🏃🏃♀️Kinloch Offroad, Scenic Circles & More
Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
We’re here for you like Spring. A bit all over the place, with a few bright moments😂.
Here's what’s in the drop bag this week:
🏃🏃♀️Kinloch Offroad Challenge Results
😵💫Scenic Circles Results
📰International Results Desk
🏕️Mission Corner
🎯Things You May Have Missed
🟣Worst Run Ever
⛰️💊Mountain Skag Pic of the Week & August Vote
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.
We’ve got more positive results this week than an STI clinic at Burning Man, so let's jump straight in👇.
Kinloch Offroad Challenge Results
The Totalsport team must have slipped Windy.com a sly backhander, as for the 2nd year in a row, they had near-perfect running conditions for the Kinloch Offroad Challenge.
Kinloch Offroad Marathon
Women’s Podium
🥇Zoe Van Mil - 3:49:41
🥈Carly Ralph - 3:59:30
🥉Maria Page - 4:00:45
With last year’s champ, Caris Teo, focusing on the Lake Dunstan Trail Marathon last weekend and Nikki Everton (2022🥇, 2023🥈) hitting the sideline to cheer on hubby Tom Everton, this race was there for the taking.
And that’s exactly what Zoe Van Mil did, grabbing the race by the scruff of the neck and claiming her first marathon victory by 10 minutes over Carly Ralph.
Maria Page finished just 2 seconds ahead of Robyn O’Brien to take the bronze. I don’t know if they crossed the line holding hands or throwing elbows😂.
Men’s Podium
🥇Casey Thorby - 2:47:54
🥈Ben Aitken - 3:28:26
🥉Ehsan Lorestani - 3:30:19
Casey Thorby IS the Kinloch Offroad Challenge.
Not content with his hat trick of victories in the half marathon (2019, 2022, 2023), Thorby stepped up to take on his first-ever marathon.
Imagine running 2:47:54 and winning by 40 minutes in your first marathon, and a trail one at that. Some people just make me sick!😫
It was a much tighter battle for the remaining podium spots, with Ben Aitken edging out Ehsan Lorestani, who was backing up from last week’s 3:31:44 at the Lake Dunstan Trail Marathon.
Kinloch Offroad Half Marathon
Men’s Podium
🥇Phil Murray - 1:38:16
🥈Jaspar Vowden - 1:40:07
🥉Eddie Rawles - 1:42:08
For the first time since 2018, a new name has been etched into the trophy. Phil Murray took full advantage of Casey Thorby's step up to the marathon, claiming victory over Jaspar Vowden by just under 2 minutes.
Eddie Rawles rounded out the podium a further 2 minutes back.
Women’s Podium
🥇Jessica Mazaitis - 1:49:58
🥈Penny Brown - 1:54:42
🥉Jane McAlpine - 1:56:03
There was a bit more cushion for Jessica Mazaitis, who took the tape just under 5 minutes ahead of Penny Brown, who had the fast-finishing Jane McAlpine breathing down her neck.
The Full Results are available here.
Scenic Circles Backyard Ultra Results
On Saturday, over 80 runners descended on Timaru to run the 2nd year of Scenic Circles Backyard Ultra. The city’s population ballooned past 30,000, making it the South Island's second-largest city for the weekend.
Now, I don’t have a complete list of results. With grassroots events come grassroots results.
You can’t have your fireball shot and drink it, too.
Thank you to Steve Trippy, Paul Forbes, and Adam Keen for filling in the gaps.
Men’s & Overall Champion:
🏆Connor Aldridge - 228.16km 34 laps
With defending champ Glen Sutton winning the Naseby 200 miler last week, the door was left wide open for a new champion at Scenic Circles.
Enter Connor ‘All Day’Night’ Aldridge.
Connor finished 4th in 2023, running 180 km in his first backyard ultra. He caught the bug and headed to Riverhead Relaps earlier this year, ticking up an impressive 234.85 km to finish 6th.
He may not have cracked his overall PB, but he ran 48km more than 2023 to be the last person standing this year at Scenic Circles😎.
The Assist
☠️Josh Hastie - 221.44km - 33 laps
The assist went to Josh Hastie, who has a history with backyards similar to Connor's. In 2023, he ran both Riverhead Relaps and Scenic Circles.
Fun fact: Josh ran further this time (221.44km) than his other 2 backyards combined (202km).
Women’s Champion:
🏆Maya Edmondson - 201.31km - 30 laps💪
Make no mistake. Maya Edmondson was there for the win. Adam Keen tells me Maya went full assault mode, running 42-minute hot laps through the night.
She didn’t quite manage to run the legs off all the guys, but she did knock off Julia Chamberlain’s 29-lap benchmark set last year.
Well done, Maya. There can’t be too many 18-year-olds🤯 in the country, let alone the world, who have run over 200km!
If you’re feeling inspired to run around in circles, your next opportunities are:
Brighton’s Backyard - 30/09/24
River Run Back Yard - 26/10/24Arrowtown Backyard Ultra - 09/11/24 (SOLD OUT)
International Results Desk
The International Results Desk has been flat-tack this week. If you have the inside scoop on a Kiwi doing something cool overseas, fire it my way!
Stoked As Bro
Last weekend, Katie Morgan took out the Stoked Ultra (50km, 3000m) in Revelstoke, British Columbia. I can see why it’s called Stoked. It’s an amazing-looking course.
Xterra World Championships
Dan Hayman from Leith Harriers Dunedin was crowned 20-24 Age Group champion at the Xterra World Championships in Maine, Murica🌭. Not only did he win his age group, he finished 7th overall.
Skyrunning World Championships
We had 5 Kiwis going hard in Soria, Spain, this past weekend at the Skyrunning World Champs. Now, if you’re wondering why it’s called Sky Running, here’s a definition ripped straight from Wikipedia.
Skyrunning is a sport of mountain running above 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) where the minimum average incline is 6% over the total distance and at least 5% has an incline of 30% or more.
TLDR: Mountain running above 2,000m on steep af and technical terrain.
My intel machine struggled with all the Spanish, so I don’t have many details apart from the positions they finished in each race.
Vertical Kilometer
Cole Jackson - 6th
Toby Batchelor - 15th
Kate Morrison - 26th
37km | ????
Cole Jackson - 26th
Jessica Campbell - 31st
Kate Morrison - 36th
65km | 4000m
Alastair McDowell - 45th
Dragons Back Stage Race
Brooke Cox took 5th place at The Dragons Back Stage Race (380km, 17,000m) in 67:35:29. What a fantastic result! She was only a couple of hours off the podium as well. 3rd place finished in 65:28:38.
Kerry Bennet (he’s Welsh, but we will claim him) wasn’t too far behind in 68:18:46.
Siobhan Milner & Matthew Gummer also started the race, but it looks like (if I’m reading the results correctly) that they didn’t complete the entire race.
Dolomiti di Brenta 45k
Laurence Pidcock took time from his busy holiday schedule to race Dolomiti di Brenta 45k in Northern Italy, finishing 20th overall. Actual mountains, scree slopes & near vertical climbs. It’s no Tararua’s, but I guess it’ll do.
Mission Corner
CODE NAME: Double Heaphy
3 weeks ago, Hannah Presswood and Brion Matthews casually belted out a double Heaphy Track.
They thought they had slipped by my intel machine with all the UTMB craziness. But like Sauron, my eye is always watching.
I managed to pester them enough that they were willing to answer some questions.
Whose idea was running a double Heaphy? Had either of you run/walked it before?
Hannah: That would be mine - although the original idea came from Richard Jackson, who ran the double by himself during Covid and saw a kiwi. Not to be outdone, we saw two kiwi.
Brion: I don't quite remember how it came about, but it was definitely Hannah's idea. I'm super glad I got the invite. I've never set foot on the track before. These missions are always about new experiences for me, so the less known the better!
Give us a rundown on how you approached it, the start time, how long you expected it to take etc
Hannah: We set a date about 4 months ago, met at Brion's house on Friday afternoon, and winged it from there. We didn't even arrive in Nelson until after 10pm and were surprised to find it was still 2.5 hours drive to the trailhead, so we didn't get on the track until nearly 10am Saturday. Not a lot of prior research or detailed planning!
We both agreed we would take it slow and easy, and then I went out like a cut cat and started out running all the hills, so we were tracking for about 20 hours at one point...but then my poor pacing strategy came back to bite and I death marched it in while Brion kept telling me how much fun he was having.
Brion: We're both pretty laid back, and didn't really want an 'Alpine Start'. We originally talked about bivying at the trail end but opted for the luxury of beds and hot water in Nelson at a family members house.
We didn't get underway until just before 10am. We figured that mission time would be in the region of 24h. It was more about time on feet than pushing time limits. For me, it was also a good opportunity to trial a few new night time nutrition options.
How did you feel when you got to the other end and had to turn around and do it all over?
Hannah: Thirsty.
Brion: We made pretty good time in the first half and rolled into the Karamea end a little after sunset after just over 10h elapsed. At that point you know the easiest option is to head back again and every step back is one step closer. I needed to bury the thought of only being halfway deep in the back of my mind though.
Did you have any low points?
Hannah: Yup
Brion: I didn't have any massive low points. Strangely the first 50km were the worst for me. The legs were still a little rusty and I was mentally wondering if I would make it there and back again. Especially when Hannah was moving super well and was slowed down a little by my pace (or lack of).
I'm not sure if I vocalised this to Hannah, but I was hoping like hell that the legs switched on. They luckily did, but the thought of cutting her trip short was on my mind during this time. Obviously the last 10-15km downhill seemed to stretch on forever, but I was just matter of getting it done at that point.
What was the highlight of the mission?
Hannah: Finishing.
Brion: So many highlights! I saw my first kiwi (x2) in the wild. I was surprised by both how large they are, and how fast they can crash through the bush. New trails and new views are always magic, but as always, being forced to hang out with an awesome person for an extended period is always the biggest win. It usually gets me talking about important people in my life, and you always come away with gratitude for them.
If you were to do it again, would you change anything?
Hannah: My feet were a mess, so a change of socks (and better socks with less friction) for sure. More caffeine - I underestimated how much I would need throughout the night. And I got sick of mixing electrolytes into my water which meant I got low on sodium and had to keep stopping to pee.
Brion: I'd wear cushier shoes. The track, while well-groomed and runnable is hard under foot. I think both of us came away with sore feet. It didn't help that our new pup chewed out the foam in the back of one shoe, and I didn't notice how severe it was until too late. My gear management. I'm usually pretty good, and think I even told Hannah this on the drive up. I then proceeded to put on a masterclass of poor gear management.
Do you have any other doubles lined up?
Hannah: Not doubles, but plenty of other missions on the list!
Brion: My lovely partner and kids are more understanding than they should be, but I need to pull my weight around home for a bit before any more missions!
Gear porn for all the nerds out there
Hannah:
Shorts for the day
Tights for the night
Merino t-shirt
Merino long sleeved top x2
Rainjacket
Gloves x2 (should have been 1x waterproof, but they were in the wash)
Buffs x2
Headtorch x2 plus spare battery
Poles
3x 600ml soft flasks
Emergency sleeping bag
PLB
Strapping tape
Lube
First aid kit
(everything was packed in dry bags)
Food: sports drink mix (Torq Energy and Morwots - uncaffeinated), Torq, Hammer and Maurten gels (only 3 caffeinated), Perpetuem powder, snickers bars, Ems Power Bars, OSM bites
Brion:
Ultimate Direction Fast Pack 20 (with strapping tape modifications) - meh.
3x 500ml flasks.
Huntaway Foster shorts - Bombproof and fast drying. Awesome.
Topo MTN Racer III (modified by pup) - good but not cushy enough.
Halfway change of top to keep warm.
Montaine Minimus jacket.
In dry bag for 'just in case'- puffer, fleece, poly top and bottoms.
Poly gloves and merino beanie.
First aid kit, spare headtorch cell, survival blanket.
Petzl Actik Core Headtorch - not the brightest, but manageable.
Trialled Morwots - went down well and no huge energy slumps.
No doze + gaviscon.
Bumper bars, chocolate covered donuts, lollies, bananas, cheesy white (death) rolls (never again), a few safety gels, salted deluxe nuts.
Wicked mission Hannah & Brion. Thanks for sharing!
Things You May Have Missed
It was announced this week that Ohakune Events Charitable Trust is taking over The Goat and Tussock Traverse from Victory Events. Also, they dropped this wee gem … Ring of Fire will be back in 2026 with a new course (I’m picking it will start in Ohakune.)
Kirin Fahey, Tip Track Marathon Champ & CR holder. Photo: I THINK Brad Coleman (late night FB trawling, apologise if it’s not Brad)
Kirin Fahey broke the female course record in Wellington at the Tip Track Marathon in a time of 4:37:35 . Yes, it’s hard to believe that people would run up and down the Tip Track 6 times, but it’s become one of the hottest dates on the running calendar in Wellington. Official Results Here
Worst Run Ever by UTMB 🟣CurraNZ
This week’s story is a reminder of the dangers of testosterone, ego & stairs.
“About 30 years ago, when I was a young buck, if the weather was good, I would run up Mt. Victoria from my office at lunch (about 3 times a year🤣). As I headed towards the summit this particular Friday, this other runner blew straight past me.”
“Not one to be outdone, I followed in hot pursuit. I waited for the stairs and decided to make my move. Testosterone and adrenaline pumping through my veins, I started my assault.”
“I drove my right foot down into the step, and I felt what I can only describe as the world’s loudest bubble wrap ‘pop’.”
“I sat there lying on the stairs, clutching my foot, looking up as this guy powering up the stairs, oblivious to his KO victory.”
“A bystander who witnessed the whole thing came to my assistance. They helped me up, and I tried to take a step. To this day, I’ve never been in so much pain. I immediately collapsed onto the stairs.”
“Now, this was the bad old days when not everyone carried a computer in their pocket. Eventually, an ambulance was called, and I got a ride to A&E.”
“Diagnosis? A severely bruised ego and a ruptured achilles.”
John Montgomery
Argh, ruptured Achilles. I bet you had fun explaining that to the boss when he noticed you had shot off early on a Friday.
The good news is you’re now in the monthly draw for some little purple pills from 🟣CurraNZ.
They won't help with a bruised ego, but they might help you feel like a young buck again.
Keep the stories coming in! Send them to trailrunningnz@gmail.com
They can be short or long. Funny😂 or sad😭. You can own it, or it can be made anonymous. They can even have a happy ending.
#Mountain Skag Pic Of August
Vote for your favourite #mountainskag winner from August below.
I’ve taken the names off the photos to avoid it being a popularity contest.
#Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
This week's #Mountain Skag is from the connoisseur Adam Carlson. Hitting that Big Hill Saddle Skag. It is looking suspiciously summery already.
Tag @trailrunning.nz and use #mountainskag 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 be back next week with … I have no idea what. Hopefully, some cool sh💩t happens.
It takes hours to write this newsletter but only 8 seconds to forward it to a friend.
PS: If you’re a paid subscriber and you missed last weeks Bonus Fritter, you can read it below.
I’m hoping the revised ring of fire brings back the relay option. My hubby wants to do the Goat leg and I want to do the other two legs. We did the whole thing together in 2018 in 19 hours. His first and only ultra. I have no idea why he’s never wanted to do another 😂