🏃🏃♀️Race Tekapo Results
Hannah Oldroyd makes it 3/3
Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
This weeks newsletter is short and sharp, like your new puppies teeth that just destroyed your new pair of $80 socks that were going to get you on the podium😝.
Here's what’s in the drop bag this week:
🏃🏃♀️Race Tekapo Results
🎯Things You May Have Missed
⛺Mission Corner
🤢Worst Run Ever
🏁Upcoming event: Blue Lake Challenge
⛰️💊Mountain Skag Pic of the Week
Note: Due to the length, some email browsers will hide some of the content - make sure you click ‘view entire email’ or click through to substack.
Race Tekapo Results
Race Tekapo was back for its third year, and boy did it put on a show.
Over 1,500 runners descended on the famous shores of Lake Tekapo. Subzero temperatures soon gave way to fierce racing, with plenty of course records being broken in the process.
50KM
🏃♀️Women’s Podium
🥇Arleah Tippins - 4:06:56
🥈Madeline Heiner - 4:16:22
🥉Mel Aitken - 4:38:56
Madeline Heiner took it out hard, running the first 11.5km in just over 53 minutes, establishing a 1-minute lead over Arleah Tippins with Nikki Everton a further 2 minutes back in 3rd.
Heiner continued to lead through 20km, but Tippins was only seconds back. It was now that Tippins took control of the race, building a 1-minute lead through the next 6km before striding away, taking the tape 10 minutes ahead of Heiner and only 50 seconds off Macee Latimer’s course record.
Mel Aitken, fresh off winning the Dunedin Marathon last weekend, started conservatively before steadily moving up the field, finishing in 3rd, matching her result from last year.
🏃Men’s Podium
🥇Sam Rout - 3:27:54 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈James Masson - 3:57:46
🥉Matthew Payne - 3:58:26
Sam Rout, AKA the Northland Express, decimated the 50km course, torching everyone in his path. At the 11.5km mark, he was already 10 minutes ahead of the chase pack.
He kept his foot to the floor, claiming victory for the far North and pulverizing the previous CR by 22 minutes.
James Masson led the chase pack with Matthew Payne & Martin Bravo, but it quickly turned into a race for silver and bronze. Masson dug deep to hold on to 2nd, with Payne outlasting Bravo for 3rd.
What are your thoughts on the Race Tekapo 50KM course and what’s next for Sam Rout?
“Epic event they put on down there. First half of the course was nice and runable, then had the climb up Mt John with a descent, back half was more technical and muddier than I was expecting but the views were spectacular with the snowy tops.”
“What's next! Recover and get the body ready for Taupo in a few weeks. After that will see what's on the cards.”
Sam Rout AKA ‘The Northland Express’
32KM
🏃Men’s Podium
🥇 Daniel Jones - 2:18:22 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈James Millar - 2:22:43
🥉 Harry Wager - 2:23:55
Daniel ‘MF’ Jones is back from Europe, and back to his winning ways. However, this was never going to be a cakewalk. Jumping into a shorter race on such a fast course meant a boilover was always a real possibility.
Jones rose to the occasion, eeking out a slender lead through the race's first half before putting the hammer down to take another victory by just over 4 minutes.
James Millar & Harry Wager kept within striking distance the whole race, taking 2nd and 3rd, respectively, and finishing well under the previous CR of 2:33:56.
🏃♀️Women’s Podium
🥇 Hannah Oldroyd - 2:39:01
🥈 Sophie Shallard - 2:49:18
🥉 Alice Coombs - 2:57:28
Can anyone stop Hannah Oldroyd? She defended her title yet again to make it 3/3 Race Tekapo 32KM victories. In 2024, she’s taken out Loop the Lake, Bay of Island Trail Festival, and just last month defended her title at Forest Run Fest. I would love to see what she could do in the shorter distances at Tarawera or Taupo!
Sophie Shallard ran the fastest time on the Race Tekapo 32km course by someone who doesn’t have the last name Oldroyd to take a comfortable 2nd over Alice Coombs in 3rd.
21KM
🏃Men’s Podium
🥇Seb On- 1:38:52
🥈Blake Weston - 1:43:22
🥉Chris Small - 1:44:07
Blake Weston made it 3/3 at the Race Tekapo 21km.
Seb On didn’t get the memo, stopping Blake Weston’s dominance of the Race Tekapo 21km.
He took the early lead and never looked back. At the halfway point, he had over a 2-minute lead on Weston. Sean Bulger and Chris Small were also within striking distance, only a further minute back.
That’s as close as it would get. Seb On would kick on to beat the 2-time defending champ Weston by just over 4 minutes, leaving Weston, Small, and Bulger fighting for the Silver and Bronze.
🏃♀️Women’s Podium
🥇Beth Garland - 1:41:37 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈Penny Mouat - 1:49:09
🥉Annabell Bramwell - 1:53:40
“Can anyone stop Hannah Oldroyd?”
If I was making a list of potential candidates, Beth Garland would be one of them. She’s won the Tarawera 21km, the Faultline 24km, and the Wellington half marathon this year.
You can now also add Race Tekapo 21km to her CV. She took this one coast to caost. Penny Mouat was only 1 minute down through the first 6km, but that’s as close as it would get.
Annabell Bramwell had another great race at Tekapo, adding a matching bronze medal to the one she won last year in the 32km race.
Another exciting year of racing is in the books for Race Tekapo. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here. It’s experienced some rapid growth over the last 3 years. Will that continue, or will we see the need for an entry limit to be introduced?
Check out the video below to get a feel for how the day went.
Full results are available HERE, including the 16km, 15km, 14km, 12km, 10km, 8km, 7.65km, 5km, 4km and 2.2km races.
Check out Instagram for more coverage of the day.
Things You May Have Missed
Kyle Malone was back in Frozen Head, Tennessee, to race the Barkley Falls 50k. On a crazy hot day, Kyle finished 8th overall💪. If you’ve ever wondered what Lazarus Lake’s other events are like, check out Kyle’s legs… imagine that shower!
This week, Inia Raumati AKA The Ultra Maori Doctor, is starting race 6 of his 8 continents, 8-stage race mission. He’s racing the Grand To Grand Ultra. A 6-stage 275km race across Utah and Arizona, Murica🌭.
James Fortune has started a Facebook Group called Ride, Rent, Race NZ. The idea is to post what race you are doing, where you are coming from, and whether you need or can offer a ride, a room, or both for your race. If you’re interested, check it out here. You might just meet your new best trail buddy.
Mission Corner
Codename: AC/DC | September 21
If you think this week’s newsletter is a bit flat and lifeless sh💩t, you’re probably right😝. Your boy here got away into the proper hills on Saturday, and I’m still on a mountain skag comedown.
I’ve wanted to “run” the Thunderbolt loop in the Kaimanawa’s for what seems like forever. And on Saturday, I finally ticked it off my matrix. It was worth the wait.
Thurderbolt Loop: 43KM 3000M Vert
If you’re unfamiliar with the Kaimanawa Ranges, they sit in the Central North Island, south of Taupo and east of Mt Ruapehu & friends.
A group of 5 of us started at the trailhead at 7.30 AM before eventually crashing back into the carpark sometime after 5 PM.
We were blessed to have almost the perfect day.
It was sunny without being hot.
Visibility was 10/10.
The underfoot trail conditions were top-shelf (especially with all the rain we’ve had)
There was enough snow to make it enjoyable without being sketchy.
Anyway, I’ll stop rambling on. Here are some of the photos from the mission.
A big shout out to Andrew Thompson, Alex Jones, Al Shelton & Tim Pickering, who managed to drag this giant anchor around the whole loop.
If you’re interested in doing the same, Mal Law’s write-up on Wilthings is probably the most detailed guide.
We did make a slight variation, heading up the Middle Range to point 1660 to avoid private land and the $50 per person fee that comes along with it.
Worst Run Ever by UTMB 🟣CurraNZ
This week’s story is from the one and only Steve Tripp.
Nothing sends the Crush The Cargill marketing department into a frenzy more than The Bluke Lake Challenge. I think we all know that it’s jealousy. I don’t know how he found the time to write such a novel!
Worst Run Ever – A work of fiction
“One year Crush the Cargill went to Blue Lake 24 Hour Challenge. It sucked.”
Steve Tripp
It may have been a bit sh💩t AKA the only entry this week😂, but Steve’s in the draw for some little purple pills from 🟣CurraNZ.
They won't help with jealousy, but they may just help you run up that piddly little “Mt.” Cargill.
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.
Upcoming Events
Blue Lake Challenge
Saturday, September 28
The annual migration to Blue Lake, Rotorua, has begun. Hordes of trail runners around the North Island will descend on the lake over the next week.
Last year, it turned into a bit of a disaster. The event was shut down after a weather bomb curse cast by Crush The Cargill transformed the event into a giant mud bath.
So, what is the Blue Lake Challenge I hear you say?
Imagine a music festival having a baby with a Backyard Ultra. There are tents, a hot tub, loud music, costumes, and somewhere in there, some running too.
The event kicks off 8 AM Saturday and runs through to Sunday 9 AM. You run around the Blue Lake as many times as you can and/or want. It’s a 6km loop with roughly 100m of elevation gain.
The focus is on fun and participation, challenging yourself - whatever that looks like to you.
There are only a few rules to follow:
Bring all the sh💩t you need to support your running goals for the weekend.
Run Clockwise around the lake
No poles. It’s a “flat” course
You can run a midnight marathon, a lap an hour - maybe you want to knock off your first 100-mile run? You can even try to win ‘The Claw’ by running 34 laps (only achieved by Simon Cochrane). All of these things can be done at the Blue Lake Challenge.
The team creates a fun, safe, and supportive environment that enables many people to stretch way out further than they ever thought they could. Their mission on the website probably states it best.
To provide a free, fun event where people can come and test themselves in a safe environment. To cater for all ages and promote the sport of trail running and ultra marathons.
For more info, check out the website here. If you’re sold on it, sign up here.
#Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
This week’s Mountain Skag is from Kyle Malone of the famous ‘Meth Lab’ in Frozen Head Mountain State Park.
Tag @trailrunning.nz and use #mountainskag on Instagram or email trailrunningnz@gmail.com to enter.
Every entry has a chance to win the monthly giveaway of a Mountain Skag T-shirt or hat.
We will be back next week with the Blue Lake Challenge Results and more.
It takes hours to write this newsletter but only 8 seconds to forward it to a friend.
PS: I’ll be traveling for 2 weeks starting Thursday, so I may not see much on social media while I’m away. Please send your #mountainskag pic submissions, worst run evers, and race results to trailrunningnz@gmail.com to make sure I see them.
Another great write up. My niece ran the Tekapo 32km and had an epic time. And came in 7th. Not bad for only 21 years old especially as it was her first trail race. She even managed to get spotted in the TVNZ news coverage. #proudaunty (also slow aunty 😂)
Sick Kaimanawas run 🔥