🏃🏃♀️Aotearoa Ultramarathon Runners Spontaneously Combust
"He just stood there with his chopper out, chatting to me about the run I was doing"
Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
We’re here for you, like a random old naked man at Packhorse Hut, providing the banter while you’re trying not to die of dehydration.
Here's what’s in the drop bag this week:
🏃🏃♀️Aotearoa Ultramarathon Results
🏃🏃♀️Ian Priest Memorial Results
🎯Things You May Have Missed
🏁Upcoming events: The Goat, The Revenant
⛰️💊Mountain Skag Pic of December and 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.
AOTEAROA ULTRAMARATHON RESULTS
Saturday, January 13
It’s been f🔥cking hot here in Wellington. There have been reports in the news it’s got up to a sweltering 24. (Seriously, I can’t believe they reported that, how embarrassing 🙄.)
I didn’t see the official temperature for Christchurch on Saturday, but I heard rumours that it may have got up to 33° - 34° unofficially.
Congratulations to everyone who competed on Saturday regardless of distance; that’s some severe heat to contend with.
101KM📏 | 4550M⛰️
🏃♀️ Women's Podium
🥇Ketina Chivasa - 16:08:12
🥈Emma Johns - 17:13:51
🥉Rosie Lee - 17:40:52
Ketina Chivasa was in 2 minds about running the Aotearoa 101km; after some recent health challenges, her doctor told her to rest.
What better way to relax than a lovely jog in the hills above Christchurch, soaking in the views on a stinking hot day😂?
1st place, not bad for taking it easy!
🏃 Men's Podium
🥇Stu Heighway - 12:55:10
🥈Jack Brownie - 13:49:00
🥉Neil Smith - 14:10:56
Stu Heighway hit the front early, leading from start to finish and putting a nice 8-minute dent in the previous course record. Stu is the first athlete to go under 13 hours💪.
Stu, what does it mean to you to take the win at Aotearoa Ultramarathon?
“The win was a very unexpected but great surprise, as always with an ultra, I was just trying to survive the day and stay on top of the conditions and how the body was holding up.
I got out in front and ran scared the rest of the day !! Great day out, fun crowd and good bunch of people doing the race”
Not only was Stu surprised with the win, but he had a very unexpected encounter with a member of the public. It's not quite “Worst Run Ever” material, but close!
“I stopped in to the packhorse hut on Mt Herbert between aid stations for an emergency refill (it wasn’t an aid station) and this old guy was there, naked, filling up his shower water supply 😂.
Then he just stood there with his chopper out, chatting to me about the run I was doing. Weirdest thing. I ran away wondering wtf just happened”
Stu Heighway
I also reached out to Neil Smith, who finished in 3rd.
You can read his full review of the day here.
Some of the highlights are below. What a way to spend your birthday!
“Yesterday was my birthday🎂, and I wanted to do something different for it, something I’d never done before.”
“We were pre-warned before the event that it was going to be a hot day🌡️, and it did not disappoint; even at 5 am, when the race started, you got a sense of how hot the day was going to be.”
“This was all about one foot in front of the other, keeping moving, staying hydrated, and staying strong. It was well into the afternoon now, and the temperature was up around 30 degrees🥵, any shade cover from overhanging trees was like heaven.”
“As I followed the cones round to the finish line and entered the home straight, everyone was singing happy birthday to me, which was a brilliant touch from the organisers, it really made my already unforgettable day that much more special.”
Neil Smith
53KM📏 | 2278M⛰️
🏃 Men's Podium
🥇Timothy Fisher - 6:30:55
🥈Jed Penkman - 6:38:02
🥉Graeme Lear - 8:15:14
It was a 2 horse race in the 53km race, with Timothy Fisher holding off Jed Penkman in a tight, ding-dong battle.
🏃♀️ Women's Podium
🥇Ellie Norris - 7:52:31
🥈Marisa Martin - 7:55:42
🥉Louise Reade - 8:29:26
Like the men’s race, it was a 2 llama drama in the women’s race. Ellie Norris JUST did enough to hold off Marisa Martin to take the 2024 crown.
IAN PRIEST MEMORIAL RESULTS
Saturday, January 13
Aurora Harriers are still investigating how many survivors made it through the Hutt. My private investigative skills have failed me. So below are partial unofficial results.
(Apologies, I could only find 1st place female. I’ll update once the results come online.)
60KM📏
🏃 Men's Podium
🥇Josh Campbell - 4:15:23
🥈Mark Schomaker - 4:51:10
🥉Karl Kalders - 4:57:30
Josh Campbell dragged it off the start line like a beat-up Mazda Familia on Fergusson Drive at 2 AM. The field were left in his dust as he fought his way through a classic Wellington “light headwind” on his way to crushing the course record by 11 minutes and taking the title.
Well done, Josh, you lived up to your name in my phone, “Speedy Josh”.
Here is his take on the race:
“I had run the Ian Priest once before as my first ultra and had broken down badly. 6 years later, I’d run quite a few long runs, so I felt ready to give it a proper crack. Kyle told me that 4:26 was the course record, so that was my aim. On Friday, I went for a run to find a doable pace and reckoned on 4:08’s employing the Beaumont shuffle.”
“The run-up to the summit was pretty hard with a warm Siberian Norwester blowing. I got to the top, averaging under 5, so I was pretty happy. The legendary Kyle had ridden from Wellington and bivvied the night to deliver me 300mls of water and a gel, allowing me to run without a vest. My 1/2 hour gel regime went off without a hitch.”
“I got into the zone but realised at the start of the marathon I’d have to run a sub 3 hour to just get under the record. Accepting this, I just kept an easy rhythm, banging out kms. This became progressively harder, but I managed to hold on. Luckily, the Marathon course was a few kms short so I went well under 4:26. Thanks to the marshals and organisers.”
🏃♀️ Women's Podium
🥇Barbara Verlinden - 6:22:43
🥈Annie Dubois
🥉
Barbara won. Good sh💩t. That’s all I got😂.
Things You May Have Missed
That’s 14 Ultras on the trott for Shannon-Leigh. A little birdy told me that this is just the beginning.
Upcoming Events
The Goat 20th Anniversary
Saturday, January 20
Congratulations to The Goat. 20 years is a long time to put on a running event. It’s even longer for a goat. Apparently, the average lifespan of a mountain goat is 15 to 18 years.
With the Ring of Fire on hold for 2024, it feels like The Goat holds even more importance in the race calendar this year.
The Tussock Traverse is cool, but there’s something about the terrain on the mountain's West Side that can’t be beaten.
If you haven’t raced or run on The Goat course, it’s a must-do.
The race is only 20km long, but it is jam-packed.
One minute, you’re running through an ancient beech forest, and then you’re out in a valley rock hopping.
Oh, and did I mention you get to climb up a waterfall?
Even the tarseal road is a feature, finishing in an all out dash up Mama’s mile into the finish.
If your 2024 New Year’s resolution is to be more spontaneous, you’re in luck.
Registrations don’t close until tomorrow night (Tuesday 16th); surprisingly, entries are still available.
Check the website for more details, and follow on Facebook or Instagram.
The Revenant
Thursday-Sunday, January 18-21
The Revenant, AKA NZ's Barkley Marathons, is back for 2024.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Revenant, it’s a little race down south where competitors do a few laps of a farm before drinking some whisky if they’re lucky🤣.
The objective?
Complete 4 loops of the unmarked course in under 60 hours.
What makes it so bloody hard?
Each loop is roughly 50km with 4000m of vert. That’s if you take the most efficient route.
Navigation is by map and compass only. No GPS devices watches or phone a friend lifeline.
There’s a massive variety of terrain: alpine tussock, beech forest, valleys, ridges.
It will likely break 30° during the day and feel much closer to 0 at night.
The cut-off times:
You must start lap 2 by 17 hours.
You must start lap 3 by 30 hours.
You must start lap 4 by 45 hours.
Last year, the course won, with only one runner completing 3 loops, but cut off before setting off to complete the 4th.
Scrolling through Insta, it looks like they’re mixing it up and adding a few new locations for CP’s this year to help mix it up.
It must be a tricky balance between making it nearly impossible to attract the right crowd while still ACTUALLY being possible.
Check out the promo video below to give you an idea of what it’s all about.
If this has tweaked your interest, The Revenant team does a great job updating Instagram with live race coverage, so follow along.
Check out the website for more details, and follow on Instagram.
#Mountain Skag Pic Of December
I made a meal of this last week. Who knew that digital polls were so hi-tech?
It's time for a redo.
Whoever has the most votes by the end of the week gets some sweet sweet Mountainskag merch.
Make sure you vote for your favourite below.
Which #Mountainskag Photo is your favourite for December?
#Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
This week’s #mountainskag is from Elspeth Knewstubb from her run venture with partner in crime Sarah Mackey.
Up Mt. Matthews in the Orongorongo range. Good work grabbing one of 3 days a year where you can stand up straight.
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 will have The Goat & The Revenant results and whatever else gets blown my way.
It takes hours to write this newsletter but only 8 seconds to forward it to a friend.
P.S. The quarterly Paid Subscriber Ezine will be out next week.
Here’s a sneak peek of what’s coming your way.
Dr Tripp. The man, the myth, the legend
"I limited myself to 4 Cookie Times in a 10-hour shift and only 6 for a 15-hour shift"
10 quick hitters with Kate Morrison
“I have favourite places; places that I feel such a strong connection to that I miss them like a friend when I'm away, and when I'm back I feel like I can finally release a breath that I didn't know I was holding in.”
A preview of the Tararua Mountain Race
”I will never forget my second time, hamstrings cramping so badly I had to hop and hobble to the finish.”