Dead Cow Gully & Western States Recap
“By Monday morning my achilles only had so long left. I just went as long as I could but it was pretty sore at the end.”
Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
We’re here for you, like the Western States live stream. Improving every year, but still patchy AF in places🤣
Here's what’s in the drop bag this week:
🏃♀️🏃Dead Cow Gully Recap
🏃♀️🏃Western States Recap
🎯Things You May Have Missed
🏁Upcoming events: Krayzies Midwinter Backyard Ultra
⛰️💊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.
Dead Cow Gully - CONTINUED
Last Monday, while you were parked up on the office throne dodging the dreaded “How was your weekend?” chat, you were reading about four Kiwis who were still out there looping like lunatics at Dead Cow Gully: Sam Harvey, Simon McLean, Paul Maxwell, and Jane McAlpine.
Sam and Simon were just getting warmed up. But Paul and Jane? They were deep in PB city💪.
Paul smashed out 50 yards, battling body and brain from day one after picking up an achilles issue early.
Jane? She already held the women’s course record at 39 from last year. This time, she ran 53 (355 km). Not only was this a massive PB, it also nabbed the NZ women’s record from Julia Chamberlain, who was also over there supporting the crew.
I managed to snag a bit of Jane’s time to find out all about it.
What was the plan heading into DCG ?Was the NZ female record the target?
“My plan, to go till I couldn’t, no excuses. I was there to get a job done and mark the laps off one at a time. I didn’t have the NZ record as a goal at all, but I knew Id done enough to go beyond it if issues didn’t arise.”
Give us a rundown on how your run went, did you have any early challenges? What do you put your improvement from last year to this year down to?
“The first 24 hours can feel like they take an age, but the Aussies are great at creating a very cool race atmosphere which helps pass the time.”
“I didn’t really have any issues till Sunday morning when first felt my achilles. The ground was really firm there this year with a few people having achilles troubles. A bit of massage from Sam and some heel raisers in the shoe saw it quieten down for a bit.”
“The second night a bus created by Harvey Lewis saw a group of us work together all night to make it through to dawn. It’s true that running together eases the load and keeps you turning up each hour so you don’t let others down.”
“By Monday morning my achilles only had so long left. I just went as long as I could but it was pretty sore at the end.”
“Improvements came from working with a sports dietitian (Cushla Holdaway) to get my fuelling dialled. It had always caused the end of my races in the past. This time there was a constant stream of food and drink going in with no reflux! Made such a difference! And Sam Harvey has coached me for 6 months, you can’t get much better than him if you want to perform in a backyard.”
Thanks for that, Jane! An incredible effort that’s been years in the making.
With 8 runners still left at the start of yard 89, a CR of 103 laps looked a lock, and the World Record seemed like it was only a formality.
That’s when things got interesting. Simon McLean, with a PB of 65 from the World Champs, called it a day, ending an impressive run. He locked in the highest total ever by a Kiwi not named Sam Harvey, and qualified for Big’s Backyard… if he’s mad enough to go through that again😝.
Harvey Lewis fell victim to the sleep monsters, and crowd favourite Michitaro Mizuno AKA Bagman was found in a heap screaming. Just like that, it was down to 5.
Jonothan Ash lost the ability to run at 101. Oriol Antoli Sarrau, the Spaniard, turned back at 103. Merijn Geerts pulled out with an ankle injury. Suddenly, it was down to two: Sam Harvey and his “best mate” Phil Gore at the start of loop 104.
It was no surprise to see Sam and Phil as the final two. Last time out, they worked together — Sam pushing through a chest infection to help Phil get the world record. But this time, the gloves were off.
They ran through Wednesday night and broke the world record at 3:00 AM Thursday.
Watching them, there was no doubt Phil looked smoother. Sam’s Insta stories showed he was suffering physically a lot earlier in this backyard.
But no one was quite prepared for what happened on yard 118😮.
Screams echoed through the camp as Sam rose from his chair, peg-legged his way to the corral, then staggered 100 metres down the road before collapsing in a heap. His body finally waved the white flag and got its way.
Phil tore through another fast lap, once again laying claim to the world record😎.
The contrast between them was jarring. Sam, slumped in a camp chair. Phil, standing tall beside him, the two trading awkward small talk.
“How’s the legs and the feet?”
“Yeah, real good. Not even a blister.”
“Oh sh💩t. Flex”
An unreal ending to a crazy week.
Two people who were there to witness it all were Adam Keen AKA Mr. Aerobic Edge and Rocky Allan. Here are some of their takeaways from the 5 days of chaos.
What are the first 3 things that come to mind when you think about this year’s Dead Cow Gully?
“Backyard runners are the nicest and at the same time most savage people I know including - Jennifer Russo, Merijn Geerts, Oriol, Bagman to name a few.”
“Humans can go a lot further than you think even when they face challenges early - Michitaro Mizuno (Bagman) was having naps (30 seconds) on course during the first night and looked to be battling but ended up doing 94 hours.”
“Simon McLean also got in the 90s and pushed through some challenges in the early days. So many people problem solved successfully and hit massive totals . The Backyard is really one big problem solving exercise.”
“Phil Gores performance seems near perfect and unmatched. Sam Harvey did what only he can do and buried himself out on course, he is one talented and tough son of gun. None of this can be done without crew Oriols dad was a standout crewing that crazy Spaniard solo from what I could see for over 100 hours.”
Here is Rocky’s take on what he witnessed.
“DCG was a pretty intense five days. There was always something happening as usually occurs in the backyard but especially due to the magnitude of the event and the field that was selected and invited.”
“I spent the first 50 hours of the event crew for Paul Maxwell which was a challenge in itself, because he experienced a lot of problems that we weren’t exactly prepared for and sort of had to MacGyver ways around them.”
“It was heartbreaking to see such an inspiration that is John Bayne time out on lap 36 just because being a close friend I knew the work that he put in and the time and effort that went into this race for it all just to last a day and a half but at the same time it makes me more excited to see what comes with his redemption race whatever format that may be.”
“I got to meet a lot of great people from all over the world. There was just such a great atmosphere for all 119 hours and after.”
“Seeing Phil Gores absolutely clinical performance over the five days was just unbelievable, it was hard to believe what times he was running laps that late into the race, as well as Sam‘s perseverance through the last two nights was outstanding.”
What happened at Dead Cow Gully is one part inspiring and one part terrifying.
Take a read of this article if you want to read about the event in more depth.
It’s probably the best article I’ve read about any running event.
Check out AerobicEdge & Dead Cow Gully Instagram for more content from the event.
This Week’s Newsletter Is Brought To You By…
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Western States Recap
12 AM Sunday morning (5 AM in 🌭Murica), the most intriguing Western States in history got underway.
The race got off to a fast start as predicted, and with no snow in the high country, it was no surprise to see both the Women’s and Men’s race pressing ahead of Course Record pace.
Let’s take a look at what happened in the Men’s race.
Men’s Podium
🥇Caleb Olson - 14:11:25
🥈Chris Myers - 14:17:39
🥉Kilian Jornet - 14:19:22
Caleb “The Crochet King” Olson forgot his shirt, but no worries, Nanna Olson was on standby and quickly whipped up this wee saucy number😂.
It proved to be his secret sauce as he blew the field wide open through the canyons, running ahead of the ghost of Jim Walmsley 2019 for 97 miles. He eventually slipped just behind course record pace, but still finished with the second-fastest time in history, two minutes ahead of Walmsley’s winning time from last year🤯.
He put on an absolute clinic. He kept in touch with the early leaders before he seized his chance to break away from the more experienced pack, making the critical move with Chris Myers on the toughest climb of the course: Devils Thumb.
Myers stopped to take a slash. That was all Olson needed. He ran out of sight, never to be seen by Myers again.
To make this even more impressive, Olson became a dad just seven weeks ago. Safe to say the new-dad strength outweighed the sleepless nights.
Myers didn’t fold though. He dropped back a couple of minutes, then clawed them back. With only a few miles to go, they were separated by just 2.5 minutes. Myers ran out of real estate and energy, collapsing over the line. There was nothing left in the tank.
Then came old mate Kilian Jornet, storming home like a Spanish freight train. He passed Rob Mogavero into third with 10 miles to go and kept closing in on the two Americans up front. But he, too, ran out of real estate, settling for Bronze, despite running over 75 minutes faster than when he won Western States 15 years ago.
This result shouldn’t be a total shock. Last year, Olsen ran the fastest-ever Western States debut in 14:40. The real surprise? It was Olson, not Kilian, who lit it up in the canyons. The pre-race narrative had Kilian pushing in his favoured terrain before the runnable stuff, but Olson flipped the script.
🥝Danny Jones - 14:36:17 - 5th
IT’S OUR YEAR!
NEXT YEAR IS OUR YEAR!
It wasn’t the podium Dan’s been chasing, but once again, the Whakatāne Wonder left it all out there, finishing 5th — just 17 minutes off the podium💪.
He was ahead of his 2024 splits all day, staying in touch with the leaders through the first half of the race. But when he hit Forest Hill (61 miles in) in 6th, 16 minutes off the lead, you got the sense he might’ve left himself just a little too much to do in the final 60km to get his hands on the cougar.
Still, Dan stayed aggressive. He hunted down Seth Ruhling to move into 5th, then started reeling in Rob Mogavero. But by No Hands Bridge, it was clear: it was going to be too little, too late to land on the podium.
He finished four minutes slower than last year, but on a much hotter day.
Another outstanding performance on the world stage. It can’t be overstated how impressive three consecutive top-five finishes at Western States is💪.
This year, a couple of guys rolled the dice early… and hit Yahtzee.
No doubt the fire to win this thing is still burning. Fingers crossed we see Dan back again next year for round 4.
Women’s Podium
🥇Abby Hall - 16:37:16
🥈Fuzhao Xiang - 16:47:09
🥉Marianne Hogan - 16:50:58
There was no clear favourite this year. After a couple of years dominated by two of the greats, Courtney Dauwalter and Katie Schide, the women’s race was wide open. And just like the men’s race, that made things even more exciting, with some severe attrition among the contenders🥵.
One name I didn’t see topping any prediction lists was Abby Hall.
She’s been coming back from a gruesome broken leg two years ago, and most of the chatter had her fighting for a top-10 finish this year, with a podium push in 2026.
Well, someone forgot to tell Abby. She came out swinging, first to the top of the escarpment, with Sweden’s Ida Nilsson and Poland’s Martyna Młynarczyk not far behind.
The three traded the lead early until Młynarczyk pulled ahead through the canyons. But the Pole had never gone beyond 100k, and it looked like she’d cooked her chook. She needed help getting into Michigan Bluff and called it a day.
From there, Abby went Hall in, making her move and surging into the lead. Nilsson chased hard, with the gap bouncing from three to ten minutes depending on whether the course went uphill or downhill. But after the Rucky Chucky river crossing, Nilsson began to fade.
In my preview, I said Fu-Zhao Xiang would win if she could repeat her 16:20 from last year. I was right. She would have. But an electric back half couldn’t make up for a conservative start to the race. I don’t know if that was her plan, or if she had early issues that she overcame and rallied late to challenge for the win.
Over the final 15 miles, she flew past Marianne Hogan and Ida Nilsson, but never really threatened Abby Hall, who finished the comeback with a stunning 10-minute victory.
Hogan, meanwhile, celebrated her birthday in style. She chased down Nilsson to grab the final podium spot. It’s her second Western States podium and easily her best performance, finishing more than 75 minutes faster than her last run here in 2022.
🥝Caitlin Fielder - 17:47:26 - 8th
“She hasn’t had the ideal prep, but that can sometimes work to your advantage. She’s got nothing to lose and everything to gain. I think she will be running on the top 10 bubble through the first half before some carnage sees her move up the ranks after the river somewhere in the 5th-10th bracket😎.”
Last weeks newsletter
Well, I completely embarrassed myself in my Fantasy Freetrail debut, but I did get this one right. I hadn’t heard Caitlin’s name mentioned until several hours in, when she was sitting around 15th.
Next thing I know, she’s popped up in 10th. Reports from the field said she looked happy and was having fun, even asking how far ahead the next runner was.
At one point, I think she got as high as 6th before giving up a couple of spots in the final 20 miles.
All things considered, what a fantastic 100-mile debut. If you cast your mind back to 2021, Ruth Croft finished 2nd in her debut, running just 14 minutes faster than Caitlin.
Has this given her a taste for the longer distance, or completely put her off? Only time will tell, but she has an entry for next year if she wants it.
🥝Nancy Jiang - 20:17:24 - 14th
Yuuuuuuus! How good🙂.
After a rough run at Western States in 2023, it was awesome to see Nancy not only run a faster time this year, but also look like she was having way more fun out there. Paced by the Mountain Grinder himself, Louis Schindler, she climbed through the field all day to finish in a very respectable 14th.
I know Nancy wasn’t stoked with her mindset at the finish in 2023, throwing a bit of a “poopy party.” So how good is it to see her cross the line this time grinning from ear to ear?
That wraps up another memorable year at Western States.
Here are a few things that caught my attention:
Hau Ha from Vietnam finished 6th in the women’s race in 17:23:47, becoming the first Vietnamese finisher at Western States.
Chris Myers still had time for a laugh, crossing the river in a snorkel and goggles.
There’s always time for a laugh according to Chris Myers Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell The attrition rate was high this year, with some big DNFs in both races — David Roche, Rod Farvard, Vincent Bouillard, Eszter Csillag, Heather Jackson, Riley Brady, Martyna Młynarczyk, and Tara Dower all pulled the pin.
The YouTube coverage was better than ever. But honestly, I still love the chaos of old-school radio updates from remote aid stations. You never know if someone’s been missed or is in trouble, which adds a real theatrical edge to the whole thing. Fingers crossed the cell coverage doesn’t get too good.
Adidas Terrex had themselves a day. Abby Hall took home all the lollies, but Hannah Allgood, Caitlin Fielder, Emily Hawgood, and Dan Jones all landed inside the top 10.
Full results HERE
Check out iRunFar for post-race interviews and more in-depth race recaps.
Things You May Have Missed
Mountain Skag Back Open For Business
I’ve been waffling on about it for a while, but it’s finally here — the new and improved line of Mountain Skag gear has landed, and the website is back online.
Hit up www.mountainskag.com for all your pre- and post-performance gear.
Trail Running NZ paid subscribers get 10% off (check Friday’s email)—just another reason to support the 7th best trail running newsletter in the country.
Anna Frost inducted into the TrailCon Hall of Fame
Anna Frost was cast into the TrailCon Hall of Fame. I’m not entirely sure what that means, as it was the first year of Trail Con. Either way, it’s great to see one of our best-ever ultra-athletes receive recognition at the highest level alongside several other legends of the game.
Phil Gore Backs Up Like Nothing Else
Phil Gore ran a 17:47 park run on Saturday. WTF. I can’t comprehend that. No disrespect to Sam, but when you see him being pushed around in a wheelchair, and Phil is running a 17:47 only 1.5 days after breaking the BYU WR, it just glitches my brain. WTF was he doing between laps? A full cold plunge and sauna routine with a CurraNZ enema?
Krayzie Midwinter Backyard Ultra
Saturday 1st of July - ???
If Dead Cow Gully wasn’t enough and you’re still frothing on Backyard Ultras, you’ve got another chance to watch the madness unfold this weekend.
Unfortunately, if you’re feeling inspired to have a crack at Phil Gore’s record, you’ll have to wait. Entries for Krayzie’s Midwinter Backyard Ultra are already sold out.
One thing’s for sure, KMBYU will crown a new champion this year. There’s only ever been one name on the trophy: Sam Harvey. He’s won every edition so far, with the current course record sitting at 46 yards (308.66 km), set when he outlasted Jeremy Pelvin last year.
Given the wild weather lately, "Krayzie’s" feels like a fair name. However, looking at the seven-day forecast, things are actually shaping up to be quite mild, with perhaps just a bit of drizzle to keep it interesting.
If you’re keen to help in any way, message them on Facebook, as there’s always a need for more volunteers/crew.
Check out the website for more info, and follow on Facebook for the latest intel.
#Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
There was a serious amount of Mountain Skag being smuggled through the border this week, with regular contributors Tony Sharpe and David Haunschmidt on tour in Europe.
However, I couldn’t go past this hit from my friend Tryler James during the Laverado 120km over the weekend.
Tag @trailrunning.nz and use #mountainskag on Instagram or email trailrunningnz@gmail.com to enter.
Every entry goes into the monthly draw to win a Mountain Skag T-Shirt or hat.
We will be back next week with a WUU2K preview & more.
It takes hours to write this newsletter but only 8 seconds to forward it to a friend.
P.S - Who else plays Freetrail Fantasy? This was my first time playing it and I think I’m hooked. Do we want a Trail Running NZ League?