The WUU2K Results & The Tip Track Miler
“It’s still too early to say that I enjoyed those trails lol. I’m really feeling it. They were gnarly..."
Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
Here's what’s in the drop bag this week:
🏃🏃♀️The WUU2K Results
🎯Things You May Have Missed
😫Mission Corner
🥳Mountain Skag Paid Subscriber Giveaway
🏁Upcoming events: Northland 100
⛰️💊Mountain Skag of The Week & June Winner
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.
The WUU2K Results
Saturday, July 12
You can’t beat Wellington on a good day ☀️
Turns out…
You can’t beat it on an absolute sh💩tter either😉.
Rain all week.
An overnight deluge to top up the mud.
Cancelled & delayed flights.
The works.
Thankfully, the wind was from the North not the South🥶.
No one has ever died of a Northerly in Wellington… right?
What more could you want for the 10th anniversary of the WooOooO2K?
Put your phone on DND. This weeks edition is gonna be longer than my list of excuses when someone asks how training’s going😂.
So let’s jump straight into the results.
📏65KM | ⛰️2800M
Men’s podium:
🥇Benje Patterson - 5:57:23
🥈Glen Chesterman - 6:06:04
🥉Sam Hansby - 6:15:55
‘The Ace from Arrowtown’. ‘No Mo Chesterman’. ‘Bushman Hansby’.
These three blasted out of the blocks like they had a 1 PM flight to catch.
They tore up Kaukau, with Hansby a beard ahead at the summit.
But this year, the Kaukau lead didn’t translate to a runaway victory.
Through Makara Saddle and the MTB aid station, they were still stride for stride.
With the change of direction on course, the wind resistance on Hansby’s beard started to slow him down. No Mo Chesterman and Baby Face Benje pulled ahead, just over a minute clear by the 28 km mark.
The front two kept pushing.
Chesterman made a mini break while Patterson paused to see if he could see a Kiwi along the Zealandia fence line. But Benje reeled him back in on the descent to Red Rocks.
How good.
Stride for stride up Owhiro Road.
It felt destined. The 10th anniversary of WUU2K, decided by the Tip Track😎.
Patterson had the legs.
He climbed strong, hit the turnaround 1 minute 49 seconds ahead, and opened that gap to 2:39 by the bottom gate.
Still all to play for, but it was going to take something special to catch him.
With open trail ahead, Patterson slammed it home to book the win in a time of 5:57:23💪.
A fantastic run, just over 8 minutes ahead of Chesterman, who stuck the landing for the Silver.
Hansby ran solo for the rest of the day.
Out of sight of the front, clear of the chase pack chaos.
He held on for third, with a charging Nick Tipling, powered by all-star pacer Dan Jones closing hard behind in 4th.
Here’s what Benje had to say about his wild day out in Wellington:
Give us a quick run-down on the battle up front and how that played out?
“I was lucky that a solid crew of me, Glen, and Sam formed up from the gun and for the first 25km of the race we were all together. It was my first time running the Wellington trails and so it was very reassuring having some local knowledge to talk me through what we had in store for the day.”
“Glen and I moved ahead of Sam after the second aid station, but then I promptly went through a bad patch around the perimeter of Zealandia. Experience has taught me to listen to how I am feeling, so I quietly dialled it back a few percent to get things back on track. By the time we started the decent to Red Rocks things had come right again and I bridged back to Glen at the front of the race.”
“It wasn’t until we hit the Tip Track that I took the lead. I quite enjoyed that climb, and I was buoyed by the words encouragement of all the runners from the shorter races coming the other way. From there it was really just turn the hat back, keep smashing the gels, and get to work grinding out those last few climbs and skiing down the muddy descents.”
‘"I was really stoked with how I felt over the last 10 kilometres. It’s always a nice feeling to finish full of running and a good test of where the body is at. My next race coming up is UTMB Mont Blanc in seven weeks and so WUU2K was a perfect systems check before I enter my final block of training for that.”
Despite the conditions, what were your thoughts on the course and Wellington trails?
“WUU2K is an exceptional course. I love ultra-trail races that are urban adjacent – you get all the nice convenience of easy logistics, but then still get the thrill of proper trails. Despite the mud, wind, and rain, there were moments where we got sensational views along the tops.”
“Honestly, on paper the course had originally looked pretty simple to me, but once I got out there I realised I had severely underestimated things. The climbs didn’t stop, and the mud was tiring, edgy, and exciting at the same time. I had a couple of tumbles in the first half, but apart from that I kind of enjoyed skiing down the muddy trails.”
“I live in Arrowtown and have been spending a lot of time running on snow in the mountains over the past few weeks which turned out to be good training for the muddy course conditions at WUU2K this year.”
“After experiencing these trails, I can see why WUU2K has become such a loved part of the trail running calendar.”
Thanks for taking the time to fill us in Benge. Looking forward to watching your dot at UTMB.
Women’s podium:
🥇Naomi Brand - 7:05:57
🥈Kirin Fahey - 7:20:38
🥉Rose Brennan - 7:38:17
Naomi Brand was in town for work and threw her hat into the ring late.
The last time she ran WUU2K was three years ago, dressed as a Pangolin to raise conservation awareness.
This time? No funny suit. Just happy to be on the Wellington trails and ready to race.
Brand took the early lead. And as is so often the case, first over Kaukau means first across the Finishfinish.
Local legend Kirin Fahey, current Tip Track Marathon champ and record holder, was in hot pursuit. She hit the Kaukau summit one minute back, with Amanda Rowe right behind her.
Fahey gapped Rowe along the Skyline and locked in on Brand.
At the halfwayish point by the turbine, the gap was seven minutes.
With the Tip Track still to come, it was game on😀.
Fahey and Brand matched each others efforts up and down the Tip Track.
But it left Fahey with too much to do in the final 10km.
Brand pulled away late and crossed the line in 7:05:57, just under 15 minutes ahead.
Rose Brennan ran smart race to snaffle the Bronze.
She sat in eighth at Makara Saddle, 11.5 km in.
Then she went to work.
She charged the Tip Track descent and came home strong to finish 3rd,
7 minutes ahead of Amanda Rowe who held on for 4th.
Naomi was kind enough to answer a couple of my questions:
It looked like you were a late entry to the race for the 65k - What was the motivation to come race The Wuu2k this year?
“I have run WUU2k 21km in a Pangolin suit about 3 years ago to raise awareness for pangolin conservation. so it wasn’t my first time. But when I saw the add for it last week, I knew I was coming over here for work and I thought “why not!” It’s so much fun and so well organized.”
How did it stack up to the many other places you’ve raced around the world?
“These are some of the best urban trails I’ve run on. So flowy. Today was really muddy though! But not as muddy as Mauritius- I did a race there one year and lost my shoe in the mud!”
“It was very well organized and the volunteers were absolute legends- especially those standing in the rain this morning.”
Thanks for your time Naomi. All the best for the rest of your race schedule!
📏45KM | ⛰️2000M
Women’s podium:
🥇Frances Redmond - 4:20:11 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈Grace Ritchie - 4:24:46
🥉Abbey Stokes - 5:02:44
Ali Wilson races, Ali Wilson wins
Ritchie was first to crest Mt. Kaukau with a slender 7s lead before Redmond took over across the Skyline, leading into Makara Saddle aid station (11.5KM).
Not long after Ritchie shouted “Hold my pickle juice” powering right by Remond up to Makara Peak and creating a narrow 1-minute advantage through Wrights Hill.
Redmond not to be out done, returned serve on the brutal climb to the Brooklyn Turbine.
That move proved decisive.
She opened up a gap and stretched it down the Tip Track, reaching the final 10 km with a 3 minute 21 second buffer.
From there, Redmond made no mistakes through the sometimes confusing urban trails. She powered into the Velodrome to take the win and set a new course record of 4:20:11, 20 minutes clear of last years mark😮.
Ritchie crossed 4m35s later, also under the old record.
Abbey Stokes ran a composed race to claim 3rd.
She moved into podium position at halfway, then found herself deep in no-women’s land, surrounded by guys muttering, "Ah bro, I just got chicked."
Her patience paid off.
She stacked up the sausages in the final 10 km and finished just over five hours to secure the Bronze.
Frances was kind enough to share a few thoughts on her battle with Grace:
You had a great battle with Grace- could you give us a run down on how the race played out at the front?
“The battle with Grace was on from the get go. Having been beaten by Grace before, I knew how strong and quick she was, so she literally had me running scared. It’s the first time I’ve ever been neck and neck with someone throughout a race.”
“It was tough and faaast. Grace flew past me just after the 11km aid station. Trailing in behind her through the the 17km mark, she then flew off up the hill and I couldn’t hold. It was still early on, I started to race my own race and luckily I managed to keep her in sight.”
“The gruelling hill up to the wind turbine was when I slipped past and then just never looked back. I backed my legs, down hill speed and top two inches right until the very end knowing that Grace could have caught me at any minute.”
Did you enjoy the Wellington trails and Wuu2k 45k course despite the conditions?
“It’s still too early to say that I enjoyed those trails lol. I’m really feeling it. They were gnarly and it was SO wet and muddy underfoot. I don’t know how I managed to stay on my feet the whole time.”
“It was really amazing being able to overlook the entire city throughout the race. It’s such a privilege to be able to do we what do so it’s hard not to grateful about gallivanting over some of NZ’s best kept city trails. They were impeccable.”
Good sh💩t Frances. You’ll have to come back and see what you can do on a “dry” course some time.
Men’s podium:
🥇Ryan Woolley - 3:43:28
🥈Conor Keane - 4:08:21
🥉Patrick Dravitzki - 4:15:32
Heading in, Ryan Woolley was the clear pre-race favourite. He’s been on an absolute tear since landing back in Wellywood. It didn’t feel like it was a question of Woolley win, but by much?🤔
He was first over Mt. Kaukau, with Patrick Dravitzki and Duncan Morrison within farting distance. He stretched the duo out over the Skyline trail, running through Makara Saddle (11.5km) with a 90s lead and enough space to let one rip.
Woolley continued to pull away, adding a couple minutes through each check point. At the bottom of the Tip Track the lead had blown out to 18 minutes and this thing was all but over. However, the battle for the final 2 spots on the podium was just heating up.
Dravitzki was still chasing hard in 2nd, with Morrison just 31s back at the bottom of the Tip Track. Little did they know with 10km to go, Conor Keane was riding high in 4th, and getting ready to spit in their Guinness.
This was his last race in Wellington before moving back to Ireland.
He wasn’t going out quietly.
Inside 5km, Keane had cut down a two minute deficit, and slingslotted himself from 4th into 2nd, now with a minute lead over Dravitzki. He kept his foot to the throat, bringing it home to finish 2nd, 7 minutes ahead of Dr Dre who did enough through the final 5 to finish in 3rd.
Here’s what Ryan had to say about his win at the Wuu.
Last year you snagged 2nd in the 65k, how does it feel to take the win in the 45k this year?
“Yeah, most definitely chuffed with the result. Granted, the 65k is a whole ‘nother beast. But, compared to last year, I feel that I managed the course and conditions a lot better, especially during the early stages.”
Translation: Another race another win. Watch this space.
📏21KM | ⛰️812M
Men’s podium:
🥇Ben Otis - 1:39:29 🔥NEW CR🔥
🥈Ehsan Lorestani - 2:03:12
🥉Max Doesburg - 2:05:08
Ben Otis and Eshan Lorestani took off like two stray cats on NoDoz along the South Coast.
But it didn’t take long for Otis, a former NCAA athlete, to show off his speed.
The man’s got more wheels than a centipede on roller blades!
In just his third trail race, he showed exactly why he’s already got a Tarawera 21 km silver medal in the sock draw.
By the time they hit the halfway house at Tawatawa aid station (11.5 km), Otis had built an unassailable 11-minute lead.
Unless he got lost, of course…
And look, I don’t know exactly what happened next.
But I heard from someone at the finish line that he entered the Velodrome, then made a mystery turn onto another trail right before the finish.
Luckily, he’d banked enough time to check out the Baobab Cafe lunch menu before jogging it in.
He still managed to break The Flying Doctor’s course record by 2 minutes and 30 seconds🤯.
Lorestani put in another strong performance to claim Silver, holding off a fast-finishing Max Doesburg in 3rd.
Here’s what Ben Otis had to say about his race:
It looks like you got an early lead - run us through how your race went and your thoughts on the 21k course?
“Yeah plan was just to run threshold effort on the flats and not push too hard up the climbs.”
“This was my third trail race so still trying to figure out how to race these things correctly.”
“Felt like I executed today’s race much better than the first two. The course was super fun and it was an awesome event. The race directors did a great job.”
Women’s podium:
🥇Madeline Keown - 2:28:45
🥈Johanna Milius - 2:33:02
🥉Savannah Kelley - 2:34:44
Madeline Keown, repping Trentham United and Upper Hutt Hardcore, dropped the clutch and scorched her way down the coast to take a 50s lead over Johanna Milius as they begun the climb out of Red Rocks.
Keown poured the acid on, running down the Tip Track and into Tawatawa(11.5km) with a 5 minute lead over Milius, with Machine Gun Savannah Kelley a further 2m30s back.
Milius chased hard, but couldn’t make any headway into the lead, with Keown taking the victory by just over 4 minutes.
Milius held on to the Silver, but she needed to hold on to it tight, with a fast finishing Kelley crossing the line just 1m42s later.
Congratulations to everyone who lined up Saturday morning. Those conditions were no joke!
Here’s to another 10 years of the WoOOOoo2K!🍻
Click Here for the full results.
You can follow The WUU2K on Facebook & Instagram to check out more coverage from race day.
This Week’s Newsletter Is Brought To You By…
Saturday, October 25 - Waipukurau, Hawkes Bay
⚠️BREAKING NEWS⚠️
Trail Running NZ is proud to announce it’s sponsoring the first ever Last Ginger Standing award at River Run Backyard Ultra (finally something I might be able to win!)
It’s about time we got our moment in the sun.
Whether you identify as “Bright Brown”, Strawberry Blonde, Auburn, Copper or your a loud and proud flamer, you have a chance to win a Sun Smart Gift Pack consisting of Sun Screen, Goodr Sunglasses and a Speed Lid from Mountain Skag.
If you’re not gingerly challenged, here are all the other reasons to go run River Run Backyard:
It’s free. All it will cost you is your gas, food and your will to live.
It’s the only BYU with prize money. $500 for men… and women. Put the phone down Andy DuBois.
You’ll sleep better at night knowing you helped increase Waipukurau’s economy by over 1000%
The course is “flat and cruisey” and relatively mud free.
If this sounds like a bit of you …
Check out their Facebook page here for more info
Register for the event HERE
Things You May Have Missed
Porirua Running Workshop
There are still limited tickets available for this workshop at the Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua.
With so much education these days done on video and zoom, it’s awesome to see these 3 ladies putting on an in person event.
Technique, mindset and nutrition are all on the menu for the afternoon.
Click here for more info.
Possibly The Best BYU Recap I’ve Ever Read
There’s been a lot of chatter and content after the world record went down at Dead Cow Gully. But forget all that, read Hadani Woodruff’s blog recapping her experience at DCG. Possibly my favourite race recap ever.
1-2 Kiwi Finish At Xterra Trail Marathon World Champs
In an absolute chaos filled race, Sam Macaulay (London based Kiwi) took the overall win at the Xterra Trail Marathon World Champs in Snowdonia Wales, being pushed the whole way by The Flying Doctor David Haunschmidt.
The race was ‘neutralised’ after a few hours due to the temps rising well into the 30’s under full sun exposure, leaving only the very front of the field to finish… it ain’t no Western States eh!
Xterra are copping a lot of heat in the reviews here.
Rim2Rim2Rim, Couple Kiwis Knock If Off The Matrix
Cameron Haylock sent me his freshly edited video from his Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim of the Grand Canyon mission with his cousin Michael Gilling. With so much content out there, it’s always great to see some top content from Kiwis. I’ll let Cam tell you about the vid.
“Sharing 72 km with my close friend and cousin Michael, in a part of the world we’ll most likely never find ourselves in together again, is something we made sure to truly enjoy while in the Canyon. There were hard parts, funny parts, sunny parts, dark parts, cold parts — and a whole lot of beautiful parts.”
Otaki Gorge Road is … OPEN
The long wait is over😎.
Kapiti finally has its main vehicle access point to the Tararua Range back.
I’m sure a few contractors were nervously checking their phones on Saturday morning to see if their handiwork held up, especially after it absolutely pissed down Friday night, after day one of the road reopening.
Death At Hardrock 100
You may have seen the headlines that Katie Schide broke Courtney Dauwalter’s overall CR and Ludovic Pommeret defended his title at Hardrock 100 over the weekend.
But much earlier in the race, unfortunately Elaine Stypula passed away. The cause of death has not been released yet, with the race organisers waiting for the event to be rapped up before releasing the details.
Mission Desk
Continuing the Wellington theme this week (I can hear the groans already)…
On Sunday, 6 July, Olivia "Vert Queen" Lawrence and Angus "Rubber Arm" Ward took on something truly mutant.
The Tip Track Miler.
That’s 23 reps of Wellington’s infamous Tip Track.
161.53 km with 10,282 metres of vertical gain and descent.
Few have dared. None had succeeded.
Until now.
Olivia had to pull the pin after "just" 16 reps, with 114 km and 7,000m of vert to her name.
An absolutely savage effort.
Angus kept going.
And going.
He finished the full Miler in 26 hours, 31 minutes, and 20 seconds, the first successful completion of the challenge💪.
I managed to wrangle a few answers out of both of them about WTF they were thinking😮.
Whose crazy idea was it?
Olivia: “I've wanted to do the Tip Track Miler since my 15 laps last year.”
Angus: “Olivia's……………”
“Why?”
Olivia: “It's accessible, you don't need to carry anything, and great vert to distance ratio, and I think the views are great. I'd put it in the calendar for June/July at the start of the year.”
Angus: “Because she asked if I wanted to join and I can't say no to these things…”
What was the rough plan heading in?
Angus: “For me I knew I had to take the uphills slow to keep the HR down. With Naseby coming up I thought it'd be a good idea to try eating and drinking when I felt like it and sleeping if I could for a few minutes at a time.”
What were some of the highlights?
Angus: “Sleeping for 4 minutes in a gorse bush. Surprise Long Black provided by some curious mountain bikers who live nearby (shot Leigh and Andrew!). Mi Goreng at 2am. Running laps with Julz, Phil, Cam, Kyle and Connor. Legends.”
Give us a couple of the worst moments
Olivia: “I started struggling pretty early on and had issues with legs feeling tired much too soon and nausea. In short I think I overestimated my fitness.”
Angus: “Things got real hard when I was on my own. Everything started aching more and mentally I struggled for motivation.”
What was worse at the end - up or down or the annoyingly flattish bit in the middle?
Olivia: “The worst part was easily going down the steep sections in the bottom half.”
Angus: “Going up is satisfying, the flat middle is a nice break but the downhill sucks and only gets worse.”
Thanks for that guys, very inspiring … I THINK😝.
Congratulations Angus, make sure you keep your phone off silent, waiting for that call from Steve Tripp to let you know you’ve qualified for Crush The Cargill.
July Paid Subscriber Giveaway
This month, 5x Lucky Paid Subscribers will win a $50 Mountain Skag Voucher
All you need to do is go to www.mountainskag.com, have a look around and answer the following question:
“What is the first step?”
How can you get your shaky comedown hands on one of these vouchers?
Sign up as a Paid Subscriber (if you’re not one already.)
It’s $5 a month. That’s 12.82 paper bags from New World.Email trailrunningnz@gmail.com your answer to the competition question.
Get your name drawn out in the first newsletter of August.
Not sure what the differences between being a free and paid subscriber are?
A big CHUR👍 to all the Paid Subs who keep this snowball rolling.
Upcoming Events:
🌲The Northland 100
Saturday, July 19 Whangarei
I’m heading up to Whangarei to take part in the inaugural Northland 100 put on by His & Her Events this weekend.
It’s been a while since I’ve gone and raced some where completely new, and I can’t wait. Nothing like hating your life and second guessing your decisions in a new part of the world!
Distances on Offer
📏 100M – ⛰️ 4000m
📏 100KM –⛰️ 2530m
📏 80KM – ⛰️ 2000m
📏 55KM – ⛰️ 1400m
Set in the Glenbervie Forest just outside of Whangarei, this one promises to be a fast and competitive ultra, designed to serve the flourishing Northland scene and lure in some race-starved Aucklanders.
Let’s be honest, it’s not winning any naming awards😂. But it does what it says on the tin:
It’s in Northland. You can run 100 miles. Or 100km.
(And if you’re not quite that unhinged, there’s also an 80km and 55km option.)
The race is based at the Glenbervie Forest HQ. Every distance loops out from the basecamp:
🔁 40km loop
160KM = 4 loops
80KM = 2 loops
100KM & 55KM = 1 or 2 loops + bonus "special" loops to top up the distance.
Being the inaugural year I’m not expecting a massive field, but with all the distances starting at the same time, having a base camp much like a BYU, I’m expecting a high energy time out on the trails.
Ever since I started this newsletter, runners from up North have featured heavily.
If you ran the stats per capita, they’d be topping the charts.
There’s got to be something in the water up there…
I’m hoping to bottle a few litres and bring it back with me.
Someone who knows all about Northland running is Hayden Bell. He works for Sport Northland and co-hosts the Run Adjacent podcast which covers all things Northland Running. I pinged him a couple questions to get a feel for the scene North.
If you could describe the Northland Running scene in a couple sentences, what would you say?
“Friendly and welcoming of all abilities is how I would describe the Northland running scene, it has grown considerably of the last few years when Whangarei parkrun was formed.”
“This has fed through to clubs such as my club Hatea Run, and increased attendance at local running events.”
“Throughout the region though other run clubs such as Far North Runners, & Reset Run Club are regularly meeting and catering to the running needs of their respective communities.”
What does it mean to the Northland running community to have a team like His & Her events put on a race like the Northland 100?
“Its a huge deal having His & Hers put on the Northland 100. They're filling a gap in the market up here, and have nailed it with the scheduling on the running calendar.”
“It gives us a chance to welcome visitors to our wonderful region, and takes away the travel pressure on locals.”
Registrations are now closed, so if you’re interested in the event, I’ll make sure I give it a half arsed review over a few beers afterwards so you can decide if you want to make the trip next year😝.
You can follow the Northland 100 on Instagram HERE
Keep your eyes peeled Runners With Beards Youtube as they will have a stream pumping as well.
#Mountain Skag Winner Of June
Congratulations to Ali “Hybrid Rockstar” Wilson
You’ve won Mountain Skag for June. Free Skag Swag coming your way!
#Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
This week’s #mountainskag is from Kate Giles.
“Mystery Lake with Mount Potts in the background. Hakatere in Canterbury”
Congratulations, you’ve won a $10 Mountain Skag Voucher & you’ll be in the vote for July’s overall winner give away!
Every entry has a chance to win the monthly giveaway of a Mountain Skag T-shirt or hat.
Tag @trailrunning.nz (NOTE THE “.”) and use #mountainskag. DM on Instagram or email trailrunningnz@gmail.com to enter (email is the most reliable).
We will be back next week with the Northland 100 results … if I survive and I don’t get stuck at the airport!
It takes hours to write this newsletter but only 8 seconds to forward it to a friend.
I’ve updated the referral system, so now you can earn rewards for sharing TRNZ with your friends and family who haven’t found the light.
You can check your progress on the leader board here.
PS. Thank you to everyone who came and said hello at The Wuu2K race rego and at the start line. Great to catch up with so many of you and it was so nice to put some faces to names and names to faces!
Good luck for this weekend. I’ve done a bit of running in Glenbervie Forest and she can be a bit slippy in the clay.