“How the fark am I going to get across that?!”
She’s now in the running for the monthly $70 voucher - check out www.mountainskag.com to see what you could be walking away with.
Tag @trailrunning.nz (NOTE THE “.”) and use #mountainskag. DM on Instagram or email trailrunningnz@gmail.com to enter (email is the most reliable).
Picking up what I’m putting down? Send it to a mate who you know will be into it too!
Or leave a tip
PS: Would the world be a better place if everyone had to climb atleast one hill per day?
We have the vert champs every December in Dunedin #keepcrushing
#sayyestonzvertchamps