ππββοΈThe WooOOOo2K Special!
"But then the buzzing got louder. I looked across at the tree in front of me, and there it wasβ"
Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
Trail Running NZ: The greatest thing since the invention of the carπ
Here's whatβs in the drop bag this week:
πUpcoming events: The WUU2K
βHow to get into Western States
π―Things You May Have Missed
πWorst Run Ever
πRoam Energy Giveaway
β°οΈπMountain Skag Of The Week & Vote For June
Note: Due to the length, some email browsers will hide some of the content - make sure you click βview entire emailβ or click through to substack.
Upcoming Events
The WUU2K (Wellington Urban Ultra)
Saturday, July 13
Beer consumption is down in the capital, seam-sealed jacket sales are up, and the metservice server is overheating.
That can only mean one thing β¦
Itβs WUU2K Week Baaaaby!!!!!
Itβs that time of year. Dark when you leave the house. Dark when you get home.
If itβs not blowing from the North, itβs blowing from the South.
The perfect time to have a running race on all the exposed tops of Wellingtonπ€£.
If youβre unfamiliar with the WUU2K, itβs the creation of the evil mastermind Gareth Thomas.
The original 45K and 65K races start in the northern suburbs of Wellington, making their way into the city along the skyline before weaving through the interconnected Wellington city trails, finishing in the heart of the city in Mt Victoria.
Oh, did I mention that Gareth has found a way to find almost every hill in Wellington along the way?
In recent years, heβs also added a 21km race for those who want less distance but the same pain ratio.
2 parts fun, to 1 part βFπCK MAKE IT STOPβ
If you missed it, I waffled through a WUU2K preview on Dirt Church Radio this week with Eugene and Matt.
But if you donβt want to hear me say βlikeβ 1000 times, below is a rehash of my predictions and thoughts for the upcoming weekend and some new ones.
π65KM | β°οΈ2800M
Let's be honest; itβs all about the 65km. Without the infamous Tip Track climb, the WUU2K wouldnβt have reached its cult-like status.
My top tip for having a good day at the 65 km race?
Volunteer at one of the aid stations insteadπ.
Alright, Iβve shined up my crystal balls. Letβs make some predictions*.
*Based on the current starters list.
πββοΈWomenβs Race:
Course Record | Mel Brandon(2022) - 6:31:37
π₯Erin Vaughn will go one better after taking silver in 2022 behind course record holder Mel Brandon and last year chasing Ali Wilsonβs shadow all day. Victory at the recent Faultline Miler has given her a taste of glory, and I think sheβs ready for another big swig.
π₯Chrissi Faber from Hawkes Bay Hardcore wonβt make it easy. Sheβs the 50KM WAI2K Champ, 3rd at the Tarawera Miler this year and was leading the Faultline 100K before an eventual DNF after a week of dental mayhem.
π₯Crystal Bartlett was 2nd at the relaunched Tararua Mountain Race earlier this year behind Allira Hanczakowski and has been training the house down, snatching crowns all over Spicer Forest and Rangituhi.
In the mix: Olivia Lawrence (Women of the Mountains)
πMenβs Race
Course Record | Sam McCutcheon(2022) - 5:11:59
The intel machine has been pinging all week. It would appear that hometown favourite Backwards Cap Barensy is out of the race, blowing it wide open.
I also got a tonne of messages from up past Auckland (Is it called Norfland?) all along the lines of:
βYOU THINK SAMβS SCARED OF A FEW STAIRS? HE LOVES STAIRS!!!β
So on that note β¦
π₯Sam Rout. Iβm going to give Sam the nod. He recently demoed The Flying Doctor at the Bay of Islands Trail Festival over 50 km and set a new course record at the Wild Kiwi Half marathon, which has roughly 3000 stairs.
Having never run in Wellington before, I think ignorance will be bliss. He will be 1st to the top at Kaukau and run scared the whole way to victory.
π₯Ryan Wolley is my pick for 2nd. I have no reasoning for this other than that about ten people who are way faster than me have all said heβs super quick.
π₯Sam Manson (Coast2Coast Longest Day Winner) will take the bronze, a matching medal for his 3rd place finish in the WUU2K marathon back in 2022. He knows the course and has the endurance pedigree, but I donβt think he has the wheels to take the win.
In the mix: Chester Holt-Quick, Andrew Wharton, Stephen Molineux, Bert Prendergast
Bonus tip, Top Ranga: π₯Joshua Lloyd
π43KM | β°οΈ2000M
There have been several entries since the podcast was recorded, which have spiced things up.
πMenβs Race
Course Record | Thomas Barnes(2023) - 3:36:50
π₯Sam Hansby broke the marathon course record en route to beating David Haunschmidt by over 10 minutes when he last raced The Wuu in 2022. Sam tells me heβs feeling fitter than a cheap suit, so I canβt bet against him.
π₯David Haundschmidt: Iβve hacked into the Hutt Hospitalβs main frame, and it looks like heβs only working one double shift this week and has the weekend off.
We all know he races his best with at least 3 double shifts leading into a race and a busy night shift to get back to.
All jokes aside, it feels like Iβm saying 1+1=3 by not picking him to win. But heβs been doing a lot of racing, and Hansbyβs coming in fresh.
π₯Joshua Campbell will be carrying the hopes and dreams of Upper Hutt Hardcore on his shoulders. The proud Trentham Harrier and reigning WAI2K 100 km champ has had a strong training block with a lot of time on the course, but I donβt think he can foot it with Haunschmidt and Hansby for the full 45.
However, he will do enough to take the masterβs victory and keep that bloody chariot rider, Simon Angus off the podium.
In the mix: Simon Angus, Tom Peck, Matt Adams
πββοΈWomenβs Race:
Course Record | Dani Nicolson(2018) - 4:13:26
π₯Piret Klade is a competitive orienteer from Hawkes Bay. Sheβs had multiple podiums at Jumbo Holdsworth, The Goat and ran a 3h13m marathon this year at Hawkes Bay. She does it all and will be tough to beat.
π₯Floortje Kaars was 6th last year in the marathon, running 20 minutes faster than in 2022. With a half marathon PB of 1:24:40, she has the speed, but can she bring it for the whole race? She also ran an impressive 3:01:46 to take 3rd at the 2023 Hawkes Bay marathon.
π₯Bridget Douglas was 5th last year in the WUU2K 65 km with a time of 7:49:54. This could translate well down to the 45km and see Bridget nabbing a spot on the podium.
π21KM | β°οΈ812M
Course Records:
πDavid Haunschmidt(2023) - 1:42:01
πββοΈHannah Fletcher(2023) - 2:13:40
I canβt say Iβm too Mazda Familia, with many on the 21km starters list. Looking deep into my crystal balls, all I see is static.
I think itβs going to be a bit of a marble race.
Weather Watch
With a mid-winter race in Wellington, all eyes are on the forecast.
At this stage, things look suspiciously perfect. Sun in the days leading up to the event to dry out the trails. A bit of cloud on race day to block out the tropical Wellington Sun.
The trails look like what you would expect for this time of yearβmud in places and a little slippy.
If youβre from out of town or second-guessing what shoes you should wear, here is some advice from 2 x 65k champion Tim Sutton.
βI went low tread the second time I raced it, and it was a mistake; even if it's been dry leading up to the event, the overnight dew makes some of the downhills super sketchy.
βI went with Hoka Torrents last year which are a medium tread and it was a happy balance. Could really attack the MΔkara downhills!β
Tim Sutton
Now, if youβve just been slapped upside down the head with a severe case of FOMO, youβre in luck.
The 21 km is sold out, so youβll need to super-size your FOMO with a spot in the 45km or 65km.
Enter Here - Closes midday Thursday.
Follow WUU2K on Instagram and Facebook for race coverage and photos.
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Qualifying for Western States
Iβve seen a lot of chat this week about how to actually get into Western States. I put this out last year when there were about 49.5 readers, so here it is again for those interested.
There are 4 paths to qualifying; the first is the most simple.
Option 1 - Run fast
Win a Golden Ticket at a qualifying event. I said simple, not easy!
Tarawera 102 km is once again a Golden Ticket in 2025.
That Golden Ticket has catapulted Dan Jones onto the international scene. Whoβs next?
CCC β HOKA UTMB Mont-BlancΒ 100K France, Italy, Switzerland, August 30, 2024 (top 3 M/F)
Javelina Jundred Presented by HOKAΒ 100M Arizona, October 26, 2024 (top 2 M/F)
Black Canyon Presented by HOKAΒ 100K, Arizona, February 8, 2025 (top 3 M/F)
Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMBΒ 102K New Zealand, February 15, 2025 (top 2 M/F)
Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMBΒ 120K, Italy, March 22, 2025 (top 2 M/F)
The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMBΒ 100K, California, April 26, 2025 (top 3 M/F)
Option 2 - Get lucky at the lottery
Run one of the 2 NZ qualifying races under the qualifying times, or head over to Strayaπ¦.
NZ
Tarawera 102km - 17 hoursTarawera 100 mile - 36 hours
Taupo 100km - 17hours
Strayaπ¦
Blackall 100k 100km - 18 hoursGuzzler Ultra 100km - 24 hours
Kosciusko by UTMB 100km - 18 hours
Kosciusko by UTMB 100M - 36 hours
Surf Coast Century 100k - 16 hours
Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB 100km - 19 hoursThen, enter your name into the Western States Lottery.
Every lottery applicant will receive 2^(n-1) tickets in the hat for each failure to gain entry, where n is the number of years applied.
Now, your boy did cabbage math at school, but to put it plainly, you get double the amount of entries each year you donβt get in. In the first year, you have roughly a 1% chance of getting inπ.
Thatβs why it pays to start entering well before you want to race it. On average, it takes 4 years to get in! If you get in the first time, clean up your undiesπ© and start training!
To give you an idea, this is what the last lottery looked like
5 runners - 256 tickets, 92.4% chance of getting in.
37 runners, with 128 tickets, 72.5% chance of getting in.
127 runners, with 64 tickets, 47.6% chance of getting in.
232 runners with 32 tickets, 27.6% chance of getting in.
374 runners with 16 tickets, 14.9 % chance of getting in.
525 runners with 8 tickets, 7.7 % chance of getting in.
731 runners with 4 tickets, 3.9 % chance of getting in.
1578 runners with 2 tickets, 2.0% chance of getting in.
3560 runners with 1 ticket, 1.0 % chance of getting in.
Imagine finally getting in after 9 yearsπ. The paranoia in the last 2-3 weeks before the race worried about rolling an ankle would be off the charts!
Option 3 - Get lucky at the raffle
Twice a year, there is a Western States raffle where 5 lucky punters get an entry.
How is this different from the lottery? You pay for the ticketsποΈ, and you can buy as many as you like. The race entries are also transferrable (the runner still needs to have qualified). The money goes to the WSER Foundation.
Option 4 - Volunteer at the race and suck up to everyone
Each club that runs an aid station gets to designate an entry each year.
It usually goes to long-standing volunteers. Hard to pull off if youβre living in NZ. These clubs must receive a few boxes of craftiesπ» every year around selection time π.
Things You May Have Missed
Shannon-Leigh Litt is closing in on the 200 mark for Ultra distance runs in consecutive days. The βImβ has been removed from the βpossibleβ.
Worst Run Ever
This weekβs Worst Run Ever is somethingβ Fπ€¬CK I HATE WASPS!
Sorry, I just had to get that out of the system. Itβs something that I had never even considered.
βI had heard that Nelson and its surroundings were known to have a wasp or two over summer, not my favourite type of insect. In fact, probably number uno on the See You Next Tuesday list.β
βBut so far so good. I only had dealings with #2 on the list, sandflies. From a pure impact to body weight ratio, they must be up there.β
βWe had been staying at the Kerr Bay campsite on the edge of Lake Rotoiti. Plenty of family time, reading, listening to the cricket and generally not doing much. After a particularly slovenly day, I decided that I was going to get the trail shoes on for a spin around the lake.β
βEverything was going well until around an hour in. I couldnβt ignore it any longer. I needed to go, if you know what I mean. I jumped off the trail in search of the perfect spot. 10 meters or so in, I found a cozy-looking cluster of trees.β
βI took off my pack, rummaged through to find a couple of rogue napkins and assumed the position. Just as I was about to start dealing with the aftermath, I heard a buzz. I ignored it at first, thinking (or hoping) it was just a fly.β
βBut then the buzzing got louder. I looked across at the tree in front of me, and there it wasβthe gateway to wasp Hell. Wasps were coming and going. I wonder how many wasps were just below the surfaceβ¦β
βPanic set in. Do you play dead with wasps like bears? I slowly stood up, pulling up my shorts, and I started to slowly back away.β
βARRRGH. A sharp, hot pain pierced my hand. I looked down to see a wasp attached to my hand. All thoughts of playing dead vacated my body. I tried swatting it off, and then I bolted as fast as I could back to the trail, but not before catching my toe and absolutely eating shπ©t.β
βI got back up and ran back down the trail where I came from, checking over my shoulder every 30 seconds or so just to make sure I was in the clear. Luckily for me, the other wasps must have been in a war room meeting plotting someone elseβs downfall.β
βI made it back to the campground, where I swiftly found the wet wipes and took care of business.β
βLesson learnt. If youβre on holiday, just read ya book and listen to the cricket.β
Worst Run Ever
Ryan Paterson
Keep the stories coming in! Send them to trailrunningnz@gmail.com
They can be short or long. Funnyπ or sadπ. You can own it, or it can be made anonymous. They can even have a happy ending.
June Paid Subscriber Giveaway
This month, 5x Lucky Paid Subscribers will win a Roam Energy Protein Powder & Nut Butter Bundle.
Like last month with the Maurteen Gels, Iβd be keen to get the winners to do a mini-review that I can share.
There are so many products on the market that itβs hard to know what to believe online. Iβve had the pleasure of testing Roam over the last couple of weeks, but Iβm just one manβs opinion!
How can you get your mits on one of these packs?
Sign up as a Paid Subscriber (if youβre not one already.)
Itβs $5 a month. Thatβs 1/2 the price of a fat-free, quadruple-shot decaf with full cream and sugar-free sprinkles.Email trailrunningnz@gmail.com or comment below βI LOVE NUTSβ
Get your name drawn out on the 1st of August.
A big CHURπ to all the Paid Subs who keep this pyramid scheme flowing.
#Mountain Skag Pic Of June
Vote for your favourite #mountainskag winner from June below.
Iβve taken the names off the photos to avoid it being a popularity contest.
#Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
This weekβs #mountainskag is from Harriette Carr, Dawn at Maungahuka in the Tararua Range.
Tag @trailrunning.nz (NOTE THE β.β) 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 all the results from the WUU2K and probably something else mildly interesting.
It takes hours to write this newsletter but only 8 seconds to forward it to a friend.
PS. I heard from Andrew McDowall last week. It sounds like Western States exceeded the hype after nearly a decade of waiting!
Check out these on-course photos he sent through.
You could find yourself in Worst Run Ever history !
Tom I figure it works a bit like jet fuel, propel yourself to the front and then no one will want to come near you