Neil Smith's Race @ Aotearoa 101KM
AOTEAROA ULTRA MARATHON
Saturday, January 13
Neil Wilson has put pen to paper to give us the goss on how his day went at the Aotearoa Ultra Marathon yesterday.
Take it away, Neil.
Yesterday was my birthday, and I wanted to do something different for it, something I’d never done before. I’m fairly new to trail running events, but in the last 12 months or so, I have taken part in the Motatapu ultra, Mount Isthmus traverse, Hanmer marathon and a number of half marathon trail runs.
I found out the Aotearoa Ultra was on my birthday and was originally going to sign up for the 53km event but decided to go big, and I’m super glad I did.
We were pre-warned before the event that it was going to be a hot day, and it did not disappoint; even at 5 am, when the race started, you got a sense of how hot the day was going to be.
It started in Little River with a gradual climb up and above the low-lying clouds in time to see the sun rising and then a long run down to Port Levy. From there we ascended up a gravel road and then back down in to Pigeon Bay, soaking in the beautiful ocean views and hearing the morning bird song, I usually run to music but glad I didn’t for this part, you really didn’t need it, nature was providing all the music required.
We hit the aid station in Pigeon Bay which was a really welcome sight, every single volunteer around the course had big, beaming smiles and were all amazing and the support crews and spectators for everyone doing the event were brilliant.
After some snacks and top-ups, I continued the journey, this time running away from the ocean up Pigeon Bay Road and then going up Middle Road, which was a steep climb up to Summit Road, this was the first time that I got a sense of what the day had in store with the heat and elevation combined. Once I was on Summit Road you had to stop just to take in the views, I had Pigeon Bay on one side and Akaroa on the other, both stunningly beautiful.
From there, it was a right turn along Summit Road for a few hundred metres and then turned right onto Pettigrews Road and headed back down to Pigeon Bay and back to the aid station and a chance to get smothered in sun cream and top up the electrolytes, it wasn’t even midday yet and was already around the mid 20 mark.
The route then took us back from where we had originally come from, heading back towards Port Levy. I caught up with a French guy who I ran with for a bit, he had competed in 100km+ ultra marathons before in France but was struggling with the heat and elevation, this is when I realised that this wasn’t just a standard ultra marathon, it was special, it was magical, but it was brutal.
There was an aid station at Port Levy school, and it was a good chance to fill up the electrolytes and grab a snack before tackling the long, 14km road back up to Port Levy Spur, this was definitely a head down, stay focused part of the course, there would be plenty more opportunities to capture stunning views, this was all about one foot in front of the other, keep moving, stay hydrated and stay strong. It was well in to the afternoon now and the temperature was up around 30 degrees, any shade cover from overhanging trees was like heaven.
I eventually made it to Port Levy Spur where once again I was greeted with huge smiles and claps and cheers from all the volunteers and support crews, it gives you the biggest boost just when you need it. I filled up my bladder, grabbed all the snacks that I could possibly fit in my mouth and then once again, with a spring in my step, headed up towards Mount Herbert.
There was a welcome breeze as I headed up there, I had a new lease of life as for the first time in the entire race I believed that I could finish the 101km, I was 70km in and feeling good. As I headed up towards the top of Mount Herbert, I was literally blown away by the views on either side of me, 360 degrees of jaw dropping beauty, these views alone made it all worth while.
The most technical part of the course was coming down from Mount Herbert, it was a single DOC track that then went through a small forest and then zig-zagged down to the bottom, it was fairly straightforward, but with 80km under my belt, I used every ounce of concentration I had to make sure I didn’t trip or roll an ankle.
The course then took us through a beautiful forest which provided some cool, much needed shade, the variety of this course amazed me, it felt like it ticked all the boxes for scenery.
After another few km’s I came to another aid station where I fuelled up again, ready to tackle the last 15km’s, I was told by the lovely volunteer that there was another aid station in 10km’s, 5 km’s before the finish. I set off, focused on the finish but wondering why they would need another aid station so close to the finish, it soon became clear.
The course took us on to summit road and it was 10km of ascent, as I was running I could feel my feet sticking to the tarseal. Once again it was the views all around me that took my mind off the heaviness in my legs, I felt so lucky to have experienced so many amazing sights, sounds and amazing people on the journey.
I reached the final aid station with a big smile on my face, having finally done all the climbing, it was all downhill from here, the last 5km’s of my 101km journey. I was informed by the lovely lady that I was in 3rd place, which made my smile even bigger. I had a quick snack and headed down towards Halswell Quarry and the finish line.
As I followed the cones round to the finish line and entered the home straight, everyone was singing happy birthday to me, which was a brilliant touch from the organisers, it really made my already unforgettable day that much more special.
I thought this was an absolutely incredible event, brilliantly organised and managed, it is a really special event with some of the most incredible views you’ll ever experience, but you’ll have to work for them. My advice to anyone who might be looking to enter is to work on your hill training. I live in Twizel and so am spoilt for choice with mountain runs, but I feel hill training could be the difference between make or break with this event.