🏃🏃♀️Faultline Ultra & Skedaddle Results
"a bit of an acid test of the recklessness of the other front guys"
Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
Here's what’s in the drop bag this week:
🏃🏃♀️Faultline Ultra Results
🏃🏃♀️Skedaddle Results
🎁TRNZ Get FKT Challenge Update
🎯Things You May Have Missed
🐻Worst Run Ever
🏁Upcoming events:
⛰️💊Mountain Skag of The Week
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Faultline Ultra Results
The Faultine Ultra was back for its second year, and it did not disappoint. Course records were broken, quads were shredded, poles were snapped, and there were plenty of sideways looks from members of the public out walking their sausage dogs along Oriental Parade.
Let’s jump right in:
The Insanity:📏161KM | ⛰️4808M
My pre-race pick: Lara Zoeller:❌ (🥈) My pre-race pick: Simon Cochrane:✔️
Women's podium:
🥇Samira Sultan-Rouse - 24:53:26
🥈Lara Zoeller - 24:58:37
🥉Sandra Sturgess - 26:59:26
Samira Sultan-Rouse (name of the weekend!) crashed out of the gates harder than Peter Andre’s Ab’s in 1996😂. She used the same formula as her coach, Simon Cochrane, taking the lead from the get-go and never looking back.
At the Porirua Hub (83.1km), Sultan-Rouse had pulled 20 minutes clear of the chasing duo of Lara Zoeller and Sandra Sturgess.
Leading in her 2nd ever 100 miler, she pushed hard across the skyline and down and around the Makara death loops. She left 24 minutes ahead of Zoeller with 30 km to go, a strong position but definitly not wrapped up.
However, Zoeller wasn’t just going to roll over. She reeled Sultan-Rouse in before the sound of her footsteps set Sultan Rouse off like a robber’s dog.
With her newfound motivation, she kicked on to take a 5-minute victory ahead of Zoeller, with Sturgess holding on to the bronze.
Samira was kind enough to give her thoughts on The Faultline below:
How did your race go, and what are your impressions of the Faultline 100-mile course?
“Faultline is my second my miler, I was incredibly impressed with the event - extremely well organised, friendly and inclusive.
The course itself would be my favorite to date, I’ve never run in Te Whanganui-a-tara and went out with the attitude of adventure & an open mind as to how the day would unfold. I was stunned with the views, the weather & the community encouragement.
An amazing weekend all round, I’ll be back. Thrilled with the female win, and being on the podium with my coach Simon Cochrane who took men’s 1st place”
Samira Sultan-Rouse
Thanks for that Samira! Good to hear you’ll be coming back.
Men's podium:
🥇Simon Cochrane - 17:50:10 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈Mark Thomson - 19:26:22
🥉 Tim Woods - 20:12:30
Surprise! Simon Cochrane made this look like a training run, quickly turning this race into a time trial.
Luka Ahumada, Josh Campbell & Stefan Ozich chased hard early and would all pay the price. Campbell succumbed to injury, and Ahumada and Ozich faded through the back 9.
The attrition left the door open for Mark Thompson and Tim Woods, who moved up through the field, and rapped their hands around the podium like it was the last cup of Ramen noodles at the aid station.
They didn’t have a sh💩tshow of catching the Cochrane machine, who finished in 17:50:10, setting the new standard by taking 48 minutes of Will Bell’s time from last year.
Here’s what Simon had to say about his experience of The Faultline Miler.
What are your impressions of the Faultline course and event as a whole?
“What a course ay, brutal as and actually 5400m elevation gain, not the advertised 4700m haha.”
“Great mix of terrain and trails, and cool to finish up running the linked up inner city trails. Not many other races have that.”
“Well run event and awesome crew and volunteers Even more stoked that Samira who I coach, won the women’s 100mile race too!”
Simon Cochrane
Thanks for that, Simon - what’s 700m of vert between friends?😝
The Worlds End:📏103KM | ⛰️2966M
My pre-race picks: Chester Holt-Quick✔️ | Mel Brandon: ✔️
Men's podium:
🥇Chester Holt-Quick - 11:03:18 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈Simon Angus - 11:33:39
🥉Hopcyn Matthews - 11:52:57
Chester Holy-Quick Batman! took off from the start like he had a reservation at The Crab Shack for 8 PM.
Simon Angus also had places to be, tracking him up through Belmont before catching Chester as they entered Ptown.
Angus used his familiarity of Da Knob to open up a 7 minute lead over Chester, before Holy-Quick swallowed it back up by the time they hit the Makara Hub (72km).
The back-and-forth battle was over, Chester went on to a commanding 30-minute victory and sliced 42:52 off last year’s winning time.
Hopcyn Matthews ran a patient race, moving up into the top 5 at the halfway point before getting his mitts on the Bronze position and holding on for dear life.
Chester was kind enough to give us a bit of insight into his battle with Simon:
You had a great battle with Simon all day - run us through how it played out
“Set out from the Belmont start over Boulder Hill with a subtempo effort as a bit of an acid test of the recklessness of the other front guys.”
“Simon was the only one to take it on, and stayed mostly in touch throughout the climb, and then caught me up in Porirua where we shared some yarns about the local water systems.”
“I had a sense that we were both pushing the pace a bit through here (and it was hot) and would need to ease back to avoid catastrophe, but Simon proved the more reckless one and pushed on up Colonial Knob. I had a bad feeling about that approach so took a few walkies and ate some chips.”
“I let about 7 minutes go from Spicer through Ohariu while finding more of an “all day” pace.”
“My general strategy proved to be successful by Mākara where I narrowed the gap to 2 mins before the first climb. I caught Simon at the Swing Bridge. From that point on it was a story of fresher legs - with mine proving the fresher pair on the day.”
“As my first 100km I can say it’s the hardest run I've ever done. Total freak out hitting 50km and then realising you have another 50km to go!”
“Shoutout to Simon, he’s a one strong runner man.”
Chester Holt-Quick
Thanks for that, Chester - Good to know it’s as hard for the front as the back!
Women's podium:
🥇Mel Brandon - 12:35:29 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈Courtney Ryan - 13:53:05
🥉Esther O'Sullivan - 14:01:43
Mel Brandon cruuuuushed her first 100km race. It’s not every day you win by over an hour and take 2:42:05 off the CR (I wrote that back in January when she told me what she was up to.)
On her hometown trails, Brandon quickly went to work, opening a 4-minute gap over Auckland’s Courtney Ryan.
At the marathon mark, she was 16 minutes ahead and looking comfortable. It was here that she got the Mini Weber out and started climbing through the men’s field.
With 30km to go, her lead had blown out to 48 minutes, but she was moving into uncharted territory. She held it together at the new distance, taking the victory, setting a new red-hot course record and finishing 4th overall💪.
Courtney Ryan hung tough to take 2nd to go with her silver at Taupo 100 last year, with Esther O’Sullivan taking the Bronze.
Mel was kind enough to answer a couple of questions.
From the outside looking in, it looks like you had a near-perfect race. Did everything go to plan, and how does it feel to win your first-ever 100k race?
“What an incredible event - amazingly well organised. It went better than expected. Felt rubbish in weeks leading up and was diagnosed with critically low iron just before Easter and not enough time to get an infusion.”
“So had 6 days of liver for dinner (sorry vegans & vegetarians!) and supplements which must have boosted levels just enough. So that was my main concern.”
“The support from coach Andrew Wharton was epic, and all the supporters on course. Fuelled very well throughout the day with plenty of real food, tailwind and water. Just loved being out there.”
“The last 10km was so tough - the legs felt smashed and after Pohill trails the quads were screaming. But pleased my 47-year-old bod held up to the end!”
Thanks for that, Mel. You’ve set a high bar for 2026!
Shake & Bake:📏53KM | ⛰️1607M
My pre-race picks: Jane McAlpine❌(🥈) | Nick Craig:❌ (🥉)
Women's podium:
🥇Talia Flannery - 5:32:22
🥈Jane McAlpine - 5:37:16
🥉Mari Manger - 5:40:00
Talia Flannery stepped up to the 50 km distance after winning last year’s WAI2K 25km and banking a 4th at the Faultline 25km last year.
12km in, Flannery had edged out a 3-minute lead over Bridget Douglas and Jane McAlpine. She had doubled her lead with 10km to go, but it was now Mari Manger leading the chase with McAlpine.
Flannery held firm, crossing the line 5 minutes clear of McAlpine, who won her game of cat & mouse with Manger to take the Silver.
Men's podium:
🥇Gary Carleton - 4:33:37
🥈Thomas Callan - 4:41:29
🥉Nick Craig - 4:58:32
Thomas Callan & Gary Carleton set the early pace, leading the field through the first 12km, with Nick Craig and Derek McGoldrick doing their best to keep it close.
Callan and Carleton would continue their dong-dong🍆 battle, but with 10km to go, Carleton had pulled 4 minutes ahead, and Callan’s wheels began to wobble.
Carelton went on to take the win by 8 minutes over Callan, who completed an emergency wheel alignment to take the Silver to go with his 🥇25km from 2024.
Nick Craig made it 2 🥉Bronze in 3 weeks, backing up from the Tararua Mountain Race just 2 weeks ago.
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.
This Week’s Newsletter Is Brought To You By…
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Skedaddle Results
Skedaddle was back for its third year, and it seems that the weather gods have truly blessed Skedaddle☀️. 3/3 bluebird days in April, bravo.
Not only has the field size expanded rapidly, but the level of competition has also increased. There’s something about being allowed to race somewhere that is usually off-limits that gets trail runners sweaty between the toes.
Two Tunner: 📏42KM | ⛰️ 2097M
Women’s podium:
🥇Nancy Jiang - 4:36:55 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈Emma Timmis - 4:55:30
🥉Amy Montagu - 5:14:34
Nancy Jiang took 10m50s off the course record in her first hit out since accepting her Western States Golden Ticket at Tarawera. We’re 2 months out, and Jiang sounds hungry for redemption. I can’t wait!
Emma Timmis was back to defend her title, but forgot to give Jiang the script. She would have to settle for silver to match her 2023 one.
Amy Montagu ended up in no-mans land, 20 minutes behind Timmis, but 14 minutes ahead of Sarah Bryant to take the Bronze.
Men’s podium:
🥇Aditya Kesarcodi-Watson - 3:56:36
🥈Benje Patterson - 4:02:14
🥉Steven Melton - 4:02:22
Aditya Kesarcodi-Watson last year ran over 20 minutes faster than the CR … only to be one upped by the legend Scotty Hawker who ripped the stuffing out of the course, making it look more a Skediddle than a Skedaddle.
This year, he ran 2m13s faster and intercepted Hawker’s invite in the post. He beat out a strong field, too. The ever-present Benge Patterson took the Silver in a near photo finish with Steven Melton #nohandsholding
Wilderbeast: 📏30K | ⛰️1397M
Women’s podium:
🥇Kiri Atkin - 3:19:42 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈Clare Gunton - 3:30:43
🥉Paige Adams - 3:43:17
Kiri Atkin proved to be the wilder beast, knocking 21 minutes off the CR and taking a comfortable 10-minute win over Clare Gunton💪.
Paige Adams battled Jess Annan for the final podium spot, stretching away by just over 3 minutes.
Men’s podium:
🥇Daniele Danesin - 2:45:38 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈Matt Ogden - 3:04:36
🥉Alastair McDowell - 3:05:57
The Italian Stallion, Daniele Danesin, came out swinging, knocking out his opponents and taking 5 minutes off Ben Williams' 2023 CR.
Mr. Rogaine, Matt Odgen, and wholesome Mountaineer Extraordinaire Alastair McDowell were left to battle it out for Silver & Bronze.
They do seem to be on to something down at the Island Hills Station. They started with 250 runners in 2023, then increased to 500, and this year had over 750 runners smashing it around the Hurunui. Will 2026 have them cracking four figures?
Click Here for the full results, including the 15km, 10km, and 4 km kids race
Follow the Skedaddle Instagram for more coverage from the weekend.
Things You May Have Missed
Mountain Road Running Championships in Cardrona
The 2025 big AF hill road running champs were held on Saturday in Cardrona. It was an 11km / 1000m+ course up the ski road.
Thank you to Athletics NZ NZ Predict for sending through the results.
🥇Maia Flint
🥈Jess Speedy
🥉Liliana Braun
🥇Toby Gualter
🥈Michael Sutton
🥉Jono Jackson
New Kings & Queens Crowned at Da Mount
Sunday was the 78th running of the Mauao King and Queen of the Mountain. Michael Sutton backed up from his 2nd place in Cardrona the day before with an impressive win.
🥇Michael Sutton
🥈Joshua Hudson
🥉Grant Dorey
🥇Mia Morrison
🥈Anna Dean
🥉Helen Gavin
Should Have Gone To Specsavers
The Spectacle have released its 2025 event schedule.
The major changes I can see:
The 100-mile race has been rescheduled for Friday morning instead of Friday night, and there will be two waves.
There is still a 3 am start for the 100km, but if you expect to be at the back, you will now start at 5 pm on Friday.
There is also now an early 50km wave at 3 am Saturday.
Trail Running NZ Get FKT Update
We have 2 more GET FKT winners!
Congratulations too …
Crystal Bartlett
Nathan Tse
You’ve won yourselves Merrell Gift Vouchers!
Crystal ran 28:26, scraping in by 4 seconds to take out the Tauhara Up segment on her way to Napier.
Nathan CRUSHED the Tip Track in 18:49 - next level!
178 people are currently registered for the challenge through the Strava Club. This is the easiest way for me to track the segments, so please join if you want to enter the prize draw.
May 4th is the last day - so get out there and GET FKT!
Worst Run Ever
Alright - it’s been forever since we had a Worst Run Ever. It’s easily my favourite part of the newsletter when we’ve got them.
I thought I would share the very first “Worst Run Ever” from the 20th of February, 2023 as inspiration … and there were only 20 readers back then!
"I had been ski touring⛷️ for the last 4 months in Squamish, Canada. I was living my absolute best life. It was spring, and I was out of shape; well... I was A shape. A beer🍺 and chips🍟 kind of shape. I thought I would run up to 'The Chief' (awesome mountain name alert).
Turns out, dicking around in the snow doesn't prepare you for uphill running - who would have thought? Long story short, I found myself an hour up the hill with searing pain ripping through my knee. No food or warm clothes. Doh!😮
That was a long walk home in -10 🥶. I wondered who would kill me first - The resident bears 🐻 or my partner Jo, who was running out to meet me ..."
Arran Whiteford - Retold ... Embellished by Bradley Houghton
The stories don’t have to be transcripts of Shakespeare. The main thing is, in the moment, it felt like the Worst Run Ever. It doesn’t even need to be that bad!
We’ve all had them. For whatever reason, the run is just doomed from the start.
Maybe you lost your keys, or you will to live. Maybe you stepped in dog sh💩t on your first run in your new bazillion-dollar super shoes. Or perhaps you just missed the cutoff… to the pub!
DM them on Instagram or email through to trailrunningnz@gmail.com - I’m more than happy to help flesh them out!
Upcoming Events:
It looks like a bit of a rest week by the looks of it.
We will pick things back up with a preview of The South Island Ultra and The Best Dam Backyard Ultra, which are on the 10th.
Ultra Trail Australia is also just around the corner on the 17th - I can’t wait for this one.
#Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
This week’s hit of the good stuff is from Tamsen Walker. She went venturing with her little brother up Mt. Titiroa - how good?
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 .. I’m not sure what will be in it. Send me all the interesting things please!
It takes hours to write this newsletter but only 7.486 seconds to forward it to a friend.
Thanks Jacqui! Yup I think it’s on a roll now with 2 good years to get things all worked out. Good to finally meet you- hope the Marshalling shift went well!
An enormous honour to get this great avatar 🙏. Absolute gold 😂.