Latham's Hill Track

I frequently travel to and from Whakatane for my business, almost always early morning meetings giving me time on the way home to stop for a run...

I have driven by the sign for Latham's Hill Track many times, thinking "I must check that out"... but never seemed to get around to it. Then I read Andrew Shelley's write-up on it in Andrew's Walking (& Running). Still it has been several months before finally today I made the time to stop and run the trail. 

A big thanks to Andrew's write-up was that I knew that I should park the car at Awakeri Hot Pools and run down the road (about 1.5km) to the entrance. It is easily spotted as it is next to a B&B with two big flags up.

Climb the fence and follow the visible trail across the paddock, through the cattle race an on up the hill. Watch out for those tape gates, they will give you a buzz if you are not careful.

 At first you think "I hope it's not going to be all farmland"... but in no time you are up to the tree line and some excellent single trail.

The beauty of entering the trail from the Whakatane end is that the trail is largely runnable as you climb the hill. The trails are pretty well marked and while there are a few roots to watch out for, you can generally cruise at a reasonable speed - until you run out of steam.

 

As you work your way up, you find yourself cursing that there are no decent views through the trees, you can see that you have climbed quite a way, but the trees keep blocking the good views over the coast.... until you get to the trig! Then it becomes apparent that they have been teasing you! 180 degrees of views (see pic at top of blog, click to enlarge).

Cool, now you are at the trig it must be downhill time... well yes it is - for a little, then back up and a series of humps and hollows as you make your way along the crest. 


Unfortunately a side track off the main trail has been closed, that used to take you down into the valley, over a stream and then back up. I found this out when I bumped into two lovely ladies in their mid-sixties navigating their way down one of the steep descents. 

We had a great chat and they had put me to shame by starting - as I did - at the hot pools, but instead of heading down the road and then up and over, they had gone up and over from the pools, then turned around and retraced the route! Impressive!

My only real disappointment of the trail was that the descent to the end of the trail was at times quite steep, not dangerous steep unless you were reckless, but too steep to run safely... and running downhill is part of why we bust our gut to get to the top.

But after the really steep section the last km is nice cruisy downhill through a meadow, some more bush and eventually coming out beside the carpark at Awakeri Hot Pools where - hopefully - your car awaits you.

.

T42 - Downhill with a Bite!

(Borrowed from Total Sport)

It's an amazing thing with trail running, if the course is a memorable and a largely enjoyable one, then we forget about how hard it was last year.

This was very much the case with the T42 which last year was my first trail marathon (2011), I remembered that it was pretty much downhill for the first half and I remembered that there was a nice uphill at the end.... everything else slipped out of this aging memory... but more of that later...

As usual Total Sport had booked a perfect day... very icy back at the Park Traveller's Lodge... but that meant a clear and crisp day, perfect for a run!

All onboard the bus at 8.30am for the trip up the road to the start, a wee stop off to watch the start of the MTB race - more to keep us out of their way I think! Lucky enough to sit next to Kugs (James Kuegler) on the bus, one of the best adventure runners in the country. Like the best athletes in every sport he is constantly looking for ways to improve his performance... even though he coaches many athletes, he has still taken on a coach for himself in a bid to be the best he can be.

Keith & Steve

Race briefing was pretty straightforward... I think... short term memory loss due to age... or perhaps I just wasn't listening. The mandatory walk through detergent made sure that we did not do further damage to the local ecosystem. I continue to be impressed by the length Total Sports go to to minimise their effect on the fabulous landscape we run through.

My mates Keith Crook and Steve Neary were both onboard as well, looking forward, like me, to a fun run in the bush! It was also great to catch up with a few of the other usual suspects from previous Total Sport events.


The race starts with a 2km loop through the neighbouring farm that takes the ice right out of your muscles within the first 500m with a nice wee climb... this loop serves two purposes, it adds 2 necessary km's to get the run to marathon distance and it lets the bikes get well out of the way of any but the faster runners like Kugs and Kerry Suter... more about him later as well. It also allows us our one brief run towards the mountain (right), which was in its splendour!

Then onto the T42 proper and the expected downhill... hang on... this is uphill... as I said earlier, we remember what our brain likes and eject all but the most painful of the bad bits. While the first 17km of the race is largely downhill, there are plenty of uphills to work you out. After finishing Tarawera Paul Charteris assured us all that 6 - 8 weeks after was the best time to run a fast marathon time... this, plus the 'downhill' made me push out a bit faster than usual.


At 10km I was about 3 min ahead of last year, 6 minutes ahead after 20km.... but not feeling anywhere near as comfortable as I remember feeling last year... by 30km I was only 2 minutes ahead and suffering with a very, very sore back. No point stopping though as it hurt just as much walking as running. At 35km I was a minute slower than last year and not happy... however the one thing that has definitely improved for me this year has been my finishing. I lifted my effort as much as I could and was pleasantly surprised to cross the line in Owhango 5 and a bit minutes faster than last year.


Elsewhere in the field the amazing Kerry Suter had blitzed everyone to break the course record by 10 minutes, his story is here. He averaged 4.14 min/km for the whole marathon... my fastest pace was 4 min/km and believe me, that was on a big fast downhill, overall I managed 6.36 min/km and was happy. Keith and Steve both suffered injuries that severely hampered their runs... although Steve still scampered in 15 minutes ahead of me with the injury. Kugs 'cruised' into 4th without apparently breaking a sweat and was thinking about running back!

Keith & James

At the finish line the bloody bikers had drunk all the beer!! Total Sport top man Aaron Carter procured me one from somewhere which put the smile back on.


Back to the Park for a Prizegiving, drawing of the major spot prizes (missed out again) and then a bbq dinner and dessert (the mini Pavs were awesome). Us oldies crashed rather early, but could clearly hear the merriment of those that still had some energy until the small hours.

Overall a great run and one to be recommended. Total Sport events are excellent, although at the moment they seem to be suffering a touch with growing pains. The events are getting so big that they are not always coping, i.e. no beer, no goodie bag fillers at Waihi, too many people and not enough food, just a few little things... they are adjusting though and are quick to accept feedback... when entries jump from in the 400's to in the 900's most would struggle and they still run some fantastic events in some amazing venues.

Will I be back next year... you bet, different tactics maybe... but this is a cool run on an excellent trail. (Remember, click on any of the pics for a larger view).

The Nugget 2012 - A Bit of Everything!

We are getting towards the end of the Total Sport Summer Series and to be honest they have been a mixed bag for me...

• The Tussock Traverse was great even with the couple of km's of road like trails. 
• The Trailfest at Riverhead was too hot and too dusty with too many roads for my liking. 
• I could see why the Coastal Challenge has become one of the major Auckland runs... but not for me, the slippery green rocks tied in with having to swim several times lead me to my first DNF ever. 
• I had to miss the Colville as I had Tarawera the next week... shame as I would really have like to run up there. 
• Then came the Dual... not helped I guess by me having run 60km for the first time ever at Tarawera the week before, I struggled bigtime and the scoria got the better of me... I finished, but very slow and very sore!

  The latest episode in the Summer Series was the Nugget Multisport Half Marathon event starting at Waihi Beach and finishing in Waihi town. With my bad run since the Tussock I was a bit worried... I need not have been. What a great event. As usual Total Sport had booked some sublime weather... I don't think they have had a bad day this series, even though it's been a wet summer.

Dropped the car off in Waihi Town to register and catch the bus and bumped straight into running buddies Steve Neary and Paulo Osario. Off on the bus down to the beach, just a 10 minute trip and then about 45 minutes of pre-race 'milling'. Met Kerry Suter for the first time (although I saw him in the distance several times at Tarawera where he was the running cameraman). 

Kerry bolted off like a gazelle at the start, took a couple of wrong turns and still won the race comfortably, hopped in his car and drove to Cambridge where he won another race in the afternoon, read about it here. 

Total Sports top Man Aaron Carter then had to put up with me telling him all the great things he 'could' be doing... he humours me, you have to respect your elders!

After Aaron's 'stirring' pre-race briefing we were off. I had run the first 3km at Christmas before veering off to the William Wright Falls and back. So I knew to pace myself for the ups and downs.  Second wind took a while but arrived eventually. As usual I was blitzing past a few on the downhills and getting passed by them again going up.

The scenery on the coastal section was awesome, the trails were by and large very runnable with just a few knarly bits. My Salomon Fellcross love everything except any sort of rocks, dry, wet, green it doesn't like any of them... so in a couple of places I was extra careful. 

The little dots next to the fence in the field

are runners.

The bump to the right of the tree is the Mount.

About 6.5km in and we turned left... and started climbing. My Garmin tells me that we climbed 250 vertical metres in just over 2km. All I know was it was hard work. Although it was a good excuse near the top to stop and take some pictures of the stunning views. It looks pretty good in the photos and yet they do not do justice to how beautiful it was up there.


After the first drink station - which doubled as a transition for the Multi-sporters - we followed a gravel road up a little further and then veered off into farmland for the next few km's. A rapid downhill allowed me to grab back a couple of places and then we were on to another first for me (and many others I bet) a dairy farm link track. Nice firm running - as long as you watched where you put your feet!

A short section of road (eeeek) and then onto farmland again and down and around some of the mines. A short piece of single trail on the edge of town was a nice surprise and allowed me to catch the two runners I had been following as far back as about 400 metres at times since they passed me going up the big hill. I was pretty sure one of them was a fellow Vet which was all the motivation I needed to dig a bit deeper (turns out he was). He was struggling a bit with some uphills, so I dug deep and pushed on hard to lose him before he used me for a tow!

Next thing we were up on the track around the top of Martha's Mine and the finish was in sight... it was a relief to see we had the short route while all the other events went right around the mine.

In the end I finished in 2 hours 25 and a bit, which was good enough for 3rd in category on the day and with a body still not 100% from the Ultra, I was pretty happy with this... especially the way I finished strongly again.

Steve and Paulo had done well in their classes as well and had been waiting for about 40 minutes for the 'old buggar', we then had time to head into the lovely village of Waihi for a caffeine infusion at one of the many wee cafes around town before heading back for the prizegiving.

As usual Total Sport did it great... whether I have enjoyed the individual events or not, they know how to make an event that runs smoothly on all the different levels.

This is an event I will happily be back for (dates allowing) next year and of course wll be back in Waihi before that at the end of the year for the Xterra Trail Running Champs. 


Here is the Garmin of the run...

Tarawera Ultra Marathon

Right from last year sometime my mates have been talking about running an Ultra Marathon... 60, 85 or even 100km... a few of them decided to do the one in my neck of the woods - the Tarawera Ultra Marathon (hereafter referred to as TUM).

Photo: Paul Charteris

Personally I thought they were nuts... the 2 marathons I have done, while being personally fulfilling, have both nearly killed me! So when it was suggested that "you should run the 60km Mike".... I laughed and said "You'd have to pay me!".

From that comment, later the same evening an idea hatched itself in my head... what if people did pay me to run? No, not as a professional, but as a fundraiser. Hospice are the Charity that BNI - who I contract to - support and having experienced their fantastic services when my Mother passed 17 months ago
I decided that the first question I asked was going to decide whether it happened or not... that question was to Sue Rednap at BNI Support in Auckland asking if they would sponsor my entry to TUM (as it wasn't in my 'running' budget). Sue said yes and I was committed - my partner and daughter thought I should have been committed!

I then spoke to my various businesses that make up BNI around the area I look after and after having set a target of $3000, I eventually finished with just over $5000 in pledges.... BNI's motto is "Giver's Gain" which they practice as well as preach, so now I had to run!

To be fair, I didn't do a lot different to my normal training except to learn to run slower. I knew that half-marathon pace was not going to do it.

Photo: Paul Charteris

I also immersed myself to some extent in the event. I offered my services to Paul Charteris, the Race Director and he happily took me up on that offer. First off we cleared a new section of trail between Blue Lake (Tikitapu) and Okareka Township (left).

Then on Race Week we 'did the shopping' together. We cleaned Pak'n'Save out of Jelly Beans (right), bought more sweets that would be needed for a birthday party for a hundred 5 year olds. 240 or so bottles of coke and so much more.

Then we had a trip to Kawerau to drop Aid Station stuff off and I spent a couple of half days stuffing racepaks and generally just helping where I could.

Steve Neary, Keith Crook & MT Photo: Christine Crook

But finally raceday came up, I actually slept well - until the alarm woke me at 4.30am. Scoffed down some breakfast and had some quiet time on facebook until we headed down to the event at just before 6. We were one of the first there, so we got a great park!

Met up with my mate Keith Crook and his pacer Steve Neary and soaked up the atmosphere... and even at this stage there was plenty.


I had my handheld $5 torch, but was soon able to put it away as with all the headlamps around me there was plenty of light on things.


I started very cautiously and took it very easy on the accent to the top of Tokorangi Pa Road (in the Rotorua Redwoods). In fact I took it pretty easy pretty much the whole run to my first stop... at Lake Okareka.

Photo: Paul Charteris

It would have been even cruisier had not the Lakes in the Rotorua region all be very high... the Blue Lake especially, leading to about an 80 metre wade at one point (right) and about another 6 immersions before we left the Blue Lake trail. Wet feet would not normally bother me, but a whole pile of sand and rubbish found their way into my shoes as well, so it was a good job my team had a change ready at Okareka.

 Another disadvantage of a much earlier race start than I have had before was that the body was not prepared fully and despite getting up early for brekky, it was not until Okareka that the body decided it was time... me and everone else... hence the pic (left) of me racing Keith Crook to the Loo!


I made it to Okareka in 2 hours 29 minutes, which was pretty much what I had planned. The pitstop and the change of shoes and socks cost me quite a few minutes, but both were worth the time. With hindsight I probably could have run a bit faster over this section, but at that stage I had absolutely no idea.


So we plodded up Millar Road from the Boyes Beach (Okareka) Aid Station and onto Western Okataina Walkway... which I love. Again I was running very much within myself, taking it very easy on the ups and cruising the downs. I was very much expecting to start hurting a lot on this section, but maybe because I was prepared, or maybe because I had taken the first sections so easily, I just felt great. In fact I was chatting away to a fellow runner when we passed a lady walking the other way who told us "only 5 minutes to the to the top" which caught me on the hop as the trail had slid past.


I really let loose on the big downhill at the end of this stage as that is what I do best and I figured I could make up some time now for when my legs would be too tired later.

Okataina Aid Station

At Okataina Aid Station (right) I pigged out on watermelon and a few jelly beans, but pretty much left everything else alone. Right from the start I had been on a planned diet of a Leppin gel every 45 minutes and I kept this up until near the end, which took away most of the need to take on any other food. Watermelon was great though, so refreshing, food and a drink in one mouthful.I had been told "don't try anything new on raceday" and this seemed like a good strategy.




At this point I will mention my other strategy for this run. In my mind I had split the run into 3 sections. Firstly to Okareka, secondly to Okataina and finally to the Finish at Tarawera Falls. Like 3 half-marathons... and I do them all the time!

Even though the first section took two and a half hours it seemed to happen sneaky quick... especially with all the chatting to fellow runners and meeting people I had spoken to on facebook.

The second section was a piece of trail I knew reasonably well and as previously stated, I really love it. So it seemed to go quickly as well and it didn't feel like nearly 5 hours when I reached Okataina.

But the final section had to hurt, I have run the Eastern Okataina Walkway from the lodge to Humphries Bay, so I knew what to expect - tough ups and downs and plenty of them!

Humphries Bay

What was new was the 2 patches of water where there used to be beach sections leading to wet feet again... but this close to the finish I was not worried. I still felt great.. although getting a bit tired and sore.



When I reached Humphries Bay and was greated by the fantastic crew there in their Hawaian outfits,(left) I made what was really the only major mistake I made on the day. As I was getting sore, I had decided to rub some of the cooling gel into my muscles at that stop and also onto my sore back.


I did this no problem and chatted to one of the aid station team while doing it, about the sting I got on my shoulder about 5 minutes prior (my only 'injury' of the day). Then I attacked the watermelon again and headed off up the hill - forgetting to fill my drink up!!!

Finished!!! Photo: Christine Crook

About 1km into this section I ran out of fluids, which at the time didn't seem insurmountable, but no doubt had a lot to do with the cramping that hampered me in the last 10km. About 4km from Humphries Bay I reached the spot I had run to 10 days earlier from the other end and knew there was 8km to go. There was still some life in the legs and I started to push the flats and the downhills and go for the best time I could. 


At the Outlet I quickly downed several cokes and some electrolyte drink, but the previous 10km with no drinks had done their bit and even though I still kept pushing, the cramps were starting to set in. 


I crossed in 8 hours and 9 minutes... and discovered that the thing that hits you at the end of an Ultra is not - as you would think - elation, but rather emotion. It was all I could do to hold back ther tears as I savoured the fact that I had done it! 

Right from the start of this journey, I have told all of those who would listen that this was a 'one-off', that I was not an Ultra runner and had no intention of being one.


I managed to coerce my BNI business associates, some fellow runners and one or two others to sponsor me... I even had a couple of race shirts donated (left) by All Sew in Cambridge.


The results show I finished 19th overall out of 94 starters in my event, but in the end, the day won over everything... I had a great race - for me - my family were there, my friends were running all around me. I felt the pain for those who's day didn't go so well and the elation of other finishers I cheered over the line. The people on the course and in the Aid Stations were wonderful and uplifting.

Next day was prizegiving at Abracadabra in Rotorua. Lots of stories that will grow in the telling for years to come... some of them even true. Everyone joined in the spirit of having been there for a magical day for an amazing event that superceded most everyone's expectations. Although in it's 4th year, the consensus was that TUM has 'come of age' as NZ's premier Ultra Distance race... well done Paul!




Now I am torn... part of me feels like this was great, but I could do better. The other part says "you had a near perfect day, now walk away" I guess only time will tell which way I go... in the meantime, I'm off to the Dual this weekend for a 'wind-down run".


Finally and most importantly, a massive thanks to my support crew... my partner Lorraine, my daughter Kate (who both still think I'm nuts) as well as Steve Neary and Christine Crook who were oficially Keith's support team but seemed to be supporting everyone! Your presence on the day made it all work. Your smiling faces and encouragement at my key stops lifted me for the next section. Knowing you were there waiting at the finish spurred me on... thank-you thank-you thank-you

Here is the official video...

My Garmin report...


The Race Map...