Xterra #6 - Riverhead

The rain drumming on the roof on Saturday night boded a miserable race day, but by dawn the rain had eased to light drizzle. This made for a perfect running climate but also meant that Riverhead was resplendent in its full muddy glory.

The crowd at the start line seemed smaller than usual and as we set off there seemed to be less congestion than the first race at Riverhead three months ago. The course began with a short section of gravel before heading into single track. At Riverhead single track pretty much means clay, and clay plus rain equals lots and lots of mud. Slippery mud, sticky mud, thick mud, sloppy mud, puddles of mud - the works. The downhills proved quite entertaining as grownups slithered around like toddlers on an ice rink. There were plenty of spectacular tumbles! Chris Hope claimed that he found the descents easy because it was simply "controlled falling". Personally, I tend more toward 'controlled' rather than 'falling' but there were plenty who appeared well acquainted with the latter.

The 4wd roads had numerous large vehicle-size mud puddles which I diligently avoided as there was no telling how deep they were. The gravel roads were simply a necessary evil and as usual lots of people passed me on these sections. Thankfully these road stints were shorter than I had been expecting from the map. Malcolm Law caught up just before halfway and we had a bit of a chat before embarking on a game of leapfrog which continued all the way to the finish. One thing which I have enjoyed about the Xterra Series is the feeling of camaraderie which develops from running with some of the same people at each race, most of whom I don't even know by name.

The course was mostly runnable (apart from a few slippery uphills) and I really enjoyed it. Definitely seemed to be a nicer course than the first Xterra race at Riverhead. I ran at a comfortable long distance pace, picking up the intensity a little over the last 7km. 2:12 for a muddy 21km was a morning well spent.

Photos thanks to Photos4sale
Results

Waihi Reconnaissance

Spent a glorious day in the bush near Waihi today running 40km of fantastic bush tracks as reconnaissance for the XTerra Waihi 60km in October.

Emma, Heather, and Claire

The first of many river crossings

Nearing Franklin Road

At the edge of Ananui Falls.

160m straight down!

Ananui Falls

Looking out towards Matakana Island.
(Mt Maunganui on the far right)

Daly's Clearing Hut

Click here for a map of our route

Xterra #5 - Waharau

I had been looking forward to this race in the Hunua Ranges as it was touted as the most technical of the Xterra series, with lots of climbing and proper bush single track. It did not disappoint!

 The event base was set up at a superb location with grassy flats, native bush, a small stream, and sheep grazing peacefully nearby. Idyllic. A short race briefing at the start line as usual, but Dave forgot to mention the two closed gates within the first few hundred meters. Agility was a bonus here as I simply climbed over the gates rather than queuing up for the stile. I had been warned that the single track started fairly soon so I pushed a little harder than I normally would from the start so as not to be caught up in any traffic jams. A kilometer or so of gently uphill gravel before we turned right and headed steeply up the Upper Link track and then onto the Waharau Ridge to the first aid station at 4.5km. It was a bit of a game of cat-and-mouse as people jostled for position but I encountered no real issues with congestion. I reached the aid station in 35 minutes and headed right onto the Super long course while the Longies turned left. Ahead of us lay a glorious 10km loop of rugged single track over the highest point in the Hunua Ranges (and the Auckland region) at 688m.

The wide downhill track to a stream was nice to stretch the legs after the relentless climb, then it was a few kilometers up the Mangatangi Ridge towards Kohukohunui Trig (688m). I was relishing the bush and technical trails and felt completely at home, despite never having run in the Hunuas before. The field was very spread out which meant I was free to run at my own pace. I reached the trig in 1:25 hours and was almost tempted to climb the lookout tower but instead carried on down the nice long section of undulating muddy downhill. This was so much fun and I wanted this track to just keep on going! Many of the knobs on Kohukohunui Track were grassy, providing excellent views towards the Firth of Thames and the Coromandel Peninsula, as well as occasionally back towards the Hauraki Gulf.

I flew through the aid station at 15km and began the long, long descent back towards the event base. I'm sure the descent was longer than the ascent at the beginning! I was still feeling great and in some ways I wished we could do another loop. After a glorious run I finished strongly in 2:46 hours. This course definitely suited my strengths and is the best race of the Xterra series!

Once again a huge thankyou to Photos4sale for their support of my racing this year.

Map
Results
Photos by Photos4sale

Xterra #4 – Dome Valley

Due to flooded rivers the course has been shortened - the announcement at the start line was greeted by a mixture of cheers and boos. Originally the Superlong was 25km, but this decreased to 21km after storm damage a week ago. Now we were told that we would only be running 16km. The showers which had been passing through all morning cleared as we lined up for the start and many people soon found themselves overdressed.

The first 5km is gravel road, mostly uphill, so the pack soon spread out. I liked being up high with views over an area I haven’t seen before. From the water station at 5km the fun began as we headed straight downhill to the river 100m below. The 4wd track started off grassy with a bit of mud, but gradually the grass gave way to mud and by the bottom it was simply greasy clay. It was amusing to watch people’s attempts to stay upright, and we thought that this was where the photographers should have been! Running down the water ruts proved the best option as all the loose dirt had been washed out so there was reasonable traction.

On reaching the turbid river we reached a junction: an arrow and a Superlong sign pointed left, and a single arrow pointed right. A few men around me decided (correctly) that this must be the Long/Superlong split and headed right, while I turned left and headed downstream parallel to the river (some runners intending to do the Long course missed this turnoff and ended up doing the Superlong instead). Those who took their eyes off their feet and looked over their shoulder saw a thundering 30m high waterfall. The river was in flood and in about 5 places it was overflowing onto the track. The water in the first such place was up to mid-thigh, but each one got deeper until the 4^th time I was wading up to my hips. I joked that I’d be swimming if there were any more water crossings. They forgot to tell us to bring our life jackets! We saw a couple of motocross guys tinkering with one of their bikes by our last water crossing – obviously the water and mud were wreaking havoc on their day out as well.

Leaving the river we headed fairly steeply uphill on a wide clay track through native bush. Once again I stuck in the ruts as we grovelled our way up, except for one or two places where there were gushing rapids coursing down the track. I was grinning from ear to ear and several times laughed out loud with glee – I was having so much fun! Part way up I heard someone mention that we’d just done a 15 minute 1km! Eventually we reached the top of the ridge and were spat out onto a gravel road which led back to the water station. Here we expected to turn left and descend to the river again, but instead were directed back along the gravel road towards the event base. Apparently the first few runners did not get this message and ended up doing another loop down to the river.

The race plan hadn’t included this much gravel road, and I didn’t really enjoy slogging all the way back to join the Short course. Dodging through the slower and less confident short course people provided a challenge, and at the bottom of the track there was a particularly steep, greasy clay section where a rope had been fixed on one side as a hand rail. I just let gravity assist and slid/ran my way down. Almost immediately we headed up again, only this time the track was steeper, longer and greasier. So many people had already been up here that what footholds there were had all been churned up. There was a rope on one side and a feasible line up the scrub on the other, but I left these for the less confident people and charged straight up the middle. By the time I was halfway up I had to concede and join those on the edge of the scrub. The ascent eased off but kept on going for a while up to a gravel road, and from there it was all downhill to the finish.

The course may have only been 16km, but it still took me 2:15 hours!

Results

Xterra #3 - Woodhill

I should have known better. When walking to the start is painful, it might be a good idea not to race 23km. Last weekend I somehow injured my foot, and then aggravated it running in the Waitakeres on Saturday. Nevertheless I was determined not to pull out of Xterra Woodhill. Call it stubbornness, stoicism, or just downright stupidity.

As always, the long (19km) and superlong (23km) courses started together at 9am. The wide, sandy Inland Road was a perfect way to spread out the field and it was firm underfoot and the few bits of mud were easily avoided. Soon it was onto the single track where the open pine forest provided plenty of passing opportunities. Roughly 4km into the race was the long/superlong split, with the superlong runners heading out for a 4km loop up a gravel incline and back down a flowing sandy singletrack. This was the only real hill on the whole course! The course was relatively flat although there were plenty of small undulations.

We rejoined the long course at the 9km mark and from here the trail wound in and out through the pine forest for several more kilometres before turning and heading for home. I enjoyed running on the sandy tracks carpeted with pine needles as the sand wasn't loose and it made a nicely cushioned surface. My foot was getting more and more sore as time went on and by the water station at 15km I was running with an extremely uneven gait, chasseing downhill instead of running.

The final 5km was very flat and should have been very fast, but I was forced to stop and walk frequently which was rather frustrating as normally I finish strongly. The weather was brilliant for running; overcast and a perfect temperature with just a hint of breeze. This was a neat, fast course and I wish I could have done it justice.



Map
Results
Event website
Photos by Photos4sale

Maungatautari Mission

Maungatautari Mission is a multisport race near Cambridge comprised of a 32km road cycle, 15 km run, 12km road cycle, and 10km paddle. This is one of my favourite multisport courses.

I have to credit Maungatautari Mission for discovering my passion for trail running. Back in 2010 I did the event (my 2nd ever multisport race) and absolutely loved the steep, muddy and rooty run leg. That's when I decided that I was a runner.

This year I trialled a new training scheme: reverse tapering. The idea is simple - take it easy for several weeks (months!) then cram in a few intense training sessions during the week before the event. For added benefit, decide to enter only 2 days beforehand. Better still, decide that you are not doing the race then change your mind at the last minute!

It was fairly mild when we arrived at registration although there was light fog about. The race starts with a fast and flat road cycle with bunches forming fairly quickly. Woe betide those who are left to go it alone. The gun went off but my cold legs refused to sprint to stay with the bunch. Luckily within a few hundred metres I was passed by the DC Ducks traverse team and I managed to hold their wheel for the entire 32km.

The first transition was at the top of Tari Road by the pest-proof fence surrounding Maungatautari Mountain. Apparently this is the world's longest pest-proof fence! A slick transition into running gear and I was off up the trail. Dad reckoned that there were 5 women ahead of me at this stage. As far as I can remember I haven't done any bike/run sessions this year so it took a while for my legs to shake into running properly. Right from the start I was picking people off, and this was to continue all the way to the top. The climb begins fairly gently on a gravelled track but before long we reached the old trail in all its glory. This track is narrow and rooty and before long gets really steep. And I mean steep! In several places you even have climb up roots like a ladder. It eases off a bit on reaching the rocky Pukeatua peak (753m) and the next 2.5 km to the summit (797m) gradually get muddier and muddier. The big mud holes indicate the final few hundred metres. I caught up to a bunch of people here and took the opportunity to pass them by charging straight through the mud. Descending from the summit is even muddier and just as steep and rooty. Part way down we passed a group of trampers coming up, and one of them evidently recognised me from the Double Rainbow last weekend and commented that "You're racing this weekend as well!". We were in the cloud almost the whole way over the mountain and it was fun running through the dripping bush as everything felt so fresh. It was also nice to hear the tuis singing and I even saw a tomtit beside the track. Eventually we were spat out onto the gravel perimeter road, then down a couple of paddocks for the last 3km down Hicks Road. Just as I reached the road I passed another woman whom I correctly guessed to be Rachel Cashin.

I knew I'd had a good run, but when I arrived at the transition Dad told me that he hadn't seen any other women come through and encouraged me to put everything I had into the last couple of stages. Jumping onto the bike for the short ride to Lake Karapiro I had to keep reminding myself to ignore my sore muscles as I didn't have to save my legs for anything else.

The kayak was where I struggled the most. Right from the start I had weed caught around my rudder, and despite stopping to clear it 3 times over the 10km there was simply so much weed floating around that very soon my rudder would be fouled up again. I focused on putting power into each stroke but by halfway I was beginning to fade. At any time I expected to be overtaken by Rachel but I found out later that she had been held up at the run/bike transition with a flat tyre. With less than 2km go to, Rachel finally came zooming past and I watched as she hit the beach and ran up toward the finish. I followed suit and crossed the line in 5:02:19, less than a minute and a half after Rachel. Shanel Cornielle had beaten us by over 20 minutes but I was elated to get 3rd place.

Did my 'reverse tapering' work? Yes. 
Would normal training have worked better? Probably. 
Did I have fun? Absolutely!

Thanks to Richard Clark from the Boatshed Cafe for organising the race and getting it back on the calendar. Also thanks to Kevin Deane Harcourts for supporting the event.

Results
Race website

Double Rainbow

The Double Rainbow 46km is a double figure of 8, with a bit extra at each end. The middle part of the 8 is at the summit of Rainbow Mountain (743m) meaning a total of 4 ascents!

Thanks to the Emerald Spa Motor Inn and photos4sale, my parents and I spent Friday night at a swish motel in Rotorua where we were welcomed by a handful of small earthquakes around 8pm. Saturday morning was crisp and clear, but not quite frosty at the Lake Okaro event base as we watched dawn breaking gently on one side and the full moon setting on the other.

A small, eager bunch gathered at the start line for the 46km run. The first 5km over farmland was a bit chilly to begin with as it was exposed to the gentle southerly breeze, but we soon dropped out of the wind and quickly warmed up. Right from the start I was feeling great and knew that this was going to be a fantastic day out running. A short bush section around the southern end of Lake Okaro then back onto paddocks and farm roads. Parts of the road were and inch or two deep in mud and cow muck! Through the underpass beneath State Highway 38 (Waikaremoana Road) and a bit more farmland before hitting the forestry road at the base of Rainbow Mountain.

A short blast along the gravel road and onto the twisting bike trail around to the western side of the mountain. Richard the timekeeper greeted us at the start of the ascent, and we knew that from here it was a stiff climb to the summit. Mirjam van den Boom had been sitting within sight behind me right from the start, and a couple of minutes into the climb she came zooming past. I briefly toyed with the idea of keeping up but realised the attempt would be futile. The gradient wasn't too bad (apart from a couple of short pinches) and was all runnable although I did walk quite a bit. It was neat running through the geothermal areas on the side of the mountain, with steam rising from the vents (one or two right beside the track) and the occasional whiff of sulphur. My nutrition plan was to eat a muesli bar and a couple of Gu chomps on each ascent, and this seemed to work well.

At the summit with Mt Tauhara in the distance

I didn't stop at the summit aid station (15.5km) but immediately turned around and headed down the nice flowing mountain bike track. You could clearly see Mt Tauhara and the steam rising from the geothermal fields between there and Rainbow Mountain. Apparently Ruapehu was also visible, but I didn't stop to look long enough to make it out. Frost was on the ground when we reached the Kerosene Creek valley on the southern side of Rainbow Mountain. It was a strange experience to be running through the frost and cold air and suddenly hit a pocket of warm air from a nearby geothermal vent. It took me just on an hour to run the 7km loop back to the summit aid station (22.5km).

This time instead of taking the track down we ran down the steep gravel road, now with views to Mt Tarawera and the myriad lakes, and around to where we first had popped onto the forestry road from the paddocks. One lap done. The 17km mid-pack runners were exiting the farm as I arrived, and from here to the summit I was passing people from the shorter courses. Part way up my third ascent I was overtaken first by Chris Morrissey who was leading the 46km and a few minutes later by Matt Parsonage as they tackled the mountain for the 4th and final time. That means they were 7km ahead of me!

At the summit this time (32.5km) I paused to fill up with water before hitting the downhill mtb track again. This hill shattered what was left of my legs and it was a struggle to run the flat section through the Kerosene Creek valley. Whenever I came to anything which was ever so slightly inclined upwards my legs would try to convince me to walk; "It's uphill - you can walk now. Come on, give us a break". Mostly I managed to resist giving in but I did yield on a few occasions.

Final climb

I was glad to see Richard for the last time (not that I have anything against him personally) and begin the final climb to the top of Rainbow Mountain. Each ascent felt slower than the last but by now I knew the knew the landmarks of the track and could tick them off as I passed by. After checking in at the summit (39.6km) it was all downhill to home (well, at least mostly downhill) so I didn't need to save my legs anymore. I smiled as I passed another runner who was very aptly wearing brightly coloured rainbow socks. The final 4km back along the farmland seemed to drag on for a long time before we hit the walkway around the top of Lake Okaro to the finish. I reached the pot of gold at the end of the Double Rainbow in 5:36:11, placing 3rd woman. The course was fantastic and had a great mix of farmland, gravel roads and single track, being  interesting but not overly technical. I felt strong the whole way and had one of my best runs since The Hillary.

Race director Shaun Collins, Kovo Kowalewski (1st), and me (3rd)

Start of the 46km

Thanks to Lactic Turkey for another fantastic event, and to photos4sale and the Emerald Spa motor inn for a fun weekend away.

Results
Photos
Event website