Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
We’re here for you like a lighthouse. Shining a light on awesome Kiwis, so you don’t end up on the rocks reading the same old Courtney and Kilian articles.
Here's what’s in the drop bag this week:
🏃🏃♀️Skedaddle Results
🌎International Results Desk
🥾Mission Corner
🎯Things You May Have Missed
💩Worst Run Ever
🏁Upcoming events: T42 Central Plateau Trail Run
⛰️💊Mountain Skag 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.
Skedaddle Results
Daaaang. The Wild, eat your heart out. Skedaddle has the weather gods on speed dial. The first two years have been picture-perfect.
Last year, Skedaddle debuted with 344 runners making the most of the first-ever opportunity to take on the trails of the privately owned Island Hills Station.
This year? Over 500. The Further Faster team were there. It made One News. Even Dirt Church Radio managed to pull themselves away from their beloved Riverhead forest and join the festivities.
Two Tunner: 📏42KM | ⛰️ 2097M
Women’s podium:
🥇Emma Timmis - 4:47:45 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈Thea Taylor - 4:53:18
🥉Kirsty Gilmour - 5:22:35
Emma Timmis is 7 weeks away from attempting to break the 7-day treadmill world record. Naturally she chose the Two Tunner to get her fill of boring single trail and monotonous scenery before all that excitement on the glorymill.
Timmis ran 20 minutes faster than last year to take the Two Tunner title and course record.
Thea Taylor kept it close, finishing under last year's winning time, but Timmis still finished comfortably clear by 5 minutes.
Kirsty Gilmour was next under the Skedaddle gate 29 minutes back. Shout out to Kirsty. In the last 3 weeks, she’s finished 6th at Mt Oxford Odyssey 50KM. 🥈2nd at the Faultline 50K, and 🥉3rd here at Skedaddle👏.
Here is what the legend Emma Timmis had to say about the event:
“Skedaddle is a really special event.”
”Yesterday we had perfect weather conditions, same as last year.”
“For me it’s all about the community feel at the event, and the support you feel from everyone involved. It’s really well organised, even down to the route marking. Because the course is on private trails it’s a special occasion as you can’t be on them at other times.”
Emma Timmis
Men’s podium:
🥇Scotty Hawker - 3:47:17 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈Aditya Kesarcodi-Watson - 3:58:49
🥉Tom Chretien - 4:01:00
Scotty Hawker knocked the absolute skedaddle out of last year’s winning time of 4:19:18. He strolled around the course well under the 4-hour mark.
The VAR might need to check his Strava heat map to ensure he didn’t do the old ‘hide in the portaloo and pop out at the end’ trick😂!
Aditya Kesarcodi-Watson (Bob for short) and Tom Chretien battled it out for the silver and bronze, with Bob scraping in under the 4-hour mark, beating out Chretien for the silver.
Here is what Scotty Hawker had to say about Skedaddle:
“I had a fun hit out on a really fun course. The trails and scenery are second to none in NZ. The race is for sure going to become one of the most popular in NZ.”
“It’s a very well organised event, and with all proceeds going towards conservation efforts in the Mandamus Preservation Reserve Trust, which includes the largest QEII Open Space Covenant in Canterbury.”
Scotty Hawker
Wilderbeast: 📏30K | ⛰️1397M
Women’s podium:
🥇Sofia Sosa Salas - 3:42:35
🥈Alaina Morrison - 3:52:13
🥉Allison Bechtel - 3:58:56
Sofia Sosa Salas dined out on Wilderbeast, taking a comfortable 10-minute victory over Alaina Morrison.
Allison Bechtel hustled under the 4-hour mark to secure the bronze, well clear of the chasing pack.
Men’s podium:
🥇Damian Cranney - 3:03:43
🥈Ian Reeves - 3:06:05
🥉Heath Degarnham - 3:15:47
The men's race was a closer affair, with Damian Cranney taking the victory just over two minutes ahead of Ian Reeves.
Heath Degarnham did enough to take bronze but, more impressively, scored one for the old fellas in the 50-59 bracket💪.
It looks like they’re on to something good at Island Hills Station. It’s awesome to see an event go from strength to strength.
They’ve already got a video recap up on Instagram, check it out below.
Click Here for the full results, including the 15km, 10km, and 4 km kids race, and follow the Skedaddle Instagram for more coverage from the weekend.
International Results Desk
If you were up early Sunday morning, you would’ve seen Danny Jones extinguish the disappointment of Canyons 100K 2022 by placing 🥈2nd in 3h28m at the Canyons 50KM behind Eli Hemming.
“Absolutely stoked. There was a little added pressure coming into a new team with Adidas TERREX. But very happy to perform where it counts.”
Danny Jones
Robyn Lesh also had a strong showing at the Canyons 50KM, finishing 6th in 4h16m.
“A bit of a mix of feelings about Canyons. #1, yes happy with my time. 4:16ish for 51km & 1400-something meters of elevation isn't too shabby.”
“On the flip side, on an on-day, I know I can run the course faster but that's part of the game, always learning to find the right balance of prep, rest, travel & training! Feeling super fortunate to run in a field of strong ladies and cruise the trails of Auburn.”
Robyn Lesh
Mission Corner
Alastair McDowell has broken Greig Hamilton’s (Yes, that Greig Hamilton) 27:22 Cragieburn Round FKT and has almost blown up the sausage meter🤯.
This newsletter is usually an “EPIC” free zone, but I think it's required in this instance.
Well done Alastair. That’s EPIC.
Here is Alastair’s recap of his big day out:
“The Craigieburn Round has grown in popularity in the last few years, quickly becoming the SK of the south. Martin Lukes established the 105km loop starting at Cass railway station in 2021 with a time of 33 hours.”
“A few months later I had a crack, clockwise in 29:20. A year later, Greig Hamilton lowered that to 27:22. Big jumps! But still a long way off the elusive 24 hour barrier.”
“There have been many attempts recently, many ending in DNF mostly due to weather - poor cloud visibility, gale force winds, or injuries /GI issues. Maybe only a 25% success rate.”
“This weekend all the ducks lined up. A Thursday snowstorm covered the ranges with a thin layer of snow, which would provide invaluable drinking supplies. Sat & Sun, double yoker: cool temps, zero wind, clear sky, and full moon. A recipe for success. I set off 7am from Cass, this time anti-clockwise, on Rose Pearson recommendation. I am now sold, this is the best direction.”
“Tackling the Craigieburns first while fresh I made good progress reaching Porter’s Pass at 830pm where I had pre-cached a food drop, including a thermos which was still hot! Fuelled up for the night I headed over Castle Hill Peak (waking up some campers) and through the Gap at midnight. A moonlit sky above, and the twinkling lights of Christurch to the east and Castle Hill village to the west keeping me oriented.”
“I descended off the final peak Bold Hill and reached Avoca homestead at 3:30am, meaning I had to run the final 25km gravel road in 3.5 hrs to go sub 24…. A lot of maths and arm swinging later I pulled back into Cass, 23hrs 38mins, dawn only moments away. Massive thanks to Jen Tregurtha and Kate Morrison for their support of this mission.”
Alastair McDowell
The FKT’s are now:
🏃Alastair McDowell – 23:38 – April 2024
🏃♀️Rose Pearson – 27:41 – Dec 2023
Check it out on Strava if you want to give him some serious Kudos
Click Here for more info on the Cragieburn Round.
Things You May Have Missed
Inia Raumati, AKA The Ultramaoridoctor, is underway at the Namib Race in Nambia. Just a casual 250KM 6-Stage Ultra in the Desert. This is race 2 of 8 in Inia’s attempt to complete 8 stage races on 8 continents this year. Follow along live here.
Chuck out your ASICS Novablast and put on your Adidas Terrex.
Danny Jones has signed a 3-year deal to join Ruth Croft at Adidas Terrex.
Routeburn have dropped their 2024 Race Video by earlybirdmedia
Now that they’ve had a sleep and the emotions of the finish line have worn off, Mt. Oxford Odyssey has officially announced that they’re done. Finito. Kaput. Will someone look to fill the void?
Rakiura Challenge has joined the ranks of sell-out South Island races.
(As in, no spots left. Not bought by Ironman😅). It’s not until October, but it has fast become one of the top weekend away destination races.
Worst Run Ever
Worst Run Ever is back this week, and well… I don’t have much to add😆.
“Work had been super busy, so I had been making an effort to get out super early. Like 4.30AM early🌕.”
“The run started off just like any other early morning run. A bit of procrastination, a failed attempt at finding a matching pair of socks and the mandatory bathroom visit.💩”
“I set off from home, an easy 2k warm-up on the way to the trails before upping the intensity. So far, so good. The body was co-operating, the morning was fresh but not cold, and I was happy that I had forced myself to get out.”
“However, 30 minutes in, a familiar feeling returned. I thought I had evacuated my bowels, but as us runners know, sometimes it’s a game of 2 halves.”
“I ran the mental arithmetic in my head. Was this a speed issue or a time issue? If I slow my speed, will that give me more time to get home to the safety and comfort of toilet paper? Or is this a time issue? Do I need to speed up to get home before times up?”
“Turns out, neither. This thing was happening now. I bolted off the trail. Wow, the terrain got steep fast.”
“There I am, straddling a tree with my shorts around my ankles, trying not to overbalance and end up going head over sh💩t down the bank.”
“Then, what do I see? A f🤬cking headlamp. You’ve got to be f🤬cking kidding me. I haven’t seen a soul the past month, and the one time I drop my pants there they are. I quickly turn off my headlamp and half pull up my shorts.”
“The light gets brighter and brighter, and I can hear their footsteps louder and louder. Then the footsteps stop. WTF😲. Why is this happening to me? What is this person up to?”
“Thats when I heard the steady sound of urine splashing on the trail and what I can only describe as a monstrous fart.”
“The melodic tone of the pissing stopped, and the footsteps restarted. I had been squatting so long my legs felt like they were about to cramp. I finished my business, turned my headlamp back on and slowly slinked away from the scene of the crime.”
“I can’t believe that just happened.”
“Worst Run Ever.”
J K
Well … that was quite something else…
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:
T42 Central Plateau
Saturday, May 4th
The T42 is a mountain bike and running event based in the Tongariro Forest Conservation Area.
If you think it sounds like it’s in the middle of nowhere, you’re about right. It’s smack bang in the middle of the North Island, between the Metropolis of Taumaruni and Turangi.
Last year, the MTB part of the event was canned due to a slip. Fortunately for you rehabbing runners out there, they’ve got a bypass sorted this year, so the MTB events are back on.
🏃🏃♀️Distances on offer:
📏42KM | ⛰️ 802M
📏24KM | ⛰️ 581M
📏11KM | ⛰️ 247M
📏6KM | ⛰️ 124M
It’s not every day you get to run a net downhill marathon, but you’ll be doing well to PB on this course.
What to expect on the course (from the T42 site)
“The 42 Traverse track is a historic logging road – undulating (but more down than up) with a handful of short river crossings. The terrain underfoot is a variety of dirt (which can get a little muddy in places) and gravel. There is plenty of room for passing if need be and spectacular views to boot.”
Translation: It’s an old, up-and-down, gravelly logging road that will likely be muddy AF and rutted out in spots. Don’t worry, though. You can wash your shoes off in a few spots and check out some nice views.
If your family was gutted that they didn’t get the chance to drive to obscure places to pass you food when the Tussock Traverse was cancelled, this could be just what you and your family need.
If this sounds like a bit of you, entries are still open - to enter or for more info, click here.
#Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
NZ Rep Jess Campbell made the most of the recent snow, heading up Avalanche Peak for a hit of the good stuff🤤.
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.
We will be back next week with the T42 results, the Mountain Skag vote for April, and, with a bit of luck, The Old Forest Hanmer results.
It takes hours to write this newsletter but only 8 seconds to forward it to a friend.
PS. Last week, we dived into the big issues. Salomon or Condom. Results below
Euro Glide was indeed the correct answer.