🏃🏃♀️3 Peaks & Riverhead Results
"...at one point to wipe the mud of my legs which were fully covered up to my short line from one bog!"
Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
Here’s what’s in the drop bag this week:
🏃🏃♀️3 Peaks Results
😵💫Riverhead ReLaps Results
🎯Things You May Have Missed
📰SK News Desk
🏁Upcoming events: Old Dog Forest Hammer
⛰️💊Mountain Skag of The Week
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3 Peaks Mountain Race
Sunday, March 30
The day dawned with a beautiful sunrise before someone hit the factory reset button. By the time the 26km race had started, it was overcast, windy, and just generally a bit sh💩t. Not that anyone cared; there were national titles to worry about!
3 Peaks + 1: 📏56KM | ⛰️2700M
Men's podium:
🥇Weston Hill - 4:58:44
🥈Daniel Balchin - 5:08:35
🥉Ryan Carr - 5:13:45
If you could sense I was just a tad excited about this race last week, you would be right. I can’t think of a stronger local men’s field since I started the newsletter.
The Flying Doctor, Dan Balchin, Hamish Elliot, Matt Adams, Ryan Woolley …, and even the Nigerian Prince, Ryan Carr was on the start list🤯.
//Weston Hill has entered the chat
Oh sh💩t - Tuesday I got a hot tip that CR holder and 2023 champ, Weston Hill had entered. By this stage, I was half-expecting Hayden Hawks to delay his flight, shave his head and claim the title running under the name ‘Tyler Tui’.
Hill might’ve come in as the CR holder, but Daniel wasn’t about to take one on the chin. The speed was electric from the start, with Hill and Balchin running into Longridge Rd Aid Station (15km) together, with Chester Holt-Quick 5 minutes behind leading the entourage of Wellington Scottish athletes.
The course from Longrange to Bacon Knob is where the fun starts. Multiple stream crossings, mud, ropes, tunnels and calf cramping ascents🤤. Hill was in his element, running out of Bacon Knob Aidstation (27km) with an 84 second lead.
Holt-Quick had chopped back 2 minutes on Balchin, but I think he was more worried about Ryan Carr coming up on his shoulder, who moved up from 8th to 4th in this section, running the fastest time of the day.
Halfway through, with under 5 minutes between 1st & 3rd... GAME ON.
Hill maintained his momentum, running over the summit of Swampy (41 km) now with over a 2-minute lead. Balchin was hanging in the fight, but with 15km to go, he was running out of real estate. Holt-Quick now had Carr right up his jacksey, and it became a race between 1st v 2nd & 3rd v 4th
Hill kicked on, blazing into the finish to take the 3 Peaks + 1 Title and once again lifting the NZ Short Course Trail Title Belt.
After chasing Holt-Quick all day, Carr reached the base of Mt.Cargill seconds ahead. Could Holt-Quick return serve? Or did the old dog Carr have enough juice to pull away up the climb?
It was the former, with Carr passing the trig 3 minutes clear and piling on another 2 minutes into the finish. Welcome back to the big leagues, Ryan Carr💪.
Weston Hill was kind enough to fill us in on his battle with Daniel Balchin.
How did the race play out at the front?
“We ran together basically from the start, the two of us pushed out abit of a gap up the first climb, then yo yo-ed and ran together first couple aid stations.”
“Then on a wee descent we both blew past a turn and did a little out and back losing the markers, and backtracked to the course then there was abit of urgency to put time back in to the chasing group and just slowly edged a wee gap to Dan and was lucky enough to hold until the end.”
“Anything can happen with someone as talented as Dan Balchin just a few min behind.”
Thanks for that, Weston - it sounds like you wouldn’t have been too far off your CR without the little detour.
Women's podium:
🥇Katie Morgan - 5:56:08
🥈Julia Chamberlain - 6:06:02
🥉Charlotte Hand - 6:16:50
With no late entries on the women’s side, the showdown between the two favourites — Katie ‘Merrell’ Morgan and Julia ‘Giddy Up’ Chamberlain — was locked and loaded.
Morgan ran into Longridge Rd Aid Station (15km) with a 1m16s buffer on Wellington’s Mel Brandon, who had Chamberlain snapping at her heels just 7 seconds back.
Over the rough terrain to Bacon Knob, Morgan turned up the heat — stretching her lead to 6 minutes. Chamberlain had surged into 2nd, 2 minutes clear of Brandon and looking like she meant business.
They went up over Pulpit Rock and onto the Silverpeaks track. Morgan was in charge, but with recent injury and sickness, anything could happen. It was just last year that we saw both Ali Wilson and Cameron Kerr come from behind to take the title.
But there would be no such fairy tale today. Morgan powered on, topping out at the top of Mt.Cargill with a 13-minute lead and just 6km to finish line beersies glory.
Chamberlain descended into the finish like a woman possessed, but it was too little, too late, with Katie Morgan reclaiming the 3 Peaks +1& NZ Short Course Title by 10 minutes.
Charlotte Hand was in the mix all day, moving up past Mel Brandon in the final quarter of the race to claim the bronze.
Katie was kind enough not to ghost me!
How did your race play out at the front?
“I knew going into this race having missed a lot of training due to injury and illness that I was going to have a tough day out there.”
“Took the lead early on and ran scared the whole way really!”
“As I suspected I had a good first 3 hours, but then I left my legs and soul on Swampy ridgeline! Tough going - had to pick some ferns at one point to wipe the mud of my legs which were fully covered up to my short line from one bog!”
How much of this was about winning the national title, and how much was just wanting to get out into another competitive race and build towards OCC?
“Yeh was keen to do the selection race so that I could compete in the World Champs again, and taking the win and title was a bonus.”
“For sure important for me to do as many competitive races as I can before OCC so was glad today to have Julia Chamberlain there as you always know you're going to have to race pretty well with that machine in the field!”
“ Have my fingers crossed now I can recover okay to be able to have a decent crack at UTA 50 as another competitive race.”
Thanks for that Katie … when you started talking about picking ferns I thought we were about to break into a Worst Run Ever …
Congratulations again. I look forward to seeing how the rest of the year pans out.
Three Peaks: 📏26KM | ⛰️1350M
Women's podium:
🥇Natalie Phillips - 2:35:07
🥈Margie Campbell - 2:40:00
🥉Alice Cuthbert - 2:42:17
Natalie Phillips and Margie Campbell went at it like 2 possums in a recycling bin over the first 11km, running over the Swampy Summit with nothing separating them. Kristy Eyles was only just over 1 minute back in 3rd.
Phillips made her move on the steep descent down to Leith Valley, putting 3 minutes on Campbell over the 4km section. Steph Wilson moved past Eyles into third.
Campbell could only shave a few seconds off Phillips on the final climb before Phillips drove the dagger in, powering away down Mt. Cargill and into the finish to take a dominant 5 minute victory.
Cambell would hold off a fast-finishing Alice Cuthbert, who ran in 6th all day, before tearing the final downhill a new hole, descending her way onto the podium.
Men's podium:
🥇Luke Wilson - 2:09:08
🥈Doug Golding -2:09:23
🥉Janus Staufenberg - 2:13:23
Luke Wilson fended off Doug Golding to add another title to his busy summer campaign.
However, Janus Staufenberg looked like he was running late for brunch, topping out over Swampy (11km) 50s ahead of Wilson and Golding.
Wilson and Golding moved past Staufenberg, and then Wilson found a bit of extra mustard on the slippery descent down to Leith Valley to give himself a 35-second headstart on the final boss, Mt. Cargill.
Wilson entered the final section just 42 seconds ahead of Golding. Was Steve Tripp going to have to fire up the old digital camera for the photo finish?
Golding did all he could, blasting his way down the hill and into the final sprint across the field, finishing just 15 seconds behind Wilson.
Staufenberg did enough for a mallowpuff, holding off Seamus Kelly to take the bronze.
15 seconds the difference at the end - fill us in, was it a ding dong battle or was Doug sucking on your exhaust the whole way?
“Doug and I know each other well from Wanaka and train together over there! It’s actually funny that we hadn’t yet raced each other with myself having been injured and then just picking different races! We let a couple others go out front up Flagstaff - feeling the pace was too hot to sustain, and reeled one of them in between flagstaff and swampy.”
“We ran together to the top of swampy then I spotted an opportunity to build a legitimate gap over Doug and Janus through the muddy descent there, which must have got to be about 45 seconds, and then just carried that from there.”
“It seems Doug was gaining on me from the top of cargill all the way to the end but I didn’t know that until very close to the finish when I saw him on the straight road section. Probably a good thing as I didn’t feel like I was a rabbit being chased by a fox - although I guess you always run like one anyway out front.”
Overall, it sounds like another great day of fiercely competitive races with record fields at Dunedin 3 Peaks—exactly what you want for the National Short Trail Champs.
Click here for the Full Results, including the 11km race.
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Riverhead ReLaps Results
Whoops! Thanks to the 30-odd people who replied to last week’s newsletter, letting me know that I had angered the Running Beast, AKA Shaun Collins, by forgetting to add Riverhead Relaps to the upcoming events.
Sorry Shaun, from one ranga to another - please accept my apology🙏.
If you’ve never heard about Backyard Ultra’s, check out the Backyard NZ site, but here’s the TLDR.
Run a 6.71 KM loop on the hour every hour.
If you don’t start the loop, you’re out.
The race goes on until only 1 person is left.
Overall Winner:
🏆👑🥇Connor Aldridge - 38 yards (254.98KM)
Top DNFs - Men 🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️
☠️Stephen Harney - 37 yards (248.27KM)
☠️Damian Watson - 36 yards (241.56KM)
☠️Craig Torr - 32 yards (214.72KM)
Top DNFs - Women 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️
☠️Rose Brennan - 26 yards (174.46KM) - Last Women Standing🏆
☠️Charlotte Van Der Lee - 24 yards (161.04 KM)
☠️Diana Osavlyuk - 24 yards (161.04KM)
184 crazed loopers crammed into the starting corral for the 6th Riverhead ReLaps Backyard Ultra.
The numbers slowly dwindled through the first day. I don’t know what happened on loop 11, but it was enough for 23 people to call it a day!
The headlamps came out, and with them the torrential rain🌧️. But the field was still packed, with 59 still holding strong for loop 15 (100km), AKA the Field Killer. Nothing takes down a field faster than a milestone in Backyard Ultras.
100KM’s took out 19 runners, and before you could shout “ONE MORE… LAP I CBF ANYMORE” the field was down to 32.
The darknes continued to wreak havoc, only 13 make believe 100 mile buckles were awarded, with 3 giving in to the flirtatious camping chair at 100 miles.
With that, Rose Brennan secured the Last Women Standing award before she called it quits after 26 loops.
Alexander Nicholson and Jean-Gabriel Gagnon would fall at 187km, with the final 4, 200km club forming.
🏃Connor Aldridge, 🏃Stephen Harney, 🏃Craig Torr , 🏃Damian Watson.
Craig Torr was next to fall after loop 32, 3 short of his PB.
The final 3 powered on for 4 loops before everyone was surprised to see Damian Watson call it a day after ‘looking’ the strongest out of the final 3.
Aldridge vs Harney. Both had a PB of 35 loops, which they ran at this venue last year. Who wanted it most?
The battle only lasted 1 round - Aldridge blasted off a 50-minute lap, with Harney coming in 5 minutes later to complete his 37th and final lap.
Aldridge had no issues completing #38 to become the Riverhead ReLaps Champ.
Congratulations to Connor Aldridge, your 2025 Riverhead ReLaps champion.
Full Riverhead ReLaps results here. For more pictures and coverage, check out their Instagram.
Things You May Have Missed
Bryn Morgan 100k For 18th Birthday'
Some people get f🤬cked up at the bar for their 18th.
Bryn Morgan went and ran 100km instead.
He started with 16 reps of Te Mata peak before his watch died. It looks like he stole Dad’s phone to record the rest of the run, totaling in at 101km & 5249M of vert. Tasty💪.
Awesome, Bryn - looks like some solid training for Vert Day coming up on May 31st
Hayden Hawks Says Goodbye To NZ
“Tonight is our last night in Wanaka. We are going to really miss this place, but will be back next year for sure. This will become a second home for us. Thank you to all that made our time here special. This truly is an amazing place and a great place to train and live!”
Hayden Hawks says goodbye to NZ, but it sounds like he’ll be applying for residency before long.
It’s been cool to see one of the world’s best experience what NZ has to offer. It sounds like Wanaka residents have about nine months to reclaim any lost Strava Crowns.
Trail Running NZ On Top Of The World Mt. Owen
The support I receive from you, the readers never ceases to blow me away. When I started this thing, I would’ve never thought it would be at the stage where there's Trail Running NZ propergander making its way to the top of Mt. Owen in Kahurangi.
I’m out of bumper stickers at the moment, but after seeing this, I think it’s time to order some more!
SK News Desk
Just as you thought the season was over - Brendan Varty snuck away from the farm for one final mission.
🤩1500’s SK - Brendan Varty - 30:15:12
The 1500s. Dreamed of by many, attempted by few, achieved by less.
The mission is simple - enter the Tararua Range at any road end, summit all 15 1500m summits and get to an exit point. Traditionally, Otaki Forks has been the finish, being the closest to Mt. Hector, which most chose to be the final target.
In recent years, the allure of something bigger has taken the route further, finishing in Kaitokie and creating what’s known as the 1500s SK.
On Thursday, Brendan completed the 1500s, joining Tim Sutton, Jean Beaumont, and Kyle Malone.
Brendan’s Instagram post probably sums it up best:
“Sometimes you just need to put your big boy undies on and go turn a dream into reality”
”On Wednesday morning I set out from Putara to climb all 15 of The Tararuas 1500m Peaks in a single push, 99kms 9000m elevation and 30h15m later I'd achieved goal.”
I managed to sneak some more of Brendan’s time for a quick Q&A below:
How long has the 1500s been on the matrix - is this the icing on the cake or was this the cake all along that you were after?
“Well, I can't pretend like this has been a lifelong dream because if somebody had asked me 3 years ago to name one of the Tararua's 1500m Peaks I probably would have said ahh... Mt Holdsworth??? But since developing an absolute obsession with both the Tararua and the S-K in the past 18 months I have looked at a single push 1500s as the "holy grail".”
“ I attempted it with Jono earlier this season but the weather was far from ideal and we ended up bailing to Holdsworth road end. After that, my main priority has been achieving Iridium status, I managed to do that back on February 22nd and pretty much from the minute I returned home from Putara that night, I have not been able to get my mind off 1500s.”
“I made the decision that I wanted to do it Solo/unsupported, as an S-K and incorporate The Notorious Neill-Winchcombe Ridge (a ridge I'd never traveled before) into my planned route. It was then just a case of being able to line up a weather window and an opportunity to get away from the farm for a day and a half.”
How does the 1500s stack up against all of your other missions in the Tararua? Both in terms of enjoyment and effort
“There's no doubt about it, the 1500s is the King of single push missions in the range and even makes the beast that is SKMR look a little pedestrian (even though it is far from it)”
“It was definitely the icing on the cake for my season.”
Congratulations, Brendan. That is one hell of an achievement. I look forward to seeing what crazy mission you embark on next.
If you want to know more about the SK, follow this link.
This information is provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered financial mission advice. Please consult a licensed financial backcountry professional for personalized guidance tailored to your specific situation.
Upcoming Events
Dog Creek Timber Trail Ultra
Friday - Saturday, April 4th & 5th
Okay, I’m a bit confused about this one. It would be great if someone could get in touch and fill me in.
From what I can tell, this is a renaming of the Old Forest Hanmer 100.
There will be everything from 21K up to 100 miles made up of 16km loops.
I’ve never had much luck covering results from Old Forest. If any readers are going and want to provide intel next weekend, please get in touch!
Check out the Website for more details
#Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
This week’s hit of #mountainskag is from Sophie Beaumont's mission up Black Peak—24km | 2400m.
If you were wondering what it looks like when the Mountain Skag hits the blood stream … I present to you exhibit A.
Tag @trailrunning.nz (NOTE THE “.”) and use #mountainskag, DM on Instagram, or email trailrunningnz@gmail.com to enter.
Every entry has a chance to win the monthly giveaway of a Mountain Skag T-shirt or hat.
Next week, we may or may not have some results from Old Dog Forest Hammer - either way, we will look at the upcoming Tararua Mountain Race and Routeburn Classic.
It takes hours to write this newsletter but only 8 seconds to forward it to a friend.
PS. Shoutout courtesy of Neil Smith to Lee Cook, the legendary photographer from Queenstown who ran his last competitive race in NZ. He’s off to France with the family. Lee’s been a super competitive runner on the lower South Island circuit for a number of years - all the best in France.