Introduction

Welcome to my blog. The title originates when my primary athletic activity was competitive walking, but now that I am back to running it also includes that.

Not all content is accessible from the main page: for example, the rogaines, racewalking, and ultramarathon pages all include content that is only accessible from those pages.

Ultramarathons

Ultramarathons are any event longer than the standard marathon distance of 26.2 miles / 42.195km. Standard distances for ultras are 50km, 50 miles, 100km, and 100 miles. There are also 12 hour and 24 hour track runs, and multi-day "stage races".

I have currently (September 2012) completed 30 ultramarathons, plus 1 DNF at about 66km at the Molesworth Run. Reports for most events are provided below.

See also

Rogaines

Rogaining is the sport of long distance cross-country navigation. Events can be as short as 2-3 hours or the standard 24 hours. Teamwork, endurance, competition and an appreciation for the natural environment are features of the sport. Rogaining involves both route planning and navigation between checkpoints using a variety of map types.

GN Phillips and RJ Phillips, Rogaining, 3rd ed, 2000


The two main umbrella organisations for rogaining in New Zealand are: My reports for selected events are provided below.


Hiking and Mountains

The Hiking, Trail Running, and Mountains pages are all inter-related, but with some subtle differences:
  • Hiking is not an organised race, and may include Coastal Adventures, activities in the Mountains, and hiking in other locations;
  • Trail Running covers organised events, some in the mountains, but others on local hills and trails; and
  • The Mountains category covers both events and hiking in various places that can be classed as mountains.


    • Racewalking

    Racewalking only has to meet two technical requirements:
    • no loss of contact, as judged by the human eye; and
    • the leg has to be straight from the moment of first contact until it is upright.
    More detailed rules are here.

    I'm not particularly good at racewalking, often falling foul of the straight leg rule. But I still give it a go and here are the results of my endeavours.


    Running

    This blog is primarily about my walking activities, but sometimes I do run. Here are reports for events where I have run.

    Shorter Races

    I classify events as ultramarathons, marathons, rogaines, and "shorter events". So a "shorter event" is just something that is shorter than a marathon and is not a rogaine. Consequently there's a mixed bag in here: running, racewalking, half marathons, 10k and 5k races, , etc.


    Tuesday, September 17, 2013

    Mt Tauhara

    Having driven past Mt Tauhara behind Taupo township more times than I can count, I decided it was time to finally head up to the top. Just a short 3 km to the top, but a climb of 600m for an average gradient of 20%.

    The road-end carpark is fairly unassuming, and it's not even necesarily clear that one is in the right place! Through the farm gate and follow the markers across farmland to the bush edge - it was extremely exposed and windy. At the bush edge are some large water tanks, and then it the track is a relentless climb for the next 2km. The track is ofen narrow but easily runnable in places, rooty, rocky, or eroded in others, but it is the gradient that makes this tough.

    Perhaps 150m before the top a male runner comes charging past - on his way up - then turns at the top and comes charging back down. I stop at the top for photos, then start running back down myself. On the way down I pass four women (tourists) hiking to the top - one who had walked out from Taupo township, and a group of three who had biked out. Emerging onto the paddocks it's as cold and windy as when I went up, and I'm glad to soon be back in the car.

    Crossing the farmland at the start of the track
    Track on the way up - real tramping track, not
    groomed city trails

    Trig 1266 (Mt Tauhara)
    1266 name plate

    Mt Tongariro from the trig

    Taupo township from the trig
    A particularly rough and rocky section of track on
    the way down.
    Posted by Andrew Shelley
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