🏃🏃♀️South Island Ultra Results
"By 1055 I was home, gathering the bag we’d packed for the hospital"
Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
Here's what’s in the drop bag this week:
🏃🏃♀️South Island Ultra Results
🏃🏃♀️Best Dam Ultra Ultra Results
🎯Things You May Have Missed
🎁GET FKT Merrell Prize Draw
😮Worst Run Ever
🏁Upcoming events: Ultra Trail Straya, BoI Running Festival
⛰️💊Mountain Skag of The Week & April Winner
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South Island Ultra Results
The South Island Ultra may have angered the equality gods, but the weather gods smiled upon it for the third year in a row☀️.
It was a typical cold West Coast start, coal in the air and frost on the ground, before giving way to perfect Autumn running conditions.
Now there are no splits for any of the races, and my Sunday stalker skills deserted me today, so we will just try to stick to the facts for once😣.
I normally start with the longest distance first, but I’m mixing it up this week since I managed to get hold of the 54km winners.
📏54KM | Old Christchurch Road to Hokitika
Women’s podium:
🥇Maggi Forsyth - 4:16:42 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈Emma Stark - 4:45:40
🥉Esme Justo - 4:54:09
Local West Coast speed demon Maggi Forsyth (Naseby Miler champ) smashed 8 minutes off the course record on her way to a crushing victory. For those doing the math at home, she averaged 4.41 /km🔥.
Emma Stark finished just under 30 minutes later, holding off Esme Justo for the Silver, who edged out Anne Harvet by just under a minute to take the Bronze.
Here’s what Maggi had to say about her race:
How did your day go and how does it feel to break the CR at the SI ultra?
“My run went really well! My goal was to break the CR, and I knew I had it in me, but you never know what will happen on the day.”
“I was pretty nervous, because I had put it out there that I was trying to break the record. I had my 5km splits scribbled on my arm. I needed to hold a 4.40 pace which would get me a 4.17 (the current record being 4 hours 24 minutes).”
“I had a great run, felt strong and hit my splits all the way through. Slowed up a touch in the last few kms, but managed to come in just under 4 hours and 17 minutes.”
“Was a bit of a last minute race entry, after saying I wasn’t going to do anything serious between north burn and Naseby milers (my husband knows by now not to believe me when I say that), so really pleased I decided to give it a crack - and pretty special to win a race and break a record where I live!”
“Shoutout to my training partner and friend Jesse Rhodes who smoked the men’s course record by over 10 minutes to get a 4.02!”
Men’s podium:
🥇Sanjeev Deo - 4:00:15 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈Jesse Rhodes - 4:02:46
🥉Daniel Martin - 4:07:30
Sanjeev Deo and Jesse Rhodes went at it like two truck drivers who’ve just seen the last mince and cheese pie at BP. 💪
These boys were playing for keeps. There was a real possibility that they would blow each other up with Daniel Martin sitting in the pocket to sweep up the glory.
They couldn’t be separated until 40-odd km down the road. Rhodes started to find the back of his pain cave, and Deo twisted the knife, finding some open air for the first time in the race.
Deo kicked clear to take the victory by 2m31s and smashed 12m18s off the former CR. Here’s what Sanjeev had to say about the day:
It looked like a tight race - how did things play out at the front?
“I am always a little skeptical when things are marketed as “the most scenic” but the West Coast Wilderness Trail is pretty special. It was fast and smooth gravel trail. Jesse and I went to the front from the start and ran together for most of the race; it really felt like it could go either way.”
“The pace started to slow a little around 37km, so I tried to make a move, and then managed to inch away after the aid station at about 41km. It was a perfect day, cool, without much wind.”
“Great job to Jesse and Dan. Jesse was super strong, and Dan was hot on our heels. Big thanks to Carol and John for putting on a great event in a special part of the country.”
📏100KM | Greymouth to Hokitika
Women’s podium:
🥇Chantelle Smith - 9:24:41
🥈Sonya King - 11:35:23
🥉Jodie Keeney - 11:50:48
I could be barking at the wrong dog here- but I THINK the South Island Ultra 100K trophy is being stuffed into an overhead luggage compartment on QA1524 back to Straya🦘 as we speak.
Chantelle Smith (if it’s the Chantelle I’m thinking of, 2nd at Tarawera Miler 2024) dominated the race from start to finish. She was out to a double-digit lead before the first aid station, giving Jono Pinckney all he could handle for the overall win.
They still weren’t separated when they ran into the Old Christchurch Road aid station 46km into the race. Smith couldn’t hold on to Pinckney through the back half of the race, but the damage had already been done. She won the Women’s race by an incredible 2h10m💪.
Sonya King and Jodie Keeney took the Silver & Bronze. Credit where credit is due - they might have been a couple of hours off the back of Smith, but running 100km under 12 hours is impressive regardless of the terrain.
Men’s podium:
🥇Jono Pinckney - 9:17:47
🥈Paul Gurney - 9:48:12
🥉Paul McHale- 9:55:33
See above😂.
Jono Pinckney’s headlamp shot down the gravel path with Chantelle Smith, leaving Paul Gurney ‘Goo’ and Paul McHale locked in a savage fight to the death for the ultimate honour: King of the Pauls.
When it was all said and done, Gurney dragged his battered body across the line 30 minutes after Pinckney, and more importantly, 7 minutes clear of the slightly inferior McHale😝.
Click Here for the full results, including the 24KM race.
Check out the South Island Ultra Facebook & Instagram over the coming days for more event coverage.
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The Best Dam Backyard Ultra
Saturday, May 10th - Monday 12th
If you’ve never heard about Backyard Ultras, check out the Backyard NZ site, but here’s the TLDR.
Run a 6.71 KM loop on the hour every hour.
If you don’t start the loop, you’re out.
The race goes on until only 1 person is left.
Overall Winner:
🏆👑🥇Macee Latimer - 43 (288.53KM)
Top DNFs - Men 🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️
☠️Glenn Sutton - 42 yards (281.82KM)
☠️Hunter Wight - 38 yards (254.98KM)
☠️Krisztian Kormos - 36 yards (241.56KM)
Top DNFs - Women 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️
☠️Lydia Pattillo - 32 yards (214.72KM)
☠️Barbara Verlinden - 25yards (167.75KM)
☠️Ella Chibnall - 25 yards (161.04KM)
90 runners and crew descended on Otematata, eating the town out of bananas and drinking the pub dry - and that was only Steve Tripp on Friday night!😮
The numbers slowly dropped through the first day, and not a lap went by in the first 20 hours without a casualty. It was starting to look like every backyard since the World Champs, destined for 30-yardville.
The headlamps came out, and the expected carnage … never came. Only 9 runners fell victim to the 100km milestone, with 19 temporary Otematatatins making it through the night, scoring a magical, make-believe 100-mile buckle.
11 would join the 200km cool club, one of which was Lydia Pattillo of Dunedin, who bowed out with 214km in the bag. With that, Macee Latimer secured Last Women Standing, and a star was born.
The 21-year-old pig farmer from Timaru, who has never run more than 50km, sent the other runners off to the market, one at a time. When Krisztian Kormos pulled the pin at 241km, it went from being an incredible story to “She could f%$^ng win this thing!”
The final three were formed.
🏃♀️Macee Latimer 🏃Glenn Sutton 🏃Hunter Wight
Glenn Sutton has knocked Hunter Wight off in the last 2 Pigs Backyard. Once again, he couldn’t match Sutton, dropping after 38 loops, and it was up to Latimer to take on Sutton.
(This is when I went to bed.)
Macee Latimer vs Glenn Sutton.
Pig Farmer vs Pigs Winner
Who wanted it more?
Did Sutton have anything left to prove?
Has Latimer started to get a bit bored yet?
UPDATE: HOLY HELMET!🤯🤯🤯 I’ve arisen from the dead to see Macee Latimer has knocked the bastard off!
They went back and forth for 4 rounds before Sutton threw in the towel. Latimer completed her victory lap to become the 3rd overall female backyard winner after Katie Wright and Fiona Hayvice.
Congratulations to 🏃♀️Macee Latimer, your inaugural Best Dam Backyard champion.
Apologies, I don’t have any photos of her post-victory. The team down there is extremely busy … watching movies.
What I do have, though, is a collection of snaps from Rad Piers (NZ’s best race photographer). Everyone looks like they’re just having the best time. What a beautiful backdrop for an event.
Well done to Inch Events for always putting on a great show and showing that Backyards in NZ can continue pushing the boundaries.
Full Best Dam Ultra results here.
For more pictures and coverage, check out their Instagram and Rad Piers here
Things You May Have Missed
Ruth Croft Drops From Transvulcnia
Ruth Croft returned to Transvulcania to defend her title, but things didn’t quite go as expected. She ran in second after sharing the lead for the race's first half before dropping at the 51km mark with Hypothermia. All I’ve heard so far is from iRunFar
“However, things took a turn for the worse for her, and she’d drop at the next aid station with some help from the organisation due to hypothermia.”
Scary! Hope your okay Ruth. All the best with the recovery - that sounds gnarly.
Helen Waterworth Ditches The Trails For The Track
Helen from His & Her Events stole the show at the Sri Chinmoy 24-Hour Track event, taking out the win with 206.108km.
he finished 11km clear of Dawn Tufferey, and only Keith Burrows, the Men’s Champ, finished ahead of her with 218.912km. Awesome work, Helen. Now burn those track shoes and find some mud ASAP!
WTF is Cocodona?
Has your feed been jam-packed with Coco Doughnut, Kokodoner, Cocodona 250 updates for the last week, and you have no idea what it is? It’s a 250-mile race in Arizona put on by Jamjam and the Aravaipa Crew.
The Chase documentary has been out for a while now, but if you haven’t seen it, it’s a great watch.
Get FKT Merrell Prize Draw
And … We’re now officially done!
Below are the Merrell Prizepool winners.
Sarah Mackey - 1 Pair of Merrell Agility Peak 5’s
Caitlin Knox - 1 Pair of Merrell Agility Peak 5’s
Dwayne Collecutt - 1 Pair of Merrell Morphlites
Amy Rice - 1 Pair of Merrell Morphlites
Katie Annan - 1 Pair of Morphlites
Aditya Kesarcodi-Watson - $50 Merrell Voucher
Greg Bassam - $50 Merrell Voucher
Chris Taylor - $50 Merrell Voucher
Liam McKenzie - $50 Merrell Voucher
Katie Smith - 20% off Race Tekapo Entry
Worst Run Ever
This week's story is from the one and only Alex Jones. I’d put it in the ‘Worst Timing For A Run Ever’ category.
Runner Vs The Unborn
“A few years ago I was expecting some time off running, with the birth of our second child approaching. So when with 3 weeks to go a fine Sunday arrived, I nipped off for a run on Wellington’s Skyline track. Chances like this would soon be very rare, but 37 weeks isn’t 40 so I knew nothing would kick off for a while. The worst that could happen would be getting a text and bailing off the ridge early to go to the pharmacy for gaviscon or a heat pack. So off I went.”
“As I got to the top of Kaukau I was rewarded with the fantastic view of the bay, the city, and the Remutaka range behind. “I won’t be out there for a while” I thought, at the same time knowing that not many capital cities can offer a 3.5km run with 400m of climbing straight from the door and a smorgasbord of trails and views like this.”
“After about 30 minutes I got that call. “I’m sure it’s fine but…”. “I’m on my way” I said, half thinking I’d get a stand down text in a few minutes and could turn the run into Kaukau hill reps. That was about 1040 and I think you can guess that I didn’t get a stand down.”
“By 1055 I was home, gathering the bag we’d packed for the hospital. Things were still not urgent, so I jumped in the shower. It seemed under control. Friends on the way to look after our two year old and midwife en route to the hospital.”
“It was at that point that things went a little bit turbo. The unborn race organiser binned the A-course with it’s nice run in to the maternity ward, and replaced it with a much less enjoyable and definitely more technical B-course loop around the house to the porch and back, finishing in the bedroom delivering a baby. At this point the midwife was stuck in traffic. Fortunately, and with some wonderful support from a good friend and a 111 operator, everything went well and we had a baby boy at 1135.”
“In the end I’m glad we never left the house. We’d have bailed on the way, probably on the layby near the stadium, and my son would be spending the rest of his life explaining why his middle name is Westpac.”
“PS - If this happens to anyone else, DON’T put it on Strava. If you didn’t run a personal best for the segment off the hill you’ll spend a very long time trying to explain why.”
Alex Jones
Thanks for that Alex! That sounds like quite the stressful situation.
Maybe you lost your keys, or you will to live. Maybe you stepped in dog sh💩t on your first run in your new bazillion-dollar super shoes. Or perhaps you just missed the cutoff… to the pub!
DM them on Instagram or email through to trailrunningnz@gmail.com - I’m more than happy to help flesh them out!
Upcoming Events:
🦘Ultra Trail Straya
Saturday, May 17th
Stone the flaming crows, chuck another prawn on Barbie. Ultra Trail Straya🦘 is next weekend!
It’s the biggest event outside of UTMB, and this year, it’s one of only three ‘Majors’.
That means more coverage, more $$$ for the freaks, a debut 100-mile race, more international entries and bigger queues for your pre-race meditation.
If you missed last week’s Dirt Church Episode, they previewed the courses and reviewed some of the favourites. I’ve never run at UTA, so I won’t pretend to know anything about the courses apart from the fact that there are a few steps involved.
We Kiwis have always done well at UTS, and this year looks no different. We’ve got top contenders in every race, especially the fiddy.
I’m sure I’ve missed a few (Over 240 Kiwis are running), but here is a list of some of the usual suspects who have a good chance of featuring in next week’s newsletter.
📏160km:
Emma Timmis: She’s set insane World Records on the treadmill, and last year, someone finally explained to her that you can run a long time out on the trails, too! She took out the inaugural Spectacle Miler in December and backed it up with second at Tarawera.
Cam Kerr: He flies under the radar, but don’t be fooled—he is a killer. He was the NZ 2024 Short Trail Champ and had a gritty performance at UTMB last year before finishing 10th in the lightning show that was Ultra Trail Kosciosko.
📏100km:
George Murray: He won this race back in 2023. Last year, he flew a little close to the sun. He’s back and gets to run with no pressure in a strong field without the ‘defending champ’ tag. Always a podium threat.
Benje Patterson: He’s one of the most consistent performers in the country, and has done well in the Blueys in the past (9th - 50km, 5th 100km)
Julia Chamberlain: She’s the reigning champ of about half the races in NZ, including the WAI2K, where she won the NZ Long Trail Champs. She also took 10th in the most competitive race on Kiwi soil in the Tarawera 100k this year.
Naomi Brand: Naomi never dies wondering! She’s had some rock and diamond results in recent years. Here’s hoping she finds a big old 10-carat diamond next weekend!
Julia Grant: The GOAT of Mission Mt. Somers is heading abroad! She finished 3rd in a fiercely competitive field in the Tarawera 50km earlier in the year. It will be exciting to see how she does stepping back up to the 100km distance.
📏50km:
Caitlin Fielder: Our 2nd biggest Trail running export behind Ruth Croft. After dominating the 50km at Tarawera for years, seeing her throw down on a new course is exciting—red hot favourite.
Katie Morgan: After some struggles with injury in the last 18 months, it’s fantastic to see Katie string together some results, nailing the Kepler treble and becoming a 2-time national champ at 3 Peaks + 1. Definite podium contender.
Hannah Wall: The People’s Champ, The Sausage Sizzler. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Hannah has a big race because I’m desperate to see a shoey and a Hannah Wall post-race interview on the UTMB live stream.
You Know Who You Are: She likes to fly under the radar, long walks on the beach and cups of tea. Oh, and she also wins most things she enters.
Dan Jones: Dan’s treating this as a tune-up for Western States and is coming in under serious load. In similar circumstances, he raced 3 Peaks + 1 in 2023 and got knocked over by Weston Hill. It will be interesting to see how fresh he is. He is the hot favourite but anything can happen in 50km races!
David Haunschmidt: The Flying Doctor has been knocked around a bit of late. Illness and concussion have meant the usual high-flying, record-breaking Haunschmidt has been grounded. He took the Silver last year. Does he have it in him to knock over DJ and a host of speedy Aussies next weekend?
Sam Rout: The Northland Express is back on home soil and ready to rip. He’s the current Bay Of Islands Ultra, Wuu2k & Taupo 50 champ and had a strong 8th place at Tarawera this year.
Also in the mix: Luke Wilson, Doug Golding, Aditya Kersarcodi-Watson
Please reply to this email with who else we should be watching at UTA next weekend.
Click here to learn more about Ultra Trail Straya.
Keep an eye on their Instagram next weekend, as the coverage is always top-notch.
Other Events Next Weekend
Bay of Islands Run Festival
Sunday, May 18
This weekend, the Bay of Islands Run/Walk Festival, part of the Sport Northland running series, will also take place.
Now … I wouldn’t normally mention an event with a walk in the name. But last year, they introduced the Ultra distance, and the racing was fierce.
Sam Rout put his name on the map by knocking over The Flying Doctor, and Hannah Oldroyd put on a show.
What’s on offer:
📏8.7K
📏22K
📏50K
Here’s what Sport Northland says about the course.
“The scenic course encompasses some stunning views across the Bay as you navigate your way along Paihia's waterfront, including access to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and the Waitangi Mountain bike park.”
If this tickles your bits, registrations are still open. Oh, and did I mention that every entry goes in the draw to win a car?
For more info, click here and check out Facebook for the latest news.
#Mountain Skag Winner Of April
Congratulations to Tony Sharpe. Your Skag delivered the biggest hit in April.
#Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
Jennifer Tregurtha is back with this week’s hit of the good stuff. Snowy ridgelines, it just hits different!
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.
You could look as cool as these guys.
I’ll be back next week with the Ultra Trail Straya Results and more.
It takes hours to write this newsletter but only 8 seconds to forward it to a friend.
PS. Do you know someone who’s raced Cocodona 250? Would love to hear from a Kiwi who’s raced it!