National Cross-country results & Mission HQ
"trekking through deep fresh snow and enjoying a hot meal at Te Matawai Hutt before finishing at Poads Road near Levin after 16 hours on our feet"
Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
We’re like a breakfast burrito, all your favourite things wrapped up to start your day right.
Here's what’s in the drop bag this week:
National Cross-country Champs⚔️
Trail Running NZ Power Rankings🔌
Worst Run Ever🤢
Things You May Have Missed📁
Mission HQ🎖️
Preview: Fiordland Trails Trust Hydro Half 🏃♀️🏃♂️
Mountain Skag Pic of the Week⛰️
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National Cross-Country Results
With NZ Trail races in a lull, I thought I would temporarily chuck on my Athletics NZ hat🤠 and report on the National Cross Country Champs from over the weekend.
It still counts. There’s like grass and hills and sh🤬t.
Senior Mens 10K
🥇 Cameron Avery - 31:01 - Avg pace 3:06 /km
🥈 David Lee - 31:19 - Avg pace 3:08 /km
🥉 Michael Voss - 31:37 - Avg pace 3:10 /km
Cameron Avery went one better than last year, taking the national title over his training partner David Lee. The dude has serious wheels. He ran 1:02:50 at the Gold Coast half marathon.
Michael Voss led early and held on to take third and break up the Canterbury party. Canterbury dominated the race, taking 6 of the top 10 spots.
Senior Women 10K
🥇 Anneke Grogan 37:23 - Avg pace 3:44 /km
🥈 Annika Pfitzinger 37:28 - Avg pace 3:45 /km
🥉 Sarah Drought 37:33 - Avg pace 3:45 /km
Sarah Drought came in as the favourite but Anneke Grogan and Annika Pfitzinger spoiled the party in an incredibly tight race.
Drought was in control going into the final 1 km, but the wheels began to fall off.
Grogan and Pfitzinger went from just holding on to fighting for the lead, with Grogan bagging her maiden cross-country title.
What a race. 5 seconds between each podium spot across 10 km!
There was only 1 minute between 1st & 7th.
Reading through the results, I was inspired by some of the Master’s results.
Check out some of these times in these age brackets. I'll be a happy man if I can run anywhere close to these times at that age.
Masters Men 70-74 6000m
Dennis Litt 26:06 - Avg pace 4:21 /km
Graeme Lear 26:18 - Avg pace 4:23 /km
Masters Women 70-74 6000m
Judith Bradshaw 34:33 - Avg pace 5:46 /km
Joy Baker 35:54 - Avg pace 5:59 /km
Masters Men 75-79 6000m
Trevor Ogilvie 29:05 - Avg pace 4:51 /km
Fred Needham 29:59 - Avg pace 4:59 /km
I swing between being inspired and hopeful that my best years are to come and then complete imposter syndrome that I’m far too slow for my age, and I should take up croquet now.
NZ Power Rankings
With the Wuu2K done and dusted, it feels like the NZ trail racing calendar is now well and truly in the off-season.
I thought it would be a good time to put together probably the most meaningless arbitrary rankings since List MPs became a thing😂.
Now obviously, it’s hard to compare bars and gels when it comes to trail running.
Some people focus on the long stuff, others on the shorter, faster races.
I’ve based it on if you were to pick the top athletes for any distance, any terrain.
I’ve used recent results, gut feelings, and a big dash of personal opinion.
Top 5 Women
Ruth Croft: I don’t think anyone would argue against Ruth Croft being number 1. She’s been the dominant force at home and on the international stage for several years. Exciting to see how she performs at UTMB.
Caitlyn Fielder: 2nd🥈 this year at Tarawera 50K, 2nd🥈 at Zegama, a strong race at the World Trail Champs, and currently sitting in 1st🥇 at the Golden Trail Series. Quite the CV!
Nancy Jiang: Nancy’s win at Tarawera 102KM showed she can beat the world’s best💪. It sounds like she had a tough day out at the Western States, but she still got it done and is a force to be reckoned with.
Katie Morgan: Back-to-back National Long Trail champ, Kepler Champ, 2nd at OGU after getting a flat tyre, a great result at the World Trail Champs. She’s the real deal, and could be an argument made she could be at 3rd on the list.
Katie Wright: She took home TUM 100 over Fiona Hayvice in 2022 and the first Kiwi home in Third🥉 this year. She would be my pick in a 100-mile showdown outside of Ruth.
Honorouble mentions: Konoka Azumi, Fiona Hayvice, Brooke Thomas, and the living legend Jean Beaumont.
Top 5 Men
Daniel Jones: It’s hard to go past Danny Jones. He’s been dominating the NZ marathon and local NZ trail races for years.
Now he’s taken his talents to the world stage and looks at home on the biggest stage. Yes, he was runner-up to Weston Hill at 3 Peaks, but if you run it 10 times, DJ takes 7-8 wins.Scotty Hawker: Scotty Hawker has what I would consider the 2 biggest trail running achievements in recent years by a male Kiwi trail runner.UTMB 2019🥉,CCC 2021🥈.He has had strong results over the last 12 months but has also battled some ongoing injuries.
Sam McCutcheon: Sam has been getting it done at home and on the international stage for the best part of the last decade.
More recently, 2nd🥈 at Kepler to Dan Jones, 4th at Tarawera 102 km, and a fantastic record-breaking 1st🥇 at Old Ghost Ultra.Weston Hill: Weston is the current National long trail champ at 3 Peaks, 1st🥇 at Motatapu Ultra and more importantly UPPERHUTT HARDCORE.
A strong race at the World Trail champs, which sees Weston in 4th, was a bit of a coin flip with Sam.David Haunschmidt: The flying Dr🩺 hasn’t finished outside the podium all year, with a string of 1sts🥇 and course records.
However, he still finds himself at number 5. With finishes behind Dan Jones & Mccutcheon at Kepler and Old Ghost, it’s hard to place him higher, but watch this space as he’s only getting faster.
Honorouble mentions: Scott Bougen, Louis Schindler, Ryan Carr, and Sam Hansby.
Who have you got in your top 5😊?
Post yours in the comments or reply to this email.
Worst Run Ever
This week’s Worst Run Ever is a reminder that sticky plasters are your friends🙈.
“It’s Sunday morning. The sun is out☀️, and it’s a new shoe day🥾 - awww yeah.
I hit the trail in my new Speedgoats. They have that new shoe sprangy feeling going on. I’ve got ‘System of a Down’ blaring in my ears, and everything is clicking. Giddy up.”
“I burst out of the single trail into the clearing at the summit. A front looks like it has moved in, and it’s started to
drizzlePISS DOWN🌧️.”“F🤬ck me, I’m not prepared for this. The rain soaks straight through my singlet and shorts, and I feel 10 kg heavier. Time to get off the top of this hill and get home.”
“However, the running gods aren’t done with me yet. My clothes are saturated, and they start to sit a bit funny on me. My nipples start to chaffe.”
“Poor things dont know what is going on. At first, I was hot and sweaty. Now they are at full attention piercing through my singlet. To make things worse, my undies are starting to ride me too.”
“Every step is a battle⚔️. My once-heroic nipples are now
bleedingsobbing for mercy. My inner thighs are also starring in a supporting role.”“I trudge on down the hill. One hand trying to hold my singlet off my nips, and the other adjusting my shorts. Luckily there are no schools nearby.”
“What a horrible run. I just sat outside, contemplating what a crazy morning I just had.
New shoes, awesome trails, soaked to the core, bleeding nips, and a raw scrot. All of this inside 12KM. Worst Run Ever”
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.
Things You May Have Missed
Reports From Mission HQ
Trail Running NZ subscribers Joe Murphy, Andy Carruthers, Kyle Malone, and Grant Pritchard made the most of the cold weather and headed into the Tararua.
The original plan was to take the Tarn Ridge SK route over 2.5 days. However, they got more than they bargained for and had to make some decisions on the fly.
Instead of heading south down the ridge, the crew changed course and headed west to exit at Poads Road Levin.
Extraordinary winter mission looks more like the South Island than the North - A good reminder always to be prepared for more than you anticipate.
Here is what Grant had to say:
“Sharing a big mission with some Big Sunday Run legends this weekend was so much fun.
Highlights included my first night in a Tararuas Hutt at Herepai, trekking through deep fresh snow and enjoying a hot meal at Te Matawai Hutt before finishing at Poads Road near Levin after 16 hours on our feet.
Big shout out to Kyle for postholing much of the way along the tops. Needed to wear four upper layers to keep warm ... What's your next adventure?”
Upcoming Events
Fiordland Trails Trust, Hydro Half & 10km
Saturday, 5th of August
This must be one of the most scenic half-marathons in the country.
A fundraiser for the local Fiordland trails made possible by Meridian and some awesome local sponsorships. 100% of the entry fees go back into maintaining the local trails.
This looks like a great event, focusing on participation and getting out there rather than the competition.
Regardless I’m sure there will still be plenty of speedsters eyeing this one up and testing their winter speed work.
There is also a 10KM race - entries close this coming Tuesday, the 1st of August.
#Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
This week's #Mountain Skag is from Chris Martin. Winter fun in the Tararua.
Tag @trailrunning.nz and use #mountainskag on Instagram or email trailrunningnz@gmail.com to enter.
Every entry goes into the monthly draw to win a Mountain Skag T-Shirt or hat.
We will be back next week with more trail-running news, yarns, and glory.
It takes hours to write this newsletter but only 8 seconds to forward it to a friend.
PS - Does anyone ACTUALLY think Courtney Dauwalter is running at The Wild?
I think it’s pretty clear why she’s coming all this way.