52 in 52 Race #4 - Thermatech 3D Rotorua 2013

In 2012 this event came up 11 weeks after I ran the Tarawera Ultra. I hadn't run an event for 3 weeks and was getting a bit fractious so I hopped on NZ's best website for events - The New Zealand Running Calendar and spotted 2 close events. One was the Tauranga Half and the other was the Thermatech 3D.

It was at first a tough decision, Tauranga was cheaper and the 3D was on trails I ran all the time - so how exciting was that going to be? In the end though, trails won out over road (as they usually do) and I sneaked down for a late entry on the Saturday night. 

What does this have to do with this year... well it was awesome!  

Firstly, running trails you know and love in a race is so different to a training run. 

Secondly we actually went down a couple of trails I had never run - in my very own Redwoods! I had a blast and finished 3rd in my age group.

So in 2013 for the 52 in 52 there was never a doubt... Neil and Katrin were kind enough to sponsor my entry to the event and a happy man was I. On Saturday they had a great Expo where I caught up with Susan and Richard from Inov-8, my incredible sponsors. They were so busy that I didn't have much chance to chat though.

 
Before I go on I will tell you that this is one Festival with something for just about everyone! In the running/walking they have a 2km for the kids, a 5.5km, 10.5km and of course 21.1km. They have a 31km MTB race, a 42km Duathlon. Then there is a 9km paddle, 25km Grassroots Multi-sport Challenge, a 50km Premier Multisport Race (where Richard Ussher finally got knocked out of #1) and a 50km Team Multi-sports race. So the neat thing was that whole families were there competing in a range of totally different events.                                

 
Race morning dawned overcast with no sign of rain and a pleasant running temperature. Down at the race start area an hour early as always, I sucked in the atmosphere, watched the kids 2km race(left). Talked to a lovely lady from Te Puke about the merits of Rocktape and then taped her knee for her! Caught up with Tarawera Race Director Paul Charteris and met Geoff Higgins in person for the first time... also a quick catch up with the lovely Margo Southgate ever smiling who snapped my start-line pic (above).                    

And then we were off and straight away a change from last year's track. Just a subtle change but noticeable for a local! Out further towards the Nursery Hill road before we turned back into the forest. 

About 1km in and the first climb starts, the famous 'Green' trail through the Redwoods (below)... not up the stairs like this years Tarawera Ultra, but up the other side as in previous TUM's. A bit of running and a fair bit of walking for the 120m climb and then down the steps to the other side. 

 
A little scamper through the main Redwoods trails then off the side on a new 'locals trail' that I have not seen before, which soon joined the start of the next uphill. This in total was a 187m climb, but the first bit is one of my favourites in the forest... I have dubbed it Back Trail, I found out on the day that others call it Fern Gully, whatever the name it is a runnable climb on magic single track up to Tokorangi Pa Road.  

Once up there the climb continues to the very top point of the road. Unfortunately due to logging it has changed from a track to a forestry road for this section, but you are too busy slogging up the hill to be too concerned.

Then it was helter skelter down the back, 

..then cut across to the Tank to Town Trail which brought us down onto Tarawera Road. We then rattled downhill parallel to the road for a bit and cut across into a lovely piece of single trail that this race introduced me to last year. As you can see from the picture (right) it looks like virgin forest and yet this is less than 400metres from the roundabout at the bottom of Tarawera Road! 

All that was left was a quick zigzag across through main trails and some bush to the finish where... we took a left and headed out on lap 2! Whether it was the hangover from Huntly or just old-man's tiredness. 

 


I struggled a bit in this lap... mind you, I wasn't the only one. 

I still passed more than passed me, so I guess that's acceptable. I caught up with Geoff Higgins towards the top of Tokorangi Pa Road for the second time and he graciously zoomed a head to get a couple of

pics of me running up the hill, Thanks Geoff!

Caught a few more on the downhill sections towards the end and finished just over 2:12 which left me in 2nd position for my age-group. Felt a touch disappointed as I was about 5 minutes slower than last year... which is bloody stupid, cos the course was slightly different and this was my 3rd half in the previous 3 weeks.

On to the prizegiving that night and these guys do it well. Radio Sports controversial host Mark Watson was MC and the prize list was something to behold. I had a chance to catch up with Susan from Inov-8 for a little bit longer chat, she had done fabulously well finishing 3rd in her section of the 50km Multi-Sport Challenge!

All up a great day in my fabulous little corner of kiwiland and if you were not there then you missed out big time!