🏃🏃♀️River-Run, Mt Somers & Kidnappers
“Trees witness the tear, Humiliation whispers near, Wind brings cheeks so bare."
Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
We’re here for your like that friend who distracts the oncoming dog walker while you’re on the side of the trail popping a squat.
Here's what’s in the drop bag this week:
😵💫River-Run Backyard Results
🏃🏃♀️Mission Mt Somers Results
🏃🏃♀️Cape Kidnappers Trail Run Results
🎯Things You May Have Missed
🤢Worst Run Ever
🏁Upcoming events: The A100 & Aorangi Undulator
⛰️💊Mountain Skag Pic of the Week
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River-Run Backyard Results
Saturday, October 28th
9 a.m. Saturday, Just over 100 keen beans lined up in the starting box at the A&P Showgrounds, Waipukurau, for the River-Run Backyard Ultra💪. It was organised by Joshua Lloyd & Courtney Michaels with great support from the local Harriers club and a swag of local sponsors.
Overall Winner:
🥇🏆👑 Chris Newson - 28 yards / 187.6 km
Top DNFs
☠️ Craig Thompson - 27 yards
☠️ Jayden Austin - 24 yards
☠️Joshua Lloyd 23 yards
Congratulations to Chris Newson, the inaugural River-run champ. He travelled all the way from Whangarei, so you know he meant business. But it wasn’t easy, with a strong lineup of Hawkes Bay locals, Wellingtonians and a sprinkling of Upper Hutt HARDCORE in the mix.
The 100 starters whittled away through the day. By the time the headlamps came out, it was down to 20. The cold night picked off runners with every lap. By sunrise, it was down to 4. The 100-mile mark clicked over, the all-blacks kicked off, and then it was down to 2.
Craig Thompson vs Chris Newson. Both were well into PB country and looked cool, calm and collected. The first 3 loops went by uneventfully until, on loop 28, Craig Thompson turned back to basecamp. His day was done, and with it, Chris Newson became the 2023 River Run Backyard Champ.
He looked so comfortable throughout. It must have been that sweet base camp set-up he had … (check out his and hers events if you’re in the backyard game.)
It’s great to see so many people supporting a new grassroots event, with runners from all over the North Island and UPPERHUTT HARDCORE in attendance.
By all accounts, the first year of River Run was a success. Great weather, great people and no one got mugged under the bridge in the middle of the night.
Mission Mt Somers Results
Saturday, October 28th
📏42.2KM
🏃♀️Women’s Podium
🥇Katie Morgan - 5:13:06
🥈Frances Redmond - 5:46:57
🥉Greta Knarston - 5:57:34
🥈Macee Latimer - 05:25:03
🥉Frances Redmond - 5:46:57
THIS WENT OUT ON THE EMAIL WRONG. Macee was undercover and through off my intel machine, finishing 2nd after setting the early pace.
Katie Morgan races, Katie Morgan wins. The math is simple😎. It was another dominant display by Morgan, who built a 15-minute lead over the first half of the course.
She kept her foot down to take her 2nd consecutive Mission Mt Somers title by over 30 minutes and finished 3rd overall. Good signs for the defending Kepler champ 6 weeks out.
The race for 2nd and 3rd was much tighter, with Frances Redmond grinding out a 3-minute lead over Greta Knarston at the halfway point. Knarston kept it tight but couldn’t keep pace with Redmond, finishing 10 minutes back but still under the 6-hour mark💪.
🏃Men’s Podium
🥇Craig Fowler - 4:44:42
🥈Tim Kerr - 5:07:32
🥉Matt Gummer - 5:27:45
Craig Fowler powered away from Tim Kerr and Matt Gummer to take an emphatic victory. This mountain marathon turned into a solo mission. Fowler was 10 minutes ahead of Kerr at the halfway point, which had doubled with 5km to go.
It was a similar story between Kerr and Gummer. 7 minutes at halfway, turning into 20.
📏21.1KM
🏃Men’s Podium
🥇Harry Wager -2:08:32
🥈Flavio Vianna - 2:20:52
🥉Matt Ward - 2:26:22
Harry Wager (2022 marathon winner) and Flavio Vianna (2017 half marathon winner 1:58:54) were the 2 favourites heading in⚔️. With the extra carrot of $200 for going sub 2, there was the potential for a mutual blowup on the cards🥵.
Alas! No sub 2 hours, but no blowups either. Wager controlled the race from start to finish. Vianna wasn’t quite in 2017 vintage form but did enough to take a “comfortable” 2nd.
Matt Ward grabbed 3rd, managing to hold off Paul Odlin, Andrew Kirkaldie and Alex Roberts, who all finished within 2 minutes of the podium.
🏃♀️Women’s Podium
🥇Hannah Lund - 2:35:43 2nd fastest on record🔥
🥈Penny Mouat - 2:37:15
🥉Sarah Jenkins - 2:44:18
Hannah Lund and Penny Mouat went toe-to-toe, with Lund coming out on top. 3 minutes up at the 15 km mark, it looks like it was Lunds to lose. Mouat fought hard, cutting down Lund’s lead but ultimately falling a minute and a half short.
Sarah Jenkins found herself in no mans land the Manzone. Too far back from the to challenge for the lead and 4th place not in the rearview mirror. A well-deserved 3rd place, 7 minutes back from Mouat.
Methven local Lauren Korstrom was there competing in her first trail race. Here is how her day went.
“Deciding to do the Mt Somers half for my first trail race was a challenge, to say the least, but has definitely left me hungry for more!
“My goal was to start, finish and take breaks of no more than 30 seconds. I succeeded on all three, and although the steep downhill eventually got the better of my knees, and the push to the last knob was like salt in the wound, I finished strong and had a good recovery.”
“The views are awesome, and it’s a really well-led event by Endura Events. Not for the faint of heart, but with some decent elevation training, I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a good, challenging race.”
Thanks for that, Lauren. Congratulations on finishing your first trail race. Check out Lauren’s Instagram to see some of the other cool outdoor shenanigans she gets up to.
Check out the full results here (including the 5km & 10km)
Cape Kidnappers Results
Saturday, October 28th
📏34KM
🏃♀️Women’s Podium
🥇Rachel Kordan - 3:50:55 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈Camilla Ryan - 4:02:20
🥉Olivia Mackay - 4:04:14
Rachel Kordan powered away from Camilla Ryan and Olivia Mackay to take a 12-minute win and set the standard for the new 34km course at Cape Kidnappers.
The battle for 2nd and 3rd was much tighter, with only 2 minutes separating Ryan and Mackay.
🏃Men’s Podium
🥇Darren Alexander - 3:05:01 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈Michael Bush - 3:18:09
🥉Gytis Prasmutas - 3:36:01
There was nothing close about this race. Darren Alexander took the early lead and never looked back.
Michael Bush couldn’t keep pace with Alexander, but in trying to do so, put 18 minutes on Gytis Prasmutas, who squeaked the 3rd podium spot by 45 seconds.
📏21.1KM
🏃Men’s Podium
🥇Anton Weatherhead - 1:38:58 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈Matt Galloway - 1:39:27
🥉Cambell MacDonald - 1:44:38
Anton Weatherhead and Matt Galloway got into a shootout, with Weatherhead coming away with a slender 29-second victory. Weatherhead’s victory was close, but he annihilated the previous CR 2:01:34.
Cambell MacDonald finished in 3rd, also well under the existing CR. I don’t know if the course changed in profile or if the race just attracted a much faster field this year.
🏃♀️Women’s Podium
🥇Katrina Buske - 2:05:30
🥈Gemma Donovan - 2:07:31
🥉Jodie Bakewell-White - 2:16:08
Katrina Buske and Gemma Donovan battled it out on the women’s side of the draw. Buske got the better of Donovan by 2 minutes, with Jodie Bakewell-White taking 3rd a further 9 minutes back.
Check out the full results here (including the 15 km & 6km)
Things You May Have Missed
Worst Run Ever
A rather revealing poem this week for your Worst Run Ever.
Unexpected fall,
Fabric tears, nature's laugh,
Exposed, oh the sight!Trees witness the tear,
Humiliation whispers near,
Wind brings cheeks so bare.Jogging turned to sprawl,
Shorts reveal a little snake,
Nature's bold lament.Worst run ever,
Challenges make us grow strong,
Tomorrow's a new start.Young Grasshopper aka Darryl Anderson
The cupboard is now bare, so keep the stories coming in!
Please 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
The A100 & Undulator
Friday - Sunday, November 3rd 5th
“It starts south-east of Wellington, on the Eastbourne coastline, traverses the Parangarahu Lakes area, the Orogorongo Range and the mountainous Aorangi Forest Park, in south-eastern Wairarapa to finish at Waikuku Lodge.”
“Sounds simple enough. 100 km 6 am 3 days. A few “undulations” along the way. How hard could it be? I’ve run the Ring of Fire; I’m Tawa Hardcore. I can do this.”
F🤬ck me. It was one of the stupidest and the best things I ever done did. The A100 left an imprint on my soul. It changed my life for the better. The buzz of Tarawera is cool, but the community grassroots vibe of the A100 can’t be beaten.
Many phrases get bandied around in the trail running scene—toughest this, toughest that. Challenge yourself, hardest race in NZ!!! Most EPIC RaCE EV4!!!.
The A100 has none of that. It just is what it says on the tin.
“Not for the weak.”
What is the A100 / The Undulator?
It is a 3-day stage race spawned from the depths of Chris Martins's mountain skag-riddled brain⛰️🤯.
Within it, you have The Undulator. The Undulator runs as a stand-alone race on Saturday, which the A100 runners also compete in—keeping up?
Day 1 - Eastbourne
📏50ish km 👆800m
Day 2 -The Aorangi Undulator (You can enter Day 2 as a stand-alone race)
📏30ish km👆2000m
Day 3 - The Pinnacles to Waikuku Lodge
📏20ish km 👆1000m
Some races dish out medals. Some will plant a tree in your honour.
Complete the A100?
You receive a new pair of undies🩲 to remind you what you can achieve if you put your arse into gear.
One of the coolest parts of the A100 (course aside) is the friendships you form. Everyone hangs out at the end of each day. Trading stories about how their day went. A few cold ones and some recovery chips.
My Top Tips For Surviving The A100
Ease into the first few km on Day 1. You can’t win it on the first day, but you can go a long way to losing it.
Practise river running. Day 1 has 16km running up the Orongorongo River. Day 2 … you’re straight back in the drink.
Splash the cash and get a massage at the end of Days 1 & 2. Your body will thank you at 6 am on Day 3 while you’re trying to figure out why you entered this thing.
Partner up (if you’re not trying to win). They are some long days to be running solo. Hills are always better with a team.
Don’t get too excited at the top of the 4th “undulation” on Day 2. The course description is fake news.
Practise using a GPX on your watch. This is not your standard trail race. This is a wilderness event.
Entries for the A100 are closed, but you can turn up with cash in the morning for the Undulator. In fact, you could probably turn up with a box of good craft beer 🍺and try your luck.
Check out the website for more details and Facebook for pictures and results from previous years.
#Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
This week’s #mountainskag pic is from Jennifer Tregurtha—ridgelines for daaayz up in the Craigieburn range.
Tag @trailrunning.nz (NOTE THE “.”) and use #mountainskag, DM 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.
Next week, we will have The A100 and Undulator results and whatever else I find in a mad panic late Sunday night.
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