👻Old Ghost CR & Worst Run Ever
Your weekly hit of NZ trail running news
Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
We've got you sorted - Like an OCD accountant, laying out their gear the night before an Ultra
Here's what we've got for you this week:
Old Ghost Ultra Results
My Worst Run Ever
Upcoming Events: Motatapu
Mountain Skag pic of the week
Old Ghost Ultra Results
6:00 AM Saturday, 300 runners lined up at the northern end of the Old Ghost road. 85KM, 2700M of elevation gain/loss, and a cut-off of 13 hours were all that separated them from glory. For some, it was their first time. For others, this is an annual pilgrimage. There was some class running, but also some great coverage. Old Ghost Ultra showed why it has cemented itself as one of the premier events in NZ. 16 hours of live stream which included:
Seeing the leaders at aid stations
Drop bag investigations
Helicopter footage
Candid footage of the realities of an Ultra
Nathan Thompson and Grant Guise did an amazing job with commentary. They kept viewers up-to-date with what was happening at the front but the highlight was seeing them chat and encourage runners further back in the field. They passed on messages and comments from friends and family from the live stream. If you didn't catch any of the coverage, it is still up on Facebook
Men's podium:
🥇 Sam McCutcheon - 6:49:37 - New Course Record
🥈 David Haunschmidt - 7:09:01
🥉 Vajin Armstrong - 7:37:30 - (🥇 Vet)
Sam McCutcheon leading into Specimen point - 17KM in 1:16:44
Sam McCutcheon & David Haunschmidt backing up from Tarawera 102K & 50K, took this race out hoooot🔥. It was a 2 man show early, with less than a minute separating them through the first aid station at Specimen Point (17K in 1:16😱). 2x former champ Vajin Armstrong & Dayle Mclauchlan teamed up and led the chase pack only 5 minutes back.
McCutcheon kept the hammer🔨 down, rolling through Stern Hut at the marathon mark in 3:15⚡. He had extended his lead to 4 minutes over Haunschmidt. Armstrong and Mclauchlan were still moving together a further 13 minutes back.
Stern Hut is a pivotal place in the race. It marks the end of the "easy" running and transitions into sustained climbing, working towards the course's high point "Heavens Door". McCutcheon was 7 minutes clear of Haunschmidt and 9 minutes under CR time by Ghost Lake (55KM). 2 runners going faster than ever before; this was set up for a grandstand finish.
David Haunschmidt - Cool, calm and collected @ Stern Hut(42KM)
At Lyell Saddle, McCutcheon had given back 5 minutes to the CR (still 4 ahead) but had pulled 15 minutes clear of Haunschmidt. Was Haunschmidt starting to fade? His previous longest race was Kepler Challenge 60 km. Unfortunately, it turns out he rolled his ankle at the top of the descent. He planned to stay in touch with McCutcheon on the climb and then attack the descent (his strength). What a shame we were robbed of a potentially great finish - but that's running, eh?
McCutcheon held strong to claim the victory and set the new CR at 6:49:37 - lowering the record by 3 minutes and 8 seconds. Haunschmidt held on to 2nd, with Armstrong taking the podium for the 3rd time at Old Ghost.
Sam McCutcheon taking out OGU & new CR of 6:49:37 Vid: Tailwind Aus Facebook
"At the start line, I wasn’t sure how the day would go. However, the legs felt surprisingly good backing up on Tarawera. We took it out slightly faster than I intended to, thanks to David Haunschmidt, and managed to build from there. I’m really happy to put a good performance in on an absolutely stunning course."
Sam McCutcheon
Women's podium:
🥇 Simone Brick - 7:59:23
🥈 Katie Morgan - 8:15:23
🥉 Natalia Prado - 8:26:30
Simone Brick from Melbourne, Straya🦘lead out of the gate with Katie Morgan & Natalia Prado close behind. At Specimen Point (17K), Brick came in at 1:28:29🔥 - only 26 seconds behind Ruth Croft's race in 2020. The Salomon Pro meant business. Morgan & Prado were still in touch, only 4 & 6 minutes back, respectively.
Simone Brick leading into Specimen Point
Brick kept on the grind⚙️, but Morgan & Prado weren't going anywhere. Not much had changed at Stern Hut (42K); all 3 looked incredibly relaxed. They were 30-40 minutes up on the field, so it was down to the 3 of them. The warm-up was done; it would come down to who packed their mountain legs❓.
Unfortunately for Morgan, she pulled her calf🚑. I can't think of many worse places to do that. 42KM and well over 1000M of elevation to go(most of it in the next 15K). The race turned quickly from hunting down Brick to "let's just get to the finish".
Katie Morgan 10 minutes down at Ghost Lake - injured calf and all
Channelling some West Coast grit, Morgan managed to limp, hobble and swear🤬 her way to the finish. At Ghost Lake (55KM), she had only dropped 5 minutes on Brick and, more importantly, held on to her advantage over Prado.
Brick continued to extend her lead over Morgan - steaming into the finish 15 minutes clear of Morgan, breaking 8 hours in the process. She looked strong all day💪, you wouldn't have any idea this was her longest race to date. It's a shame Morgan's injury happened when it did. A bit like in the men's race, there was real potential for a nail-biting finish. Prado continued her strong showing, rounding out the podium - 11 minutes back from Morgan but 44 minutes ahead of 4th.
Simone Brick steaming in to break 8hrs Vid: Tailwind Aus Facebook
Here's what 2nd🥈Katie Morgan had to say
"Wow - what a track and what an event. Amazing organizers and such a great vibe. A super tough day out for me; pulling my calf muscle just before halfway. It made for 42kms of limping and having to walk any incline so can only be grateful and stoked to have held onto 2nd place and beat my goal time. For sure I'll be back and would definitely say that this is a must-do event!"
Katie Morgan
My Worst Run Ever
We're on a roll! 2 in 2 weeks.
This weeks lovely AI artwork, I think I'm getting better
Inspired by binging Goggins vids, I decided I would do a triple 'tip track' session the following morning💪🏃♀️. For non-Wellingtonians, imagine a steep gravel track next to the tip. Beautiful. My husband and friend decided they would come too.
We planned to go early, like still dark early🌒. That’s when the badasses run and we were badasses.
11:00AM⌚ - whoops. I could feel my enthusiasm draining😱. Maybe I would find it in a pack of salt and vinegar rice wafers? The cheap extra salty kind. I ate the entire pack. No enthusiasm in there. Just an ungodly level of internal dryness. I was crusting up. How could I run up tip track 3 times while feeling like a desert? so I drank a 750Ml bottle of ginger Kombucha. Weird choice I know. My stomach wasn’t a fan either😵. This run is rubbish already and I'm still in the car.
We finally made it to the start of the track and slowly made our ascent. Bugger, I needed to pee already... no good hiding places so I just pop a squat and hope for the best. Take two, and off we go again… ah oh, I felt those recognisable pains and the building of pressure😰… I tried to ignore it.
I started to waddle🐧…keep going, keep going. I was squeezing my butt cheeks together so tight that no amount of anti-chafe could help me now. I was stuffed. To continue would result in a devastating eruption🌋 and a pyroclastic flow that could destroy a nation ☢️. I couldn’t make it back down to the car🚙 either. I was past the point of no return. I had to deal with this right there and then.
There were no trees🌲 or bushes. Just long brown knee-length grass, but beggars can’t be choosers. There were people in the distance, I could see them clearly, could they also see me🧐? Probably…
Don’t worry I buried it💩, along with my dignity…
We had made it a few hundred meters, and we had already stopped for me twice. This was a disaster.
The triple tip track session was downgraded to a single. Momentum gone, as well as my dignity. This was my worst run ever.
Brooke
Email your 'Worst Run Ever' to [email protected] or send us a DM on Instagram - Remember we can make it anonymous 😊.
Upcoming Events
Motatapu
Saturday 25th of February
Photo: Motatapu Facebook
Motatapu is back! It last ran in 2020 - a lot has happened since then! There's been a global Hoka pandemic, the price of soft flasks has doubled and 'The Claw' has been defeated at the Blue Lake challenge.Motatapu offers 3 distances, and there are even 2 mountain bike events for all the injured runners😜!
Miners Trail: 📏15.7KM | ⛰️927M
CR:🏃♂️Max Wainwright 1:10:21(2020) | 🏃♀️Louisa Andrew 1:28:46 (2014)
The Miners trail packs a lot into 15.7K.🚜Farm track⬆️Single track 🧗Chunky climbs🌊Oh and 11 river crossings. You loop from Arrowtown, up the historic Tobin's Track onto the Crown Terrace. You climb up to a high point of 1047M, and then work your way back down to Arrowtown.
Off-road Marathon: 📏42.2KM | ⛰️1022M
CR:🏃♂️John Winsbury 2:38:13 (2009) | 🏃♀️Victoria Beck 3:18:14 (2012)
The off-road marathon allows you access to Motatapu, Soho & Glencoe high-country stations. They are usually closed to the public. You'll start at Motatapu Station near Lake Wānaka and finish in Arrowtown. You'll run much closer to your road marathon time than a mountain marathon like the Shotover Moonlight. The track is a wide farm road, but there are still multiple river crossings and hills to distract you from the scenery.
Motatapu Ultra: 📏52.5KM | ⛰️ 3300M
CR:🏃♂️Charlie Sharpe 6:15:16 (2016) | 🏃♀️Ruth Croft 6:38:04 (2018)
The Motatapu Ultra follows the DOC Motatapu Track, part of the Te Araroa Trail. You will race through the ridges and valleys of the Harris Mountain Range between Wānaka and Arrowtown.
3330 metres over four peaks (the highest point being 1275m), rough tussock-covered terrain, steep saddles and plenty of river crossings. This is not for the weak.
Follow along on Instagram or Facebook
Mountain Skag pic of the week
Big Smiles & Big Mountains - Kyle Curtin, Gillespie Pass
This week's pic is from Kyle Curtin. An Altra team athlete from the US who's been making the most of his time in NZ. Check out his Insta to see what he's been up to.
Remember to tag us @trailrunning.nz & #mountainskag with your snaps.
We will be back next week with Motatapu results and more. Tag us on Instagram @trailrunning.nz with all things trail running.If you're picking up what I'm putting down, please subscribe 😀.
How was this weeks edition?
Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.
PS- I know I said we would have the Southern Lakes Ultra results this week - With all the media coverage going on this week I think I'll wait for the dust to settle a little. Great to hear everyone is safe and the race could continue.