⛰️World Champs,📷 Epic Photos & 🤢Worst Run Ever
The combination of feeling like I’m going to vomit 🤮 and defogging the windscreen is enough to keep me awake 😪
Your weekly fix of NZ trail running news
We’re here for you every Monday - Like that friend who runs in front of you on an early morning run through the bush, clearing all the spiderwebs cause they know you hate spiders.
Here's what’s in the drop bag this week:
World Mountain & Trail World Champs
Luke O’Shea - Epic Snaps & Wise Words
Worst Run Ever
Things You May Have Missed
WTF is Mountain Skag
Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
Innsbruck, Austria, will host the World Mountain & Trail Running World Championships this June 6-10. 1400 athletes worldwide will descend on Innsbruck to race across 4 races. This is the second iteration of combining both championships at the same event after the success of Thailand in 2022.
More importantly, 20 Kiwis will be competing with the best athletes in the world on some of the most amazing terrain around. Innsbruck and its surrounding area look custom-built for Mountain & Trail running. It’s right in the heart of the Austrian Alps. Sharp climbs, technical descents, and a bit of altitude to boot.
Let’s look at who’s pulling on the black singlet and what races they’re competing in. (Apologies if I don’t have the listings 100% correct.)
Mountain running athletes:
🏃♀️ Sarah Douglas - Queenstown Athletics - Vertical & Mountain Classic
🏃♀️ Kate Morrison - Sumner Running - Vertical & Mountain Classic
🏃♀️ Maia Flint - VUW Athletics - Vertical & Mountain Classic
🏃♀️ Andrea Peat - Wellington Harrier and Athletic - Vertical
🏃♀️ Sabrina Edwards - Lake City Athletics - Vertical & Mountain Classic
🏃♀️ Stella Hammond - Oratia running - Mountain Classic (Loop 1 - JNR)
🏃 Andy Good - University of Canterbury - Mountain Classic
🏃♂️ Toby Batchelor - Pakuranga Athletic - Vertical & Mountain Classic
🏃♂️ Niam Macdonald - Wellington Scottish🦁 - Vertical & Mountain Classic
🏃♂️ Michael Sutton - Athletics Tauranga - Vertical
🏃♂️ Benjamin Rickerby - Auckland City Athletics - Mountain Classic (Loop 1 - JNR)
Trail running athletes:
🏃♀️Katie Morgan - Run Today, Tomorrow, Timaru - Short Course
🏃♀️Jessica Campbell - Sumner Running - Short Course
🏃♀️Amelia Horne - Athletics Nelson - Short Course
🏃♀️Caitlin Fielder - Athletics Nelson - Short Course
🏃♀️Shannon Leigh-Litt - Hatea Harriers - Long Course
🏃♂️Weston Hill - UPPER HUTT HARDCORE - Long Course
🏃♂️Dwight Grieve - Fiordland Club - Short Course
🏃♂️Samuel Hansby- Big Sunday Run Wellington - Long Course
🏃♂️Wayne Botha - Takapuna Harriers - Short Course
Let’s take a look at the different courses below.
⛰️Mountain Courses:
Vertical: 7.1KM📏 | 1020M👆️ | 81% Trail | 9% Gravel | 10% Tarmac
The vertical race will lead off the championship. It is run as 2 races, with the men and women running separately. As the name suggests, this is a race to the top. Expect a mad sprint off the line to get in a good position before the single trail makes it tricky to pass. It opens up again in the middle to allow some speedy slingshot passing maneuvers before some more steep single track.
Fake it to you make it.
Mountain Classic 15KM📏 | 751M👆️ | 55% Trail | 8% Gravel | 37% Tarmac
The Mountain Classic is an up-and-down race consisting of 2 loops. There will be 2 climbs and descents to attack and a flat 1 KM to the finish line. Starting in Innsbruck will make for an interesting race, running through the streets of the historic town, climbing up the closest summit, and then hammering it back down into town.
The Mountain Classic starts and finishes in Innsbruck - stunning
Trail Running Courses:
Trail Short: 45.2KM📏| 3132M👆️| -2719M👇️| 85% Trail | 2% Gravel | 13% Tarmac
This looks like a challenging course to pace. A relatively small climb and long descent into some flat running could have you thinking this is going to be your day. That’s when the first of 2 long climbs begin. If I were to guess, I would say there’s about 2.5K of vert packed into the final 27K. Oh, and that is with a super steep 6K descent into the finish.
Trail Long: 84.9KM📏| 5554M👆️| -5966M👇️ | 73% Trail | 12% Gravel | 15% Tarmac
The long course … well, it just looks brutal AF. With 3, 1000m+ climbs and descents, it may turn into the battle of the quads. Oh, and for good measure, a large chunk of the race is above 2000m. Like the short course, the race finishes on a long steep downhill. If the race is tight, this could make for a dramatic finish.
Catching up with the Wrap King - Mr. Sam Hansby
Sam Hansby living his best van life.
Sam Hansby is running the long course at the World Champs and has been in Europe the last couple of weeks preparing himself for the big dance. Sam was born and raised in Blenheim before moving to NZ’s 4th best trail-running mecca, Wainuiomata.
His results over the last few years speak for themselves. Wins at the WUU2K, 2nd at RoF, and victory at the inaugural Mega Munter, probably the most challenging 48K race in the lower North Island. Not that you would know talking to Sam; he is more likely to tell you about the awesome Mac’n’Cheese wrap he had on his run than the fact he won the race.
Sam was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about his prep for the World Champs.
Not on the course, but it gives you an idea of the area Photo: Sam Hansby
You’ve got over nice and early, is the idea to reccie the terrain as much as possible, or are you trying to maximize your bratwurst time?
I wanted to recce the course, but the van is overheating🌡️ when I drive it, so I'm limiting the travel til that's sorted. Ironically the fridge freezes🥶 anything I put inside it, despite it being on the lowest level. I feel like if I can somehow swap the two motors around I'll be all good but haven’t worked out how I can do that
What result are you aiming for?
I've got no expectations placing-wise. I set a goal to run for NZ at the World champs a while ago, and I want to wallow in the pool of that achievement before setting any new goals. In saying that, I'm over here to give myself any chance of improving my performance at the race.
The long course looks particularly brutal. Do you feel the course plays to your strengths at all?
The long course looks brutal 🥴 . Some aspects of it suit me. I like long slow uphills and technical downhills. The course seems to be going more towards sharp, steep climbs but there are some technical downhills in there too.
Is altitude going to be a factor?
A lot of the race is happening above 1500m and getting up to 2500m, so altitude will be a factor. I'm living in a van at about 1300m in the Soelden Valley near Innsbruck. I wanted to get higher, but freedom camping is frowned upon here, and I couldn't find any campsites higher.
I probably won't be getting a significant effect from the altitude but am able to live and breathe running here so it's still been worthwhile. I also never did an OE, and this feels like one of those experiences.
Thank you for your time Sam, and good luck to you and the whole team come race week.
Luke O’Shea - Epic Snaps & Wise Words
Luke O’Shea ‘theother12hours’ describes himself as an amateur photographer and mediocre storyteller from Syndey. I’ll let you guys decide about that.
I first saw Luke’s photos surface after the Northburn 100. They caught my eye straight away. They were so different from any previous photos I had seen of a race.
Since then, Luke has dropped several posts on Instagram of his travels around the South Island, with his most recent post from Mueller Hut, Aoraki. It was too good not to share.
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Time moves slower in the mountains…or maybe I just move slower.
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There's something irresistible about the allure of the mountains. It's a magnetic force that pulls us toward the unknown, igniting our sense of adventure and curiosity. In their majestic peaks and hidden valleys, we find a playground where danger intertwines with discovery, and where fun resides in every step.
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With each ascent, we venture into the realm of the untamed, where nature reigns supreme and our place in the vastness of the world becomes beautifully humbling. The mountains challenge us to push beyond our comfort zones, to embrace the risks, and to embrace the thrill of the unknown.
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Yet, amidst the danger and uncertainty, we find a profound sense of freedom.
Check out Luke’s Instagram profile for more - he’s heading to Mammoth, California, before heading to Western States. Watch this space.
My Worst Run Ever
I’m sure everyone can relate to this week’s Worst Run Ever. That feeling of wanting to snooze your alarm, but you’ve committed with a friend for an early morning run.
Keep the stories coming in! Send them to [email protected]
They can be short or long. Funny😂 or sad😭. They can even have a happy ending. Just like today’s story, we can even make them anonymous.
The highlight of the week is creating these masterpieces.
I wake to the sound of my alarm ⏰ reverbarating around my skull 💀. F🤬ck, it’s 5AM already … I only got home at 2. Should I just roll over? Maybe Ben is hung over too 🤢.
PING 🔉
“Donkey Kong?”
Dammit, he’s up and ready to go.
I grab my running gear off the bathroom floor, raid the fridge, grab my shoes and gap it into the darkness 🌙 to meet Ben.
The combination of feeling like I’m going to vomit 🤮 and defogging the windscreen is enough to keep me awake 😪. I pull into the carpark and I see Ben’s beat up sh🤬tty Ford escort is already there. I wind down the window.
“Ready to rock?” he asks.
“Yea something like that”.
I sit on the bank pulling my shoes on. My right foot just wont go in.
WTF is going on here.
What did I do last night? Did I sprain my ankle on the way home without even realising?
I loosen the laces to the max, and go to pull out the tongue👅 . That’s when I notice “UK 9”. F🤬CK, I’ve got one of Tom’s (my flatmate) shoes👟! I manage to get half my foot jammed in and then stomp on the heel. My big toe is rammed hard up against the end … RIP ⚰️ toenail … it’s been nice knowing you.
“Alright, lets go”
This is going to be the Worst Run Ever
Anonymous *Note names have been changed also
Things You May Have Missed
WTF is Mountain Skag?
I’ve had a few messages in recent weeks that all read along the lines of
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WTF IS MOUNTAINSKAG?
That’s a fair point. It’s a term that Chris Martin from Wellington Big Sunday Run introduced me to. Where he got it from? Anyone’s guess.
Mountain skag comes in many forms. We all crave it in its purest form. Long exposed ridges on a bluebird day. Enough breeze to keep you cool and enough clouds to make the photos interesting.
But we can’t always get that pure high that the tops bring. Sometimes we’re wading through river valleys, witnessing the power of nature as it cuts and shapes the flanks and feet of the mountains.
Sometimes we are enveloped by the great goblin forests that clothe the mountains. Sometimes we’re not in the mountains at all. Instead, we’re standing at the foot of our local hill. A hill that maybe once was a great mountain. The spirit still pulsating through the forest we wind through on our way to its summit.
You see, sometimes you get the big hit you desire, and sometimes you have to make do. It’s that feeling you get when your spirit escapes the monotony of modern life and reconnects with nature. The truth is, we’re all mountain skag addicts. The first step is admitting it.
#Mountain Skag Pic Of The Week
This week's #Mountainskag pic is from Tony Sharpe in Otautahi Christchurch - A passing thunderstorm with a unique Mammatus cloud formation.
Great capture, great for the soul
Tag @trailrunning.nz and use #mountainskag on Instagram or email [email protected] to enter.
Weekly winners are put into a vote at the end of each month to decide the overall Mountain Skag pic of the month. The winner will get their choice of a Mountain Skag T-Shirt or hat.
We will be back next week with more NZ Trail goodness.
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PS- If you’re on Instagram and you don’t follow Crush The Cargill - Do yourself a favour and go follow them now. They were on fire this week.
