šTararua Mountain Race, The Routeburn Classic
"...and introducing the GET FKT Summit Challengeā
Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
Weāre here for you like š¤£.
Here's whatās in the drop bag this week:
šUpcoming events: Tararua Mountain Race, Routeburn Classic
š¤¬GET FKT Summit Challenge
šÆThings You May Have Missed
š°Mission Desk: New NW Circuit FKT
ā°ļøšMountain Skag of March & The Week
Note: Due to the length, some email browsers will hide some of the content - make sure you click āview entire emailā or click through to substack.
The atmospheric river swept away the smoke signals from Dog Creek Timber Trail by UTMB down South, so we donāt have any results this weekš.
Instead, weāre mixing it up, kicking off with a couple of previews for next weekendās action, which will feature two of the countryās premier mountain racesš.
Upcoming Events
Tararua Mountain Race
Saturday, April 12
You're not alone if you havenāt heard of the Tararua Mountain Race. Itās an old-school grassroots event that started many moons ago.
There was no Strava, no internet and certainly no smart watches. It was before the dorky upturned flat peaks and hydration vests were even a thing. It was the battleground for mountain men and women across the lower North Island looking to settle a score.
It had a 4 year hiatus, but last year, the Tararua Mountain Race triumphantly returned, and boy, was it worth the wait. A rare perfect 10/10 bluebird day saw Alastair Mcdowell and Allira Hanczakowski write their name into the long-standing history books of the TMR.
However, it hasnāt been plain sailing for race director Andy Carruthers - the Otaki Gorge road slip is finally being fixed, which has caused some questions about access for the race. Fortunately, Andy has had great cooperation from the council, assuring the race can go as planned.
Letās take a look at whatās on offer:
Field Dash: š13KM | ā°ļø770M
The Kime Climb: š24KM | ā°ļø1300M
Southern Crossing: š36KM | ā°ļø2300M
The Field Dash and Kime Climb were added last year and are great options for dipping your creepy toe socks into mountain running and seeing what the Tararua is about.
Then we have the Skagzilla, AKA The Southern Crossing.
2300m of vert in 36km is a grunty ratio, but it doesnāt paint the full picture.
This MIGHT be the toughest 36 km mountain race in the lower North Island.
This IS the toughest race under 50 km in the country.
The rootsā¦ the mudā¦ the MFš¤¬ tussock covering the MFš¤¬ slippery AF ātrailā across the tops ā¦ the rocks ā¦ the unrelenting descent from Mt. Hector.
You can read the fullĀ previewĀ from last year here, but below is a snippet from Andy Carruthers, the RD:
What is your favourite memory/memories of the Tararua Mountain Race?
āFor me swimming in the river after the finish and having a sausage is a highlight.ā
āI will never forget my second time, hamstrings cramping so badly I had to hop and hobble to the finish.ā
āI will never forget the day after, hobbling around the house like someone 50 years older.ā
āI will never forget my mate throwing up after the event, his body didn't know what had hit himā
āI will never forget the time it rained so much that the route on the tops was a stream.ā
āI will never forget the snow and sleet on the tops for many of the years.ā
Iāve had a wee scroll of the start list, and I gotta say, thereās no clear favourite in the menās field.
My gut says Sam Hansby, but Thomas Hadley did knock him over at the Mega Munter in 2023.
Then I can see Chester Holt-Quick coming over the line in 1st, but heās coming off the back of a huge race at 3Peaks + 1 and is probably destined for another 4th.
Then youāve got the young gun Jake Mclellan, who posted the 2nd fastest time on the SK Valleys late last year.
I havenāt even mentioned Arran Whiteford, who was 2nd last year!
Also in the mix: Brendan Varty, Tom Peck, Bernard Campian, Charlie Ruck, Bradley Houghton
On the womenās side of the draw, Iām backing The Spectacle 100km champ, Kate Annan. She is a rough terrain specialist who will feel right at home grinding her way up Marchant ridge.
In the mix: Gwenan Riley, Emma Pescini
Entries are still open
Click here for more details. Follow along on Instagram.
This Weekās Newsletter Is Brought To You Byā¦
Hakuna Matata Otematata - It means no worries while running in circles, surrounded by stunning viewsā¦ for the rest of your daysā¦
šāāļø Looking for an easy Backyard Ultra?
Good news! The average total on this course is 55 yardsāMake yourself look good at the pub with less effort.
š Think youāre a hotshot?
This is the home of both NZās Backyard Ultra venue recordsācan you break them? (šāāļø51yd & šāāļø73yd)
š Want to maximise your Scenery to Vert ratio?
The Best Dam Ultra might be the best in the country at 23m vertical gain.
š
May 10, 9 AM
šOtematata (2 hours from Dunedin)
š Shš©t tonne of accommodation
CLICK HERE For More Details
The Routeburn Classic
Saturday, April 12
The Routeburn Classic has seen a tonne of changes in recent years. Firstly, itās actually happened two years in a row, which feels like somewhat of a miracle after its horror run with the weather and Cš¤¬š¤¬š¤¬D-19.
Then, in 2023, Evan McWhirter sold it to Trojan Holdings, which, among other things, runs Coast to Coast. They used some muscle to raise the limit from 350 to 400 runners.
This year, Routeburn has a shiny new name sponsor. ArcāTeryx. You know, that brand with the weird fossil of a demented dinosaur that no one can pronounce?
Anyway, I digressāone thing hasnāt changedāthe route itself.
Itās still one of the most scenic places in the country, and it still burns.
If youāre not Mazda Familia, hereās a quick look at what you can expect from ArchTrex Routeburn Classic.
š32KM | ā°ļø1100M
CR:šāāļøSarah Douglas 3:16:48 | šJack Beaumont 2:37:51
The Routeburn track is one of NZās Great Walks, which links Mount Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks in the deep South. Itās a point-to-point race from the Divide (southern end) to Routeburn Shelter (northern end).
Some of the features youāll find:
šļøBeech forests
ā°ļøAlpine passes
šWaterfalls
š£Rocks
š¦Cheeky AF Kea
For a bit of a taste of what itās all about, check out the video below by Evan McWirter (previous owner) from 2021.
Last year, Toby Batchelor went one better than in 2023, beating out Douglas Golding, and Sarah Douglas held on to a 4-minute victory over Kelsey Lewis.
With the Routeburn, itās always hard to know whoās there for the experience and whoās there to take souls. The first thing I noticed while scrolling through the start list was how many family groups were running it! Very cool.
Anyway, enough stalling - my picks for the top of the podium based solely on the start list available are:
š„Julia Chamberlain
There aren't many people who I would pick ahead of Julia Chamberlain. Sheās had a hectic race schedule, but itās hard not to see her adding The Routeburn to her trophy collection if she's there to race.
š„Piotr Babis
I presume this is Piotr, the Polish athlete based in Tasmania. He runs for Arcā Trix and is coming off a victory in the Kunanyi Mountain Run Alpine Marathon. Piotr has a bag full of strong results and will take some beating.
All the best to everyone running, especially those travelling a long way to experience the Routeburn for the first time.
Click here for more details, and follow along on Instagram and Facebook.
Get Ready For The ā¦
Trail Running NZ GET Fš¤¬T Summit Challenge
Alright, Iām super pumped about this one. Iāve been working behind the scenes with Merrell NZ to put together a Strava Challenge that the majority of people can get involved in.
Hereās an awkward video from a guy who is used to writing, not talking:
If you have no idea what that guy is talking about:
Follow the below link and take a read.
The Challenge starts next Saturday, the 12th, and runs through to May 4th.
TLDR:
Join another useless Strava Club
Run one of the segments
Potentially win some free shš©t from Merrell
The challenge is a work in progress, so you might see some details change and be added along the way.
Take a look, find a segment you want to run ā¦ and GO GET FKT!
Things You May Have Missed
Brion Matthews won the Dog Shš©t Creek 100KM
As previously stated, the atmospheric river disrupted the smoke signals carrying the results North from the Dog Creek Timber Trail Ultra. What I do know is that Brion Matthews won the 100km.
Hereās what Brion had to say:
ā4 starters at 5am. Torrential rain. Got lost. Added distance (and vert). Surprisingly nice trails. Ran super consistant. Got the win.ā
If anyone has a copy of the results, please fax them my way. Iāll include them next week.
Inia Raumati Completes 4 Deserts Grand Slams
2014: First Kiwi to complete the 4 Deserts Grand Slam
2024: First Person in the world to run a self-supported stage race on every continent in 1 year
2025: Still the only Kiwi to complete the 4 Deserts Grand Slam; and now for the second time
Now time to go home and get married šš¾š
Inia Raumati AKA The Ultra Maori Doctor
Well done, Inia - thatās a fantastic achievement. It sounds like your biggest Grand Slam is yet to comešā¦
Northland 100 Entries Now Open
His & Her Events has officially launched the Northland 100, AKA The Naseby of the Winterless North.
The website is now live, and so are the registrations.
Blake Schimanski Running Length Of NZ
Blake Schimanski (who recently finished 11th at the Tarawera 100Mā17:47) is running the length of NZ, raising funds for I AM HOPE. This is not to be confused with the TA, but in my mind, itās equally as big a challengeāall that tarmacš¤¢.
You can follow his dot here and his Insta here.
Pic Of The Week
You gotta love a race with a sense of humour. This pic from 3 Peaks + 1 Dunedin showing that they can take on constructive criticism.
Porirua Grand Traverse Results
It was the 20th year of the Porirua Grand Traverse with Jackie Holley & Nick Cox taking out the 18 km Mountain Run.
Mission Desk
Just a quick hitter from the Mission Desk this week.
At 4 PM last Friday, a party set out to attempt the FKT on the North West Circuit on Rakiura - a casual 125km with 5500M of vertical mud.
Who could possibly love mud that much, you may ask?
Who else but the organisers of Pigs Backyard of courseš.
Chris Taylor and Steve Tripp were joined by Isaac Tripp, Adam Keen and Julia Chamberlain.
Somewhere along the way, the group split, with Adam and Julia deciding to cruise and let Chris, Steve, and Isaac have all the glory.
The trio finished in 32:45, beating the previous FKT of 35 hours.
Congratulations on your new shiny FKT. With Daylight Savings gone, I suspect you will hold on to it until at least Summer.
#Mountain Skag Pic Of March
Vote for your favourite #mountainskag winner from March below.
Iāve taken the names off the photos to avoid it being a popularity contest.
#Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
This weekās #mountainskag fix is from Oscar Donovan, who just summited Mt. Apiring.
āI love Mt aspiring and Mt aspiring loves me ā¤ļø
Carpark to summit and back to carpark in 13hours and 12 minutes šā
I occasionally still get asked what a Mountain Skag addict looks like.
I present to you, Oscar Donovan. Heās absolutely off his tits on pure A Class Mt. Aspiring Mountain Skag.
If he wasnāt wearing sunnies, youād see his pupils fully dilated, every hair on his body is standing on end, and the weight of 1,000 unread work emails is a world away.
Tag @trailrunning.nz (NOTE THE ā.ā) 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 results from the Tararua Mountain Race, The Routeburn Classic and whatever waffle that fills my brain on a Sunday night.
It takes hours to write this newsletter but only 8 seconds to forward it to a friend.
PS. Check out Bizzy As Bro! If you like the Trail Running NZ format and style, a couple of mates are looking to take on the big c ā¦ats of the NZ Business news world.
š looks like my google maps driver lisence also received some demerits - thanks Tony!
Dunedin to Otematata in 2 hours? That's some serious demerit point potential fella :)