Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
We’re here for you like anti-fungal cream. We help you deal with the burning itch that is Monday mornings.
Here's what’s in the drop bag this week:
🏃🏃♀️Faultline Ultra Results
🏃🏃♀️The Routeburn Classic Results
🎯Things You May Have Missed
🏁Upcoming events: Skedaddle, Old Forest Hannah
⛰️💊Mountain Skag of The Week
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Faultline Ultra Results
I’ll be the first to admit I was a bit sceptical about how this weekend would unfold.
A brand new event, 6 running races, plus 4 mountain bike races on the same weekend.
A serious amount of wizardry would be needed to pull it off. Aided by perfect running conditions, Benjy Barsanti and his team successfully did just that.
🌡️The weather was perfect for racing
👌The courses were marked well
🍌The aid stations were on point
😎Finishing in town on the waterfront was mint
The event showcased how insanely good Wellington’s trail network has become.
I’m sure things weren’t perfect, but as a whole, the future looks bright for Faultline.
I think this thing is going to explode…
The Insanity:📏160KM | ⛰️4808M
My pre-race picks: Fiona Hayvice:❌ (5th) Johan Bergman:❌ (3rd)
Women's podium:
🥇Erin Vaughn - 22:36:37
🥈Emma Pescini - 24:08:51
🥉June Hart - 24:46:03
Erin Vaughn had an absolute barnstormer. Leading early doors, she steadily built a big lead through the first half of the race.
At the Porirua Hub (82km) Vaughn had pulled 45 minutes clear of the chasing June Hart and the irrepressible Jean Beaumont.
After the death loops of Makara Mountain Bike Park, I wouldn’t say the race was sewn up, but with a 55-minute lead over Hart and 30 km to go, there was definitely some needle action.
At this point, Emma Pescini moved past Beaumont and started cutting into the gap to Hart.
Vaughn held it together to secure the inaugral Faultline 100 Mile title. Pescini continued to close on Hart and moved into 2nd in the final 10km. Hart did enough to hold off Beaumont to take a well-deserved spot on the podium.
Erin was kind enough to take the time to let us in on how her day went.
How does it feel to take down the inaugural Faultline Miler?
“The winner of the inaugural Faultline Miler” still sounds so surreal.. Running for over 22 hours to then come across the line and find out I was first women after not knowing at all through the whole day was so unexpected and I’m quietly proud. “
“This will stay with me forever, to say I was the first ever female winner at the 100mi Faultline Ultra is truly an honor.”
“I took a different approach to nutrition, was out of my comfort zone pace wise early on (and paid for that from the half way mark) but I think sometimes the risk is worth it. It wasn’t a perfect day - running for that long it generally never is but i reckon the success is in the way you handle the things that don’t necessarily go to plan.”
“Loved the course! Tough, brutal climbs and descents in parts, a challenge for the body and mind but you should have seen the view when running along the ridge lines both during the day and night..absolutely stunning. I don’t reckon we could have asked for better weather, Wellington turned it on!”
“Huge thank you to my crew, the event organisers, volunteers and everyone involved did an amazing job at looking after us all out there - especially the first time running the event, which I imagine at times was pretty full on. Without them, none of this is possible.”
Men's podium:
🥇Will Bell - 18:38:06
🥈Luka Ahumada - 19:10:24
🥉Johan Bergman - 19:48:00
Luka Ahumada and Will Bell had an absolute dong-dong of a battle.
Ahumada set the early pace, smashing out a 15-minute lead over the first 50km.
But coming into the Porirua Hub(82km), that lead had shrunk to just over 6 minutes. Johan Bergman entered the fray, moving up through the field to leave the hub in 3rd, 20 minutes back from Ahumada. Game on.
Bell continued to apply the pressure, catching Ahumada and running into the 101km aid station just over a minute clear.
Back on familiar territory, Bell turned the screws and ground out an 11-minute lead at the Makara carpark, 130kms in.
I saw Will here. He looked fresh AF, and gave me a fun factor of 11/10. It was going to be tough for Ahumada to catch him from here.
Bell kept the hammer down, taking the inaugral Faultline 100 Miler title in a scorching time of 18:38:06🤯.
Bergman kept hustling through the mean streets of Wellington to take his spot on the podium. All three ran amazing runs, breaking the 20-hour mark and finishing head and shoulders above the chase pack.
The Worlds End:📏100KM | ⛰️2966M
My pre-race picks: Brian Garmonsway✔️(1st) | Chrissi Faber: ❌ (DNF)
Men's podium:
🥇Brian Garmonsway - 11:46:10
🥈Richard Ellison - 12:53:35
🥉Joel Laing - 13:16:19
Current WAI2K champion Brian Garmonsway took the early lead, beating the field to the top of the first climb, and never looked back.
Through the Porirua Hub (23.3km), Garmonsway had built an 11-minute lead over Richard Ellison, who was 8 minutes ahead of Joel Laing.
Nothing had changed in the top 3 through the 72km mark at the Makara Hub. I saw Brian come through. He looked so cool, calm, and collected. He didn’t bother about his drop bag, had a bit of a nibble, chatted with the volleys, and then glided out into the night.
This is how the race would finish, with all 3 runners pulling away from the rest of the field.
“The race went pretty good, few rough patches with nutrition, but body held together really well, just the course I had to deal with.”
“Found it challenging running in the dark on unfamiliar trails and the distance which was my first and maybe last 100k.”
Brian Garmonsway
Women's podium:
🥇Megan Bramley - 15:17:34
🥈Emily Collis - 15:42:23
🥉Melina Wapp - 16:17:13
Megan Bramley and Chrissi Faber traded the early lead through Belmont Regional Park, with Faber running in 1 minute clear of Bramley at the Porirua Hub. Emily Collis was a further 8 minutes back but well in the hunt.
Faber continued to build on her slender lead, climbing up Rangituhi and accross to the base of Mt. Kaukau. Collis held her own, and with 60km to go it was still anyone’s race.
Unfortunately for Faber, at the 60km mark she succumbed to a painful toothache she had had all week leading into the event. Big ups for even lining up!
F🤬ck tooth pain.
It was now a 2 horse race, with Bramley 5 minutes ahead with 30km to go. She would go on to win, extending her lead to 25 minutes, with Melina Wapp rounding out the podium in 16:17:13.
Shake & Bake:📏50KM | ⛰️1607M
My pre-race picks: Jade Valler:✔️(1st) | Ben Williams:❌ (3rd)
Women's podium:
🥇Jade Valler - 4:59:03
🥈Kirsty Gilmour - 5:34:29
🥉Anesa Robinson - 5:42:10
Jade Valler (can I get a Hawkes Bay Hardcore?) dominated the women’s race, leading from the field of dreams in Karori all the way to the waterfront.
18.8km in, Valler had baked herself a tasty 16-minute lead over Kate Lewis and Kirsty Gilmour. She had doubled her lead with 10km to go, and the title was hers to lose.
Gilmour was still chasing hard but was also keeping one eye over her shoulder, with Anesa Robinson finishing strongly behind her.
Valler hooned in along the waterfront, just nipping under the magical 5-hour mark to take the title and finish 8th overall.
How does it feel to take down the inaugral Faultline 50K title?
“It felt awesome! I was pleasantly surprised by how runnable the trails were and how well it was all marked as I have a tendency to take detours.”
“I loved the event and would highly recommend it!”
Jade Valler
Men's podium:
🥇Sam Harvey - 4:05:21
🥈Matt Adams - 4:26:19
🥉Ben Williams - 4:32:26
On the men’s side of the field, it was a battle of the out-of-towners: Sam ‘The Gun Slinger’ Harvey vs. Ben ‘West Coast’ Williams.
They took off at a rate of knots, dragging along Matt Adams for the ride. Adams took the lead momentarily but couldn’t handle the jandel with Harvey and Williams surging ahead.
The two battled it out to the 38km point. Williams began to cramp, and Harvey ran through the aid station, seizing his opportunity to take control of the race.
Then West Coast Williams got a little lost in the big smoke and found some bonus Ks, which let Matt Adams back in front. He didn’t need a second invitation and went on to take silver, 21 minutes behind Harvey.
Williams did enough to maintain his spot on the podium and still finish in a great time.
Sam took the time to answer a couple of my questions:
What was your race plan heading in, and did it go according to plan? What did you think of the course?
“The plan was to win. My only recent comparisons were in the 5 hour zone, so when I saw 3:50 on the watch as I was about to make the final descent, I was a little shocked.”
“The course was phenomenal and easily my favourite ultra distance course in New Zealand now. Very cool to be weaving in and out of forest and urban settings.”
“As far as nutrition and hydration goes, I seemed to be running on the smell of an oily rag because I had very little thirst and drank maybe half my normal fluid intake, and also consumed only half of the gels that I had allocated.”
“As a result, I had no aid station stops and even missed one of my drop bags where I was supposed to dump empty bottles and pick up fresh bottles because I still had fluid on board.”
Sam Harvey
Click here for the full results, including the 24km, 11km, and 6 km races, and follow the Faultline Instagram for more coverage from the weekend.
If you ran Faultline Ultra, vote below!
How did you find the course difficulty of Faultline?
The Routeburn Classic Results
The Routeburn Classic has finally done it!
2 years in a row for the first time in forever. Well done to Glen Currie and the team for dialling up a perfect day.
The Routeburn Classic:📏32KM | ⛰️1100M
Women's podium:
🥇Sarah Douglas - 3:24:07
🥈Kelsey Lewis - 3:28:49
🥉Ruby Knight - 3:32:44
Sarah Douglas overcame a strong challenge from Ruby Knight and Kelsey Lewis to become the first person to win 3 Routeburn Classics.
Can we just call her the Queen of Routeburn? She set the course record back in 2014 (3:14) and is undefeated, winning all 3 of the races she’s lined up for.
However, it wasn’t exactly one-way traffic. At the Harris Saddle (19 km), she only held a 5-minute lead over Knight, with Lewis not much further back.
Douglas held her own on the technical descent to post her second-fastest time on the Routeburn, but she was 10 minutes off her scorching course record.
Lewis closed the gap on Knight before running away with 2nd to finish 4 minutes clear of Knight.
Men's podium:
🥇Toby Batchelor - 2:48:02
🥈Douglas Golding - 3:03:41
🥉Louis Schindler - 3:07:20
Toby Batchelor put the root in Routeburn, going one better than 2023 to take home the Routeburn Classic title.
The NZ mountain runner built a 13-minute lead on the ascent to Harris’s saddle over Douglas Golding and Louis ‘The Mountain Grinder’ Schindler.
Unlike last year, when David Haunschmidt reeled him in on the descent, Batchelor continued to build on his lead. However, he fell 3 minutes short of his 2023 time. I’m sure he doesn’t care too much. Everyone looks better in gold than silver.
This is what Toby had to say about his day:
“Glen Currie and the team are on speed dial with the weather gods. It was an absolutely stunning day on what really is quintessential NZ trail.”
“I’ve got conflicting emotions! I’m stoked with the result, but thought the legs had a quicker time in them off the back of a good training block. That’s racing though and I’m taking away a lot of positives - glorious scenes, a fantastic event atmosphere, catching up with friends and meeting new ones, and some ideas on how to get faster.”
“I’m also hearing some exciting developments for the race next year!”
Toby’s off to Europe at the end of this year to race, so watch this space.
Click here for the full list of results, and you can follow along on Facebook or Instagram
Things You May Have Missed
Absolute scenes at Emerrsons Pub in Dunedin as Glen Sutton finished his Sounds 2 Town Farm Strong Charity run. He ran 617 km from Milford to the Emmersons pub. If you would like to donate to Glenn's cause, Click Here.
Vajin Armstrong showed that he can still get it done on any surface at any distance, smashing out the Boston Marathon in 2:29:33
Continuing on in pavement bashing news, Paul Hewitson broke the NZ m60 years young half marathon record this weekend in 1:17:41. Well done Hewi. You continue to
make us all feel f*cking uselessinspire us.
Upcoming Events
Skedaddle
Saturday, April 27
Skedaddle is back for round 2 after a successful inaugral event which saw 334 guinea pigs take to the trails on the Island Hills Station.
It attracted a strong field (did someone say UTMB Stones), including podium regulars Richard Melton, Emma Timmis, Margie Campbell and Ben Williams.
Distances on offer:
📏42KM | ⛰️ 2097M
📏30KM | ⛰️ 1397M
📏15KM | ⛰️ 718M
📏10KM | ⛰️ 316M
Fun facts:
⛰️Named after the high point on Island Hills Station - Mt. Skedadle (1704M).
💰Raising funds for conservation efforts in the Mandamus Preservation Reserve. This 3,300-ha un-grazed area includes a 600-ha QEII open space covenant, the largest in Canterbury.
🥝All proceeds from the race will be used to work towards the long-term goal of reintroducing Kiwi to the area.
The Skedaddle team have put together a video from last year, check it out below.
If this tickled your pickle, you’ve got until tomorrow 11:59PM to enter.
Click here for more info, and follow along on Instagram and Facebook.
Old Forest Hamner Hammer Humner Hanmer 100
Friday & Saturday, April 26 27
Over the weekend we saw NZ’s newest addition to the 100-mile landscape.
This weekend? One of NZ’s OG’s. Old Forest Hammer has been rocking out, with their flask out since 2012.
“Oh, I guess you think you’re flash with your point-to-point race? Come run some loops and see how tough you’re then!”
Old Forest Humner would be a great event if you’re training for a Backyard Ultra. The course is a figure 8 loop, and you pass through the central base halfway through each lap. You could set up your camp chair and chilli bin and take a wee break every time you pass.
The loop has seen some changes for 2024. It now extends out to 16 km and bumps up its vert to 365m.
Old Forest Hanner was part of the Southern Seasons Miler Challenge, now a dead duck, with Krayzie Kapers 100 pulling the pin.
It’s hard to know if this means more people will enter Old Forest because Krayzies is gone or less because there’s no Southern Seasons Miler Challenge to attempt.
Distances of offer:
📏100 miles
📏100KM
📏50miles
📏50KM
📏21KM
⌚12hour
⌚24hour
If you’ve got the post-event blues and need to enter another event, late entries are still open.
For more detail, you might find it here …
#Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
Tim Pickering with this week’s Mountain Skag from the flanks of Rangituhi looking towards the South Island during the Faultline Miler.
The English translation for Rangituhi that I can find is simply “Sky glow”. That seems fitting.
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.
We will have the results from Skedaddle next week, and if the homing pigeons make it out of Old Forest Hummna, we’ll have those results, too.
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