Mount Vic "Sprint Rogaine"

Not really a rogaine because no fixed time limit, but not really pure orienteering either. Positions were based on number of controls gathered, then by time.

Followed the masses down to 80, then through to 23. Rather than dropping from the road to 103 I elected to climb the steep bank from the velodrome, and was in exactly the right spot. Follow the tracks to 21 and 60. Drop down to the streets and climb the rough track from the bus tunnel up to 100. Up the road a short stretch and down through the maze of tracks to 41. Easy tracks to 62, 43, 22. 81 proved impossible for anyone to find, so everyone who tried for it was credited. Then 40 and 20, and a hunt for 101. The track up to 61 appeared to be slightly further south, but I found it.

Then it was decision time. I had five controls left to get, but time was ticking on. I opted to head back to base via 82, with most of the long stretch from 101 through to base at a jog (but walking the steps for #61). The alternative to collect all controls would have been 83, 102, 42, 63, 82.

A larger version of the map is available here.

A slight improvement

Another 5k tonight, and at 31:54 a whole 6 seconds faster than last week! Mainly fine, but a strong cold northerly. Legs were still feeling a bit tired after Saturday's effort in the hills and 1h45 on the bike on Sunday (which my legs are definitely not used to).

Training on the Ultra Fun Run short course

On top of Climie, the Wairarapa in the background

I figured it was about time to get some serious training in for Kepler so I decided to have a crack at the short course from the Ultra Fun Run that I put on a few weeks back.

Up in time to have breakfast and then a 6am start. It was a lovely fine morning, but the sun hadn't quite made it over the hills yet. Off to Cannon Point. Up to the top in 48:16, I was making good time even with photo stops. Down the steep descent, and on up the river trail.

Read more »

Something to improve on

Another 5km race tonight. Recorded just 32:00, my slowest time on that course since April 2007! Very warm, with a shifting wind that was definitely noticeable. But none of that constitutes much of an excuse, as I have walked much faster in a gale northerly... Perhaps my legs were still tired from the 50k, or perhaps it was just the lack of recent fast racing.

Racewalking NZ 50k

Like 2007 this was a hot and windy day. And also like 2007 I recorded a time of 5h57m - but this year it was 17s rather than 51s.

There were 5 starters: Mike Parker, who last walked a 50km many years ago, Quentin Rew who has only been walking for a few years but is very fast, and three regulars – David Sim, Peter Baillie, and myself. David had fractured an ankle about 4 weeks previous, so was not in the best form.

At the end of the first km: Mike Parker, David Sim, Andrew Shelley, Quentin Rew, Peter Baillie

A slow start was good for me. 7min17s for the first 1km as we all crossed the line together. The faster walkers started to pick up the pace and the field began to spread out. It wasn’t long before I was well behind the others. I was still walking relatively slowly, but my shins tightened up and became really sore and I just couldn’t walk any faster.

Read more »

Ultra Fun Run & Ride

The Map. While stocks remain a copy of the full-size A3 topo map is available for $5 plus postage and packaging.

More climb than the Karapoti! - Graeme S

This was originally conceived as an event to link all the various trails that I had trained on around Upper Hutt. I wanted to try it out as an organised training session before making it a real event - partly to test logistics and partly to get feedback.

8 runners started at 6:45am in pleasant light drizzly rain. A further runner, a "duathlete", and 5 mountain bikers started at 9am, but not long before their start the rain began in earnest. It never really "cleared" until much later in the day, once all the hardest and coldest sections had been done.

Read more »

Marathon #20

After a week of wet and windy weather, the forecast for Sunday was great so I decided on Saturday to do the Wairarapa Country Marathon. The start is only an hour's drive from home so it's almost too close not to do it! I didn't realise it at the time, but this was my 20th marathon. The last time I did this marathon it was as a runner back in 2000 and it was just my second marathon.

A sunny day with a light breeze and a backdrop of snow capped mountains, it was the perfect day to be walking in the country. There was the thundering of hooves from cows running through a paddock after milking, a pair of hares trot out on to the road in front of me, lots of docile sheep, and two World War I triplanes.

I started at 7am with the runners, and was walking alone for most of the morning. At 25km I thought I could see someone up ahead, and 9km later I finally caught the last runner. 1.5km another runner and one of the walkers from the 6am start, then another runner, and eventually passing 6 people in total.

I was reasonably happy with my time of 4:57:01, although I was hoping for a time 5 minutes faster for the first 30km of the race. I went through the half in 2:26:00. My 5k splits were 34:27, 34:55, 34:28, 34:27, 33:55, 35:57, 35:34, 36:54, and then 16:21 for the final 2.195km.