🏃Motatapu results, 🌋Ring of Fire preview & Worst Story Ever
“I’m sure it’s just here.”🔍 “Where else could it be?”😕
Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
We're like Stuff News- Not always accurate, and sometimes guessing what has happened at a running event 😂
Here's what's in the running vest this week:
Motatapu Results
My Worst Run Ever
Upcoming Events: Ring of Fire & Tussock Traverse
Mountain Skag pic of the week
Motatapu Results
Photo: Motatapu Facebook
Motatapu was back on Saturday and showed us what we've missed for the last couple of years. Over 1100 runners and walkers lined up across 3 races.
Motatapu Ultra: 📏52.5KM | ⛰️ 3300M | 149 🏃🏃♀️
The Motatapu Ultra is one tough cookie🍪. Like, you left your gingernut in the freezer, tough. When the course records for a 50K event are over 6 hours, you know you're in for some "type 2" fun.
149 Runners lined up @ 6AM to take on the Ultra- Photo: Motatapu Facebook
Women's podium:
🥇Hayley Teale - 8:23:36
🥈Jenny James - 8:35:43
🥉Catherine Calverley - 8:36:15
Hayley Teale from Brisbane, Straya🦘made a last-minute decision to run Motatapu Ultra. I bet she's pretty happy with her decision. What a brutal introduction to running in NZ. Through 25K and 3 of the 4 major climbs done, Teale had ground out a 5-6 minute lead over Catherine Calverley, with 3-4 others not too far behind. Not a done deal by any stretch. By the 44K mark, she had extended her lead by close to 10 minutes. Calverley was still in 2nd, but Jenny James had made up 10 minutes over the last 19K to be hot on her heels🔥👠.
Teale took the win by 12 minutes, with James edging out Calverley in the final 8K.Here is Hayley's take on the day.
"The course was spectacular. It's my first time in NZ and I flew in yesterday with a breathtaking view of the mountain range from the plane. I couldn't wait to get out there!
The course is beautiful and the views are amazing. The climbs are brutal, as are the descents but that's how we challenge ourselves in these events.
I was unprepared for the amount of time we would spend wading in the river but it was so refreshing. Thank goodness I plastered my toes in Vaseline this morning. I will definitely be back to explore more of NZ "
Hayley Teale
Men's podium:
🥇 Weston Hill - 6:04:05 - New Course record!
🥈Lewis Latham - 6:24:22
🥉Benje Patterson - 6:35:54
Weston Hill, Lewis Latham, Benje Patterson Photo: Adam Keen @ Aerobic Edge
Weston Hill put on a dominant display to lead from start to finish, taking a whopping 11 minutes off Charlie Wares's 2016 course record💪🔥. At 25K, he had built up a 14-minute lead over Lewis Latham, who was 14 minutes ahead of Jonah Smith in 3rd. Through 44K, his lead had blown out to over 20 minutes, and Latham looked a lock for 2nd, still holding on to a 14-minute gap.
However, the battle for 3rd and 4th heated up. Benje Patterson closed the small gap on Smith, and at 44K, they were now running together. Patterson had the legs and kicked on to take 3rd behind Hill and Latham. A fantastic race from Weston Hill, Latham, could probably feel a little hard done. His time is the 4th fastest ever and would be good for 1st most years.
Motatapu Off-road Marathon: 📏42.2KM | ⛰️1022M | 485🏃🏃♀️
Men's podium:
🥇Ben Gatting - 3:01:18
🥈Scotty Hawker - 3:17:26
🥉Lars Winther - 3:24:44
Ben Gatting showed his class running away from a strong field. At the first split (9KM), he was already 3 minutes ahead of Scotty Hawker. This would be the day's theme as he methodically stretched out to take the win by 16 minutes.
Hawker found himself in a tight battle for 2nd and 3rd. He was a minute clear at the 9K checkpoint, but by the time he rolled through 17K, he had Chris O'Connell on his back. The 2 ran together for 10K, but the elastic eventually broke. O'Connell dropped off the pace but still held firm to finish 5th. Not a bad result for Scotty Hawker, considering he just had hand surgery last week🤯. Here is Scotty's take on the day.
“It was awesome to finally be able to run at Motatapu this weekend. Originally I was signed up for the Ultra Run but hand surgery last week meant using poles or hands on knees was not an option, so the more runnable marathon it was.
The course was super nice and had some amazing scenery and cool river crossings. I enjoyed my run and it was a good shock to the system early in my build to Western States in June. We’re Already planning to return in 2024!!"
Scotty Hawker
Women's podium:
🥇Ella Fry - 3:41:22
🥈Sammy Burke - 3:53:43
🥉Nikki Hill - 3:55:49
The Women's race started a much tighter affair. Nikki Hill led Ella Fry through the first checkpoint (9K), with Sammy Burke and Anesa Robinson trailing by only 50 seconds. Fry then dropped the hammer🔨 and smashed out a 5-minute lead over the next 8K.
She extended her lead with every stride, taking the win by just over 12 minutes. Similar to the Men's race, the battle for 2nd and 3rd was a tight one. Hill, who set the pace early, couldn't hold on to Fry. She was still 2nd after 17K, but Sammy Burke had joined her. Burke slowly pulled away from Hill, grinding⚙️ out a 2-minute lead on Hill. She maintained that 2-minute lead over Hill for the final 15K. Great racing all around.
Plenty of river crossings to keep cool across all 3 races. Photo: Motatapu Instagram
Motatapu Miners Trail: 📏15.7KM | ⛰️927M | 508🏃🏃♀️
Women's podium:
🥇 Sarah Douglas - 1:29:01
🥈Lucy Annan - 1:43:39
🥉Aly Craigie - 1:46:31
Sarah Douglas had too much gas and took a comfortable 14-minute win over Lucy Annan and Aly Craigie.
Men's podium:
🥇Andy Good - 1:14:03
🥈Niam Macdonald - 1:20:36
🥉Jack Mckay - 1:20:39
Andy Good lived up to his name and crushed the Men's race. The final 2 podium spots turned into a lolly scramble, with Niam Macdonald, Jack Mckay, and Lee Cook finishing within 8 seconds of each other.
Great turn out to all 3 races. Photo: Motatapu Instagram
My Worst Run Ever
This week I bring you my 'Worst Run Ever.' I've got a lot of good feedback on this section, but not too many stories flowing in. Remember, we can make it as anonymous as you want. Send your Worst Run Ever to [email protected] or send a DM on Instagram
Lost on Cone Saddle. Not the first, won't be the last.
“I’m sure it’s just here.🔍
Where else could it be?😕
WTF are you going to do if you can't find the track🤬
What does it look like if I can’t get out?
Sort your shit out, you got yourself into this you can get yourself out
Brookes expecting you any minute in Kaitokie, you’re going around in circles. You’ve really f 🤬🤬 ked this up”
These were my inner thoughts at the end of February 2022, when I had my first SK Tarn attempt. It was my first big solo mission. The day didn’t go perfectly, but I was still in the fight. That was until I got lost heading towards Cone saddle.
The weight of the day came down on me with its full force, and I made a simple nav error. I thought a triangle sent me up the bank. When I realized I was off track, I couldn’t find myself back to the last triangle. In fact, I couldn’t find any semblance of the track at all. How could I lose the track so easily?
I can’t even tell you how long I was lost. I was in a Cone saddle wormhole. Eventually, I reset my mind, ate some food🍲, and scraped together enough grey matter to refind the track🔦. I can’t begin to describe the relief😌 I felt seeing that first orange triangle after being lost for hours. By that time, my quads had completely cooled down🧊 and refused to refire.I had the worst DOMS I had ever had and I was hours from the finish. It was a long painful death march🧟 down the valleys of doom. So much time to think about how close I was to my goal, and how badly I had f 🤬🤬 ed it up.
The sun rose🌄 for the second time during the mission and I completed the route in just under 29H.
I have never felt such a mix of relief and frustration all wrapped into one giant ball of mind f 🤬🤬 k.
Bradley Houghton
Upcoming Events
Ring Of Fire
Saturday 11th of March
The Ring of Fire is back, and I'm not talking Johnny Cash. It's been a few haircuts since runners lined up to circumnavigate Mt Ruapehu⛰️ - 4 years😱. This year it's part of the Ruapehu Trail Festival - which means it's been sandwiched 🥪 with the Tussock Traverse. Smart move; this should help consolidate some of the costs and ensure the event's longevity. There was also a Sky Running Vertical Challenge advertised, which has now been deferred. The Ring of Fire offers a 50K & 73K distance. So I will do things differently this week and look at the 73K course in-depth. It's the first race I signed up to that made me shit my pants just thinking about it💩- but don't worry; we will still have all the results and breakdown from the other races next week.
Ring Of Fire: 📏73KM | ⛰️3370M
CR:🏃♂️Sam Clark 8:30:32 (2019) | 🏃♀️Lucy Bartholomew 10:15:10 (2019)
This is the main drawcard. It's what the event is named after. It's what draws the diehards from around the country. After all, it's not called the "2/3rds Ring Stinger"
Now close your eyes and imagine this ...It's 4 AM. You're lined up outside the historic Chateau (RIP☠️). The gun goes off, and you're racing into the darkness🌑, following an orgy of headlamps and sloshing bladders. Your lungs are burning from the cool, clean mountain air. But you don't care. How f🤬🤬king cool is this? I'm running around a volcano🌋! I've got nothing else for you if that doesn't get you amped.
Leg 1 - The GoatThe first leg is pretty much 'The Goat'🐐. Well, kind of; this time, the goat has a headlamp strapped to their head. This is not the race to skimp on your headlamp; I recommend a minimum of 400 lumens .The extra challenge is worth it for the sunrise🤞🤞.
A good headlamp is key for the first leg
You will run across boulder-filled valleys, glacial river crossings, ancient lava flows, and the occasional boardwalk. The pinnacle of this leg is the climb up the twin cascade waterfalls to the Ohakune Mountain Road. You need to take it easy on this first leg. If you're already gassed and cramping, I suggest getting a ride to the Powderhorn for a drink🍺.
Me (Bradley) and my best mate Josh after climbing the waterfall in the first leg.
Leg 2 - The Missing LinkThe "Missing Link" is up next - I don't know where it was missing, but I'm glad they found it. Somehow this is even better than the first leg. The beech forest is immense, but the Wahianoa and Whangaehu valleys are something else. If you want to feel tiny and insignificant, these crossings will do just that. If it's forecast to be a hot day, make sure you have a tonne to drink before setting off on this leg, and take an extra flask. Once you leave the beech forest, you are completely exposed. The Missing Link finishes at the Tukino access road.
Leg 3 - The 'old' Tussock Traverse, aka the home stretchThe 3rd stage is the old Tussock Traverse course. All day it feels like you're running further and further away from the Chateau. When you arrive at the Tukino access road, this changes. You start heading back towards the Chateau. You can feel it drawing closer with every step. The descent off the access road into the boulder valley is epic. If you managed to lock your legs away in a high-interest savings account, it's time to cash in. It's net downhill for 10K to Waihohonu Hut - It might not feel like it, but this last section gives you an opportunity to run. On the home stretch, you will get sneak peeks of the Chateau sitting in all its grandeur. Running, hobbling, crawling into the finish, there is no better feeling.
Ahhh finish line glory - is there anything better then knocking off a big goal?
I also talked to my buddy Andrew Thompson (Former NZ trail running champ) to get his thoughts on the Ring of Fire.What was your highlight of the event?Too many really. The vibe the crew and volunteers create is pretty special, particularly at the finish line. The views too, of course, everything you look at is spectacular. One that stood out was the immense size and ruggedness of Wahianoa valley as you crest its lip. Yes, you do have to go all the way down, and ALL the way back up.What was your biggest challenge during the RoF? The lack of water on the course. I was fine until the Tukino Road aid station where suddenly the cloud broke and the cool day gave way to some hot temps. The tussock traverse section is a very dry and hot part of the course, and I didn't take on enough water at the aid station thinking I'd breeze through the fast runnable stuff. I was wrong so I lost a bit of time feeling dehydrated at the end. What's your advice to runners competing in RoF who is running in the central plateau for the first time?As above, take plenty of water with you or down a load at the aid stations. Take the Goat section fairly easy, because the rutted muddy track really sucks a lot out of you. There is much easier running in the last two-thirds. Also, be prepared for four seasons. Going around all sides of a massive mountain, you're going to experience everything you can imagine.
The "2/3rds Ring Stinger": 📏50KM | ⛰️1912M
CR:🏃♂️Kunaal Rajpal 05:38:45 (2019) | 🏃♀️Helene Barron 6:44:56
The 50K course is still a huge challenge, and it's still pretty awesome running 2/3rds of the way around a mountain! The course starts at Ohakune Mountain Road, and you run the 2nd and 3rd leg of the Ring of Fire.
Tussock Traverse: 📏32KM | ⛰️ 775M
The 32K course starts at the bottom of the Tukino Ski field access road. It's a decent run up the road, which will help split the pack before dropping into the final leg of the Ring of Fire.
Tussock Traverse: 📏21KM | ⛰️ 544M
The 21K course starts just off the desert road. If you've ever run into the Waihohonu Hut to break up a long road trip, this is the first part of the course. Once at the hut, you join the other runners on the home stretch of the RoF course.
For more coverage of the event check out Facebook & Instagram
Mountain Skag pic of the week
This week's pic is from Gwenan Riley on her trip down to Queenstown. In her element, big country and big smiles.
Tag @trailrunning.nz and #mountainskag to enterEvery entry goes into the monthly draw to win a Mountain Skag T-Shirt or hat.
We will be back next week with the Ring of Fire and Tussock Traverse results. Tag us on Instagram @trailrunning.nz with all things NZ trail running.If you're picking up what I'm putting down, please subscribe 😀.
PS- Do you have any ideas of what other content you would like to see? Race season will be over soon - Do you want to see coverage of Big Missions? Maybe a spotlight on some underrated trails? Get in touch with me, t[email protected] or DM on Instagram