⛰️Mt Difficulty Results
"I hit the deck harder than Aunt Ruth on the D floor at our wedding..."
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⛰️Mt Difficulty Results
🎯Things You May Have Missed
🥳June Paid Subscriber Giveaway
😫Worst Run Ever
🏁Upcoming events:
⛰️💊Mountain Skag of The Week & May Winner
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Mt. Difficulty Ascent Results
Terry Davis has done it again. It was another ripper of a day, complete with a mysterious inversion layer to keep things interesting.
There was no snow and ice this year, but that didn’t stop 200-odd disciples of Vert from coming to worship on the slopes of Mt. Difficulty.
44KM
Women’s podium:
🥇Julia Chamberlain - 5:46:04
🥈Natti Phillips - 5:56:58
🥉Esther O’Sullivan - 6:01:15 (Apologies if this is wrong. Results have it as “O�Sullivan”)
Julia Chamberlain continued her strong 2024 form, adding to her victory🥇 at the final Mt. Oxford Odyssey 50km and 4th place at 3 Peaks+1 in Dunedin.
After trailing early, she caught the front of the field and managed to gap Natti Phillips heading up the infamous Mt.Difficulty climb.
She never looked back, stretching out to a 10-minute victory over Phillips, with Esther O’Sullivan keeping the pressure on, finishing a further 5 minutes back.
Julia was generous enough to give us the low down on her race below:
“Started out with a hiss and a roar into the sluicings and then settled into the first climb over Nipple Hill. The second climb was a wake up to the legs. Once at the top, played catch up to the other ladies and broke above the cloud, yahoo!”
“The climb up Mt Diff was tough yet FUN! The lingering smell of thyme made it oh so bittersweet. I managed to pull away from Natti who was hot on my heels. Sent it down the hills and had a bloody good time.”
“The conditions were epic and the course was wicked. Thanks to the team at Highland events for a great day!”
-Julia Chamberlain
Men’s podium:
🥇Hamish Elliot - 4:54:23
🥈Douglas Golding - 5:09:27
🥉Freddie Wright - 5:14:07
Hamish Elliot is CRUSHING 2024.
🥇Coast to Coast Longest Day✅
🥈2:34:11 Hawkes Bay Marathon✅
🥇Back to back titles @ Mt. Difficulty ascent✅
What an absolute animal. Not satisfied with winning NZ’s most prestigious endurance event, he’s trolled us all by running a 2:34 flat marathon as a lead into NZ’s steepest marathon. Give me a break. At school, we had a word for people like that … anyway, where was I😂?
Elliot once again dominated the steep slopes of Mt. Difficulty, making a mockery of the gradient as he kicked well clear of the competition. He finished 9 seconds behind his 2023 winning time. Talk about consistency.
Douglas Golding and Freddie Wright had a ding dong over the silver and bronze with Golding coming out on top.
Here is what Hamish had to say about his day:
“The race went well.. I didn’t start too hard and was focused on looking after the legs in hope to still be running well later in the race.”
“I climbed steady but at a sustainable effort and descended well.. It was great weather and warm above the clouds which meant taking in a lot of fluid and stopping at the streams to top up on water.”
“The middle traverse was pretty rough and wasn’t feeling so strong, but kept chipping away, dripping in sugar and ran really well on the last descent.”
“Thanks to Terry and his team for hosting such an epic event and all the volunteers out on course!”
“A great event for any adventurer!”
-Hamish Elliot
Men’s podium:
🥇Victor Peigne - 2:35:06
🥈Tom Schenk - 2:36:53
🥉Lewis Latham - 2:37:54
Unlike the 44km, things were tighter than a shark’s sphincter (water-tight) in the shorter race. It was a battle of the young guns up front, with Victor Peigne (20) doing enough for a mallow puff, sprinting through the vines to finish 1m47s clear of Tom Schenk (17).
Lewis Latham scored one for the grown-ups, rounding out the podium a further minute back.
25km
Women’s podium:
🥇Isabella Reid - 3:05:17
🥈Stephanie Wilson - 3:08:33
🥉Sarah Jenkins - 3:09:22
It was a similar story on the women’s side of the race, with Isabella Reid taking the glory 3m16 clear of Stephanie Wilson, who held off a fast-finishing Sarah Jenkins.
I got hold of the insatiable vert addict Jennifer Tregurtha, who was right in her element.
Here is her report on how her day went down.
“This was my first experience of a Terry Davis race, and after an entertaining briefing, I was looking forward to what the next day would bring.”
“The start of the race goes up through the Bannockburn Sluicings, which is always a cool landscape to explore. When we hit Nipple Hill, the fun really started. I loved the steep downhill, as steep techy downhills are my jam!”
“The marshal at the bottom of the big climb (pictured) had a cowbell and the best cheering/heckling, and it was quite a cool atmosphere as we all tackled the super steep hill. One foot after another, grabbing hold of the thyme bushes to haul ourselves up.”
“Coming down the roped descent was also fun and quite unique for a race. Back through the vineyards and the sluicings and a sprint down the final hill to the finish line, which I crossed with a big smile, exactly on my time goal.”
“All up, it was a great morning out, with some beautiful sunshine once we got above the inversion layer, some really fun (if you like vert) steep climbs and descents, and a great sense of camaraderie amongst the runners. Oh, and hot soup and pizza at the finish, how good!!”
Jennifer only started hitting the trails in 2023. It’s fantastic to see her getting after it and chasing that sweet, sweet vert.
Shout out to Kelsi Paige Photography for the photos.
For the full Mt. Difficulty & the Rustic Run results, click here
Things You May Have Missed
Agent Smith has hacked Crater Rim. Entrants were given an undue 20% discount on their entry. Crater Rim runs a very tight ship, relying on a lot of volunteer hours to keep the price as low as possible, so this could sink the race. Be a GC, check your entry, and contact Crater Rim (admin@porthillsathletic.org.nz) if you think you’ve underpaid.
Inia Raumati completed the Jungle Ultra in Peru (5 days, 230km), making that 3/8 races down in his #8races8continents mission. It’s a quick turnaround, with 16 days until he’s off to Mongolia. You can donate to his cause here.
Another week, another podium for Michael Sutton. This time 1st at Ratitovec (📏10.8km/👆1184m) in Slovenija. Michaels's form is looking good heading into the World Mountain Running World Cup starting in a month’s time.
If your week is off to a sh💩t start, tune into Emma Timmis's livestream and instantly feel better about your problems. Emma is attempting to break the 7-day treadmill record. We usually don’t feature such anti-trail content, but Emma is an absolute star and is raising money for Speedfreaks.
Believe it or not, there are other podcasts outside Dirt Church Radio and Joe Rogan🤣. Check out the latest podcast from Run Adjacent, the crew up north in Whangarei after the inaugral Bay of Islands Trail festival 50km race.
🥳June Paid Subscriber Giveaway
The ongoing Spring Energy sh💩tstorm got me thinking about other gels on the market.
Now, I’m not going to spend my Lambo savings on getting anything tested in the lab, but it did give me an idea.
I’m putting up 10 x Maurten Gel 100 Packs for 3 lucky people this month.
But there is a catch. I’m looking for 3 people who have:
Never used Maurten Gel’s
Willing to write a small review to be included in the next E-zine (I’ll supply the format, so you don’t need to rack your brains)
Are a paid subscriber of the newsletter
If you just won Guess Who, email me at trailrunningnz@gmail.com to apply.
My Worst Run Ever
Worst Run Ever is back, and as painful as ever.
It’s a bit on the longer side, so charge your mug with some sh💩thouse Nescafe and dive in.
“I had been wanting to run Block 16 for quite a while. In the last month, I had run Dobsons loop, which is like it’s retarded little brother. A bit slow but relatively harmless.”
“The forecast looked good, so I locked it in with hubby. He was going to look after the little sh💩ts. I filled my pack with the usual buffet of food and gear, put everything on charge and laid out my clothes for the morning.”
“5 AM, my alarm goes off. I wanted an early start to take the pressure off. Only 1 up in the night for little sh💩t #2, success. I arrive at an all but empty carpark around 6 am. A quick, nervous pee, 3 checks that I’ve got everything, and I’m off.”
“The climb up Marchant Ridge went surprisingly well. I had heard so much about this infamous stretch of trail that I was a little bit intimidated by it. The little viewpoints gave me a chance to see that the promised early cloud clearing by midday might be a bit of a stretch. If anything, it looked like there was rain on the way🌧️.”
“The rest of the climb was fun but uneventful. I turned off down the steep rooty, descent towards the river. I’ve never been a great descender, but this was something else. It took all my concentration to stay right way up. The bush was beautiful, but appreciating what was around me became secondary to keeping myself in one piece.”
“The sound of the river got louder and louder and I started to freak out. I was nervous enough to cross the river solo as it was. I eventually bottomed out and arrived on the banks of the river.”
“Phew. The river didn’t look too bad. I picked my line and, slowly but surely, worked my way across the river. I think the river had been stressing me out more than I thought😌. I sent a message out on the inReach that I’m across the river and on the home stretch.”
“It was fun to be moving a bit faster along the valley floor. Fast enough to call it a run. The trail climbed and fell more than I’d thought, but the km’s kept ticking over. I crossed the bridge back over the river, and I was getting close to being in familiar territory.”
“I had just started contemplating whether I was going to stop at Z for a pie, or live it up a little and treat myself to some burger fuel on the way home, when disaster struck.”
“My ankle buckled, and I hit the deck harder than Aunt Ruth on the D floor at our wedding. Pain seared through my ankle, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to just run this off😭.”
“Sitting on my arse, feeling sorry for myself, I took out my phone to message I was going to be a bit later than expected.”
“Not connected to device”
“Not a great time to have Bluetooth issues. I decided to just do it the old-fashioned way on the inReach and rummage around for it in my pack, but it was nowhere to be seen.”
“F🤬CK. I’m sure I had put it back in my pack after the last message ... No coverage, no inReach … what to do🤔?”
“Do I try to hobble back, send a message out and maybe pull the PLB for help? Or do I soldier on and limp my way out?”
“I decided to test the ankle to see if I could will myself down the valley and up over the saddle. It hurt like hell, but I figured my best option was to try hobbling out. I popped a couple of Panadol, found a stick on the side of the trail, and I was off.”
“What should have taken 1.5 hours took 4.5. The pain was intense, but after a while, I got used to it. The stick really helped keep weight off the foot. The climb up Puffer Saddle was grim. To make things worse, it had started to piss down.
I eventually limped into some coverage near the top of the saddle. I saw a couple of missed calls and texts from home, but my wet fingers wouldn’t work on the screen, eventually locking me out of the phone😞.”
“I gave up on the phone and figured I just needed to get out. The descent back down the slippery clay trail to the carpark might have been one of the lowest points in my life.”
“I’ve heard people talk about the feeling of finishing an SK and feeling the most amazing relief entering the carpark of glory. Well, this might be as close as I get to that feeling. I had made it back. I was going to be okay. A bit wet and shaken up, but Mumma was coming home.”
“I had survived my Worst Run, Ever!💪”
Anonymous
Keep the stories coming in!
Please send them to trailrunningnz@gmail.com. If you need a hand writing your story, I’m more than happy to help.
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.
Upcoming Events:
There are no races next weekend.
Let me know if you want a Western States Preview next week while we wait for the next events.
#Mountain Skag Winner Of May
Congratulations to Chris “No, I’m not from Coldplay” Martin. You’ve won Mountain Skag for May.
#Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
Thomas “Hamstrings of Glass” Ditchfield takes out #mountainskag for this week with this snap from Corno Grande in Italy.
Tag @trailrunning.nz (NOTE THE “.”) and use #mountainskag.
DM on Instagram or email trailrunningnz@gmail.com to enter (email is the most reliable method).
Every entry has a chance to win the monthly giveaway of a Mountain Skag T-shirt or hat.
We will be back next Monday with … not sure yet.
It takes hours to write this newsletter but only 8 seconds to forward it to a friend.
PS—iRunFar has published an article comparing test results between Spring Energy and some other major brands. It makes interesting reading. Check it out here.
Thanks for sharing the science behind the awesome sauce debacle. Feeling really sorry for an nz based sports fuel online retailer that’s only just started stocking this product. Really hoping Spring give them their money back because no one is going to buy them now!