UTA50

This was my first ultra trail race since UTA100 way back in 2016, and Carole’s first ever ultra, so I approached it with a fair amount of trepidation.

We arrived at the start about 15 minutes before our allotted start time, only to hear over the loud speaker that our wave was to start in 3 minutes. We only had time for a quick dash to the loos, before running to the start, and we were off. When I looked behind me as we crossed the start line there were only a small handful of people behind us.

The first 6.5k was 3 out and back sections on the roads around the start at Scenic World. We stuck to our plan from the start and walked up the hills and ran the flats and downhills. There were 3 road out and backs, with one short fire trail section. Fairly hilly. All up or down!

Then on to the Prince Henry Cliff Walk to Echo Point, and down to the beginning of the Giant Stairway at 8.5k. All fairly easy runnable formed pathways. 

About a km after Echo Point we joined the back of the queue at the top of the Giant Staircase next to the Three Sisters. We waited for what seemed like an eternity, but was only probably 10-15 minutes max. Then a long narrow and slow descent down the stairs to the Laura Forest.

The section along the Leura Forest floor was short and mostly runnable. Only about 1-2k before we started climbing again up to the Leura Cascades. The climb up was steep and long. 

Then the next section of about 5-6k to the Fairmont Resort aid station is a bit of a blur. We popped out on to a short road section for a k or so, then back down onto the trails, and past Olympic Rock (I think), where there is a bridge and a photo opportunity. 

Eventually we popped back out on to the road again about 800m from Fairmont, and it was a steady incline up before the last hill down to the resort.

We agreed in advance to spend as little time as possible at the aid station, and no more than 5 minutes, so it was a nice quick transition - just time for a refill, some watermelon, and a quick loo stop, and we were off again. I had only been through one of my bottles, so refilled that,

The section after Fairmont was a reasonably long runnable downhill, before it got steep down to a stream crossing, and back up the other side. Then some more runnable trail. The trail through here was quite rocky though, and Carole took a tumble. She was shocked, but not hurt. In hindsight, we shouldn’t have run it. It was along this section that the two leading 100k men passed us. We didn’t realise what was happening at first. They breezed past, and then were gone! A NZ runner, George Murray, was in the lead and went on to win the 100k in a little over 9hrs 30.

After that section we popped out on to the road, near some loos, then back down to Wentworth Falls. More undulating stairs down and up. Then across the top of the falls, where I bumped into Michelle Pepper. Small world. 

The climb after the falls was a technical pinch, that took us up to Tablelands Road. The track is a wide gravel gentle incline, which we (and most others) walked. It would be runnable if you had the legs and fitness. It was a gradual incline for 1-2k, then a brief flat, followed by a gradual decline (on rough ground) all the way to the QVH aid station. We walked the decline after learning some lessons from Carole’s fall earlier.

At QVH we employed the same strategy of not mucking about, and getting back onto the course in less than 5 minutes. I’d been through another bottle, so refilled that, necked a couple of cups of coke, and we were off.

I thought the section after  QVH was all downhill, but there was a section of about 1k of gradual uphill before the descent into Kedumba. On this section the leading woman 100k runner, Emily Gilmour-Walsh went past us. About 10 minutes behind her was Lucy Bartholemew in 2nd place.

The descent was, as I remembered it, long - about 8k and very steep in parts. We ran most of it, apart from the very steep bits, which we walked to try to save our quads. I think that mostly worked, as we got to the bottom at Jamieson Creek feeling ok, and having passed a few. I still felt like I had a good amount of energy and running left in my legs.

From Jamieson, there are three steep climbs (not two, as I had mapped) to the last aid station at 41k. They are all about 1k long. At the base of the third climb, just after you cross the second creek (I’ll come back and put the name in…), I felt cramp beginning in my right quad. Oh no. I took a cramp stop “gel” - it tasted like vinegar - and that seemed to help. After 2 minutes we were back on the climb.

At the last aid station there were a few runners looking worse for wear, but we were both ok. We made short work of it again, and headed out.

It was just beginning to get dark, so a few hundred metres after the aid station we put on hour headlamps. 

The climb out of the aid station was, as I expected, long and hard - about 3.5k, before the sewage works and the entry onto the single track for the last section.

The single track section started with a wet and muddy climb for 1-2k. Here, we realised that Carole’s headlight was crap, and she could hardly see. From here on in we walked the last 6-7k.

The last 5k was mostly runnable (if it wasn’t very dark and muddy) heading back towards the Furber Stairs. We hiked in a train, letting 100k runners past. The section seemed to drag on and on, as we were doing 15 minute plus ks in the dark. It was slow progress.

Eventually, we reached the bottom of Furber and steeled ourselves for the climb out. We took a couple of rest stops along the way, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I remembered it. We took about 30 minutes to climb up to the top. As we neared the top, we could hear music, which I assumed was the finish line. It wasn’t. It was some supporters. But, they said the top was only 100-150m away, which seemed unbelievable at the time.

Next thing we knew we were on the finish ramp, and knew we had done it. We ran across the finish line together holding hands. Bruce and Dave were there to meet us, and Matt Rayment called us across the line. He said that I had inspired him by dragging him out to run in the Waitakere Ranges, which was a cool thing to hear.

Finish time 12hrs 25 minutes 04 seconds! 124/130 in my AG, and 1783/1857 overall. 

It was never about the time or place, but about finishing together with Carole, and we bloody well did it!

A huge sense of achievement, happiness and love.

Things that went well:

• Training together - ironing out issues with blisters, practising nutrition, and building endurance, so we could continue running through the day;
• Gear - UD vest, Salomon Sense Pro 4 shoes, Injinji toe socks;
• Nutrition - ate to hunger and drank to thirst. Little bits at a time. OSM bars and Tailwind mostly, with a few treats at the aid stations. Coke from QVH;
• Togetherness :-)

Things that could have been improved:

• Headlamp choice - the more powerful the better for the very dark forest section at the end;
• Running down technical trails - be careful!
• Cramp stop - should have carried more cramp stop gels - the one I had seemed to work well.

A final thought - I actually didn’t think I’d ever do another ultra distance trail race. To do one with Carole is like a dream come true. One of the best memories I have. 

The Beatles

Check out this classic clip of the Beatles here

Shanghai!

Shanghai 2-8 August 2017

Day 1 – Thursday, 3 August

We arrived in Shanghai early on the morning of Thursday 3 August. A driver met us at Pudong Airport, and drove us to our hotel - the SSAW Boutique Hotel, in Renmin Road, near the Yu Garden metro station.

After unpacking we headed into town on foot. First stop was the Yu Gardens markets. At the entrance we were befriended by a nice older man, who told us that he was planning to head to New Zealand in a few weeks. He then offered to show us where a good restaurant was. We didn’t follow him too far, thankfully, as unbeknown to us at the time, he was trying to scam us (most probably by leading us to a restaurant where we would have been ripped off). Once we’d parted ways with the scammer, we went into the markets and looked around for a while. We went to a local food court and ordered noodles and deep fried chicken. 

First stop - Yu Gardens Market - the Zig Zag Bridge and Teahouse in the background

From the markets we headed towards the Bund, and found ourselves in the Old City, which is comprised of lots of tiny little residential laneways with small retail shops at street level, and apartments above and behind.

The Old city

From the Old City we navigated down to the Bund. It was getting very hot (I estimate approximately 37,000 degrees Celsius), and we walked about 2k along the promenade by the river. There wasn’t anything really to see, except some amazing views of the financial district of the City.

View of the city from the Bund

Shanghai Tower

We walked back along the Bund past the old colonial buildings, which were big and colonial, but not that interesting. Then we headed back towards Yu Gardens and the Old City looking for an open bar. After circling the markets and Carole asking some locals, we found a tiny laneway shop behind the gardens on Wangyima Alley which sold Tsing Tao. We bought a couple of beers, and sat down next to an old lady, who Carole chatted to. Then we were joined by 3 older men, who bought eskimo pies, and were also happy to stop and chat. After that we headed back to the hotel.

Cold beer at the corner store

Mmmm, more cold beer

Seating at the corner store

The corner store

That evening we started with a drink on the roof terrace at the hotel. As it got dark the buildings in the City lit up, and we enjoyed watching an amazing light show. Carole thought one of the other customers at the bar was a staff member, and was trying to tell him the number of our hotel room (haha).

The view from the hotel terrace

We then left the hotel and caught the metro from Yu Garden to Xintiandi. We walked from the metro looking for the bar/restaurant area, but couldn’t find it. We ended up at a Thai Restaurant, called Simply Thai, and had a nice, but boring dinner (the dinner, not the company!). Then caught the metro back to Yu Garden, and the hotel, feeling tired after a long day.

Day 2 – Friday, 4 August

After a sleep in, we decided to check out a place called Tianfizang. We caught the metro about half way and grabbed a couple of Ofo shared bikes. We rode only a couple of hundred metres before stopping at a Starbucks for some brunch.

After brunch we rode our bikes to Taikang Road and found the entrance to Tianfizang (210 Taikang Lu). We spent 2-3 hours exploring the laneways of Tianfizang and it was amazing. Hundreds of little shops selling mainly Chinese gifts. Carole bought a red teapot and some fragrances, and I bought a stuffed toy Panda. We then found a bar called the Panda Bar, and had a couple of Tsing Taos and some sweet and sour chicken, while Carole chatted with the bar owner, then his wife Annie. They were so friendly and welcoming. We then wondered around the laneways for a while longer before stopping at another bar just across from the Panda Bar (we'll call it Panda 2), where we shared a large Margarita (drink not pizza). We then explored the laneways a bit more, before stopping at a bar/restaurant called Bohemia, where we sat outside, had a couple more margaritas, some vegetarian fettucine, and thai chicken and rice.

Laneways of Tianfizang

Traditional Chinese artwork ;-)

A photo of me with Sponge Bob for the kids

More laneways

First sneaky Margarita at Panda 2

Trying to keep cool next to the airconditioner

Bohemia

One of my favourite shots

After dinner we decided to go looking for some nightlife. The Rough Guide recommended a bar called The Apartment, so we decided to try to find that. We tried flagging a taxi down on Taikang Lu, but that proved impossible (as there were f-all and no-one would stop), so we walked to the closest metro, and caught a strain to the Shanghai Library station. We got off there, and went walking in search of The Apartment. It seemed weird as it was in a residential area, and there weren’t many people around. Google maps took us down a dead end residential lane. Realising we were wrong, we headed back to the main road, and around the corner, and next thing we knew we were walking past armed guards and huge gates outside the German Consulate. We walked a bit further and eventually found the building where The Apartment was supposed to be. The door was open and we walked in and up several flights of stairs, only to find that it was closed. Bugger. Note to self: don't rely on 4 year old guidebook for nightlife recommendations!

We then walked back to the main street, and tried flagging a taxi down. For ages no one stopped, but eventually we manged to flag one down, and thank god Carole bought a card from the hotel with the address in Chinese script. The driver took us back to the hotel which was miles and miles away. Hit the sack feeling very exhausted.

Day 3 – Saturday, 5 August

We started off the day by buying a day pass on the metro, and catching a train to East Nangjing Road, which is a massive pedestrian shopping street, with big well known European brands. First stop was Starbucks for a coffee and breakfast, then a walk up and down the mall. Half way up we went into a massive food department stall where Chinese buy all sorts of boxed food gifts. Carole bought a Spiderman lollipop for James. Then back out on to the mall, when it started bucketing down. We explored a couple of side streets, but nothing was really very interesting, so we decided to head off.

We then caught the train towards Peoples Park. We entered the park, and stumbled upon the Marriage Market, where parents of single 30 somethings advertise their children for marriage. They all had A4 sheets laid out on umbrellas specifying their child’s age, height and income, and phone number.

In the middle of the park there is a bar/restaurant called Barbarossa, where we stopped for a beer and some lunch. Had yummy Caesar salad and fries. Then went exploring in the park, through some pathways, and eventually on to the main road (in search of Peoples Square). From there we grabbed a couple of Ofo bikes and rode around to Peoples Square. We rode past this massive building with military guards standing completely still on plinths each side of the entrance – then worked out it was the government building in Peoples Square.

Carole on her Ofo Bike in Peoples Square

From there, we rode back around to the metro and caught a train to The Science and Technology Museum, where there is Shanghai’s largest “fake market”. It was heinous. Shop after shop of fake crap, and shop keepers hassling us to buy watches, handbags, etc. After about 10 minutes we decided to high tail it out of there, back to the hotel, for some R & R.

That evening we decided to go out and try Xintiandi. We caught the metro to a station called Huangpai Rd, and walked from there to Xintiandi. Along the way there were massive big brand fashion and sports stores. It was a very smoggy night and hard to breathe. Eventually, after 20-30mins of walking we found Xintiandi. It is a block or two of restaurants and bars, with a very Western feel about it – all the lanes were manicured, and the bars full of European as well as Asian customers. A big let down after the previous night at Tianfizang. We ordered a couple of drinks in desperation, but then decided to gap it to Tianfizang for some more atmosphere.

Luckily, we caught a taxi easily, but the smell of smoke in the taxi was so strong it was hard to breathe. Soon enough though the driver dropped us off outside the entrance on Taikang Lu.

We wondered back down the lanes we had walked through yesterday looking for a bar, and Carole spotted a sign leading up some stairs. We went up and found a cool character filled bar owned by a chap called Johhny. They made amazing margaritas and we chatted to the owner and some locals. After about an hour we left Johnnys and went to an Indian restaurant a few metres away. We had a nice Indian meal, served by slightly unfriendly Indian waiter, who seemed offended that we tried to speak Chinese to him! After that, feeling tired, and slightly full, we decided to head home.

Day 4, Sunday 6 August

Our last full day in Shanghai.

We left the hotel in the morning, and grabbed a couple of Ofo bikes and rode down to the Yu Garden market for some breakfast. Had breakfast at Starbucks (again), before walking across the zigzag bridge in the middle of the market place to get tickets to Yu Garden. We spent about an hour and a half wandering around the Yu Gardens – an amazing 2 hectare garden dating back to the 1500’s.

Carole on the famous zigzag bridge

A secret doorway inside the gardens

Some of the detail of the walls was amazing

Carole taking shelter from the sun

Inside a huge internal courtyard

After that we decided to do some more exploring around the Old City. We stopped off at another little corner shop for a cold Tsing Tao, and Carole chatted to the locals. There was a big notice board opposite the shop with houses or shops (we couldn’t work out which) to rent. From there we walked around to Guanghou Park and took a couple of bikes towards another shopping road called Darjing Lu. Unfortunately, when we got there, we found that it had been completely bowled and was basically a construction site.

By then it was lunch time and we went exploring down one of the local roads off Renmin Rd, and found a local Chinese Restaurant. I had a Harbin Beer, which was in a blue bottle (not recommended), and Carole had a big bottle of Tsing Tao. We ordered chicken and bok choy, and the chicken came out in little deep fried clumps, bones and all. Very authentic, and tasty.

After lunch we did a bit more exploring on our bikes until we came across a shop offering foot massages. We decided to take a break, and both had foot massages for about 30-40 minutes. It was amazingly relaxing. After that we headed back to the hotel for a rest before dinner.

That evening we went to The Captain Bar down near the bund. It was about 10 minutes there by bike. The bar is on the 6^th floor of an old building down near the Bund, and had the most amazing views of the City skyline, with all the buildings lit up. We had a couple of drinks and a couple of yummy margarita pizzas, and decided to call it a night. We then headed back towards the hotel – Carole by bike and me on foot (as we couldn’t seem to find a free shared bike for me).

The view from the terrace of the Captain Bar - the Oriental Pearl Tower lit up in purple on the left, the Shanghai World Financial Centre (looking like a massive bottle opener) and Shangai Tower on the right

A video of the lightshow - doesn't do it justice

About ¾ of the way back we stumbled upon a square where at first we noticed about 20-30 people doing this sort-of line dance to music from a PA. We watched for a minute before noticing another group of couples ballroom dancing next to them. We decided to join them (and they were very encouraging) and danced a couple of songs. It was amazing, spontaneous, romantic and fun.

From there we walked back to the hotel and called It a night.

Day 5, Monday 7 August

Our last day. We woke up, packed up, and checked out by 11.

We caught the metro to Longyang Rd, and then transferred to the Maglev, which is a fast train to the airport (which travelled at 300km/hr!).

At the airport, Carole almost didn’t get on the place as she was travelling on her British passport and didn’t have a visa to enter NZ! It was a stressful few minutes on the phone to some nameless faceless NZ immigration person, who told Carole off, but said she would let her into the country this time!

From there we spent a half hour or so in the China Airlines lounge, before buying a couple of last minute presents and hopping on the plane home.

It was an amazing trip.

Getting Back On The Horse

Its two weeks on from the Tarawera Ultra, and, more importantly, twelve weeks until my "A" trail race this year, the Ultra Trail Australia (the UTA for short).

The UTA has been on my wish list ever since I started to wonder about ultra running. In those early days, my ultra running hero (not only because he is a cool guy, but also because he was then the only ultra runner I had ever heard of), was American Dean Karnazes. Hell, he still is! But DK came to NZ in around 2008, and talked about The North Face 100k, which was what the UTA was then called. It enthralled and enticed me, but I never thought that I would be capable to running that far.

Fast forward 8 years, and I've completed 3 100k Tarawera ultras, the 80K "The Hillary", as well as other distances between 50 and 75k. Now it is finally my chance to travel to the Blue Mountains to have a crack at the UTA.

So, how has training been going? The short answer is ok, but not great. I took most of the first week after Tarawera off, and only managed to do three 45 minute "absorption" (i.e. recovery) runs.

Last week my coach James gradually started introducing some more work into my schedule, including a 2:30 run on Sat, and a 4:00 ride on Sunday. I'm pleased to say I got through both with no problems, although the run after 2 hours on my feet, deteriorated to a walk/run. Clearly I have work to do!

The plan this week is to step it up again and continue the gradual build toward UTA. As well as running more miles I'll be focusing on (a) good healthy LCHF nutrition; (b) flexibility and mobility, especially in my calves, quads and hamstrings; (c) strength training once a week; and (d) stairs, stairs, and more stairs! Bring it!

A taste of what's to come

Tarawera Ultra 60k 2016

In front of the now world famous Tarawera Starters List Billboard the day before the race

It's with a large dose of trepidation that I write this.

Best get it out there. I DNF'd (as in Did Not Finish) at Tarawera this year. My first DNF ever. Here's why.

What happened???

The race started in the Redwood Forest at Rotorua at 6am under a light drizzle of rain. Nothing too much, and quite pleasant to run in.

'Game face' on just before the start

Runners flood through the start line in a beam of light and colour.
Photo: Matt Trappe

What I noticed quickly though is how slippery the trail was, due not so much to the rain, but to the hundred or so runners who had passed before me and stirred it all up. I was, in equal parts, happy with the grip my Salomon trail shoes provided, and sorry for the runners who had opted for road shoes - it would've been terrible.

The first few kms of the race climb out of the Redwood Forest and towards the Blue Lake. I kept my pace easy, running nice and relaxed, and hiking up a long climb on a new bit of the course between the water tank and the Blue Lake. Along the way I was joined for a period by Stuart Bent, and then Chris Wharam, both having a crack at the 100. It was great to see both of them, but they were far too fast for me, so I just stuck to my pace, and let Stuart, then Chris, run off into the distance.

Early on in the race. Feeling good.

The run around the Blue Lake was beautiful, but was over quite quickly, before the short piece of road between the end of the Blue Lake trail and the first aid station.

As we came out onto the road, we were all checked for the compulsory gear (this year, a seam sealed jacket). I was bloody grateful that I had picked up the message on facebook before the event - that could've proved disastrous. In hindsight it was a big mistake to miss the pre-race briefing. That could have led to a DQ.

Coming out on to the beach part way around the Blue Lake trail

Through the Blue Lake aid station at 16.4km I was feeling great and on a high. Just before the aid station I ate a muesli bar, and so didn't stop. It was uplifting to see the familiar faces of Vicki Woolley, Steve Neary, Kristian Day and Paulo Osorio cheering the competitors on.

Running through the Blue Lake aid station. One of my happiest memories of the race...

From the Blue Lake the course follows "Tennent's Track" down to Lake Okareka, which is a lovely piece of single track. When it's dry, it's light and bouncy under foot, but with the rain, and runners, it was slippery and difficult to get traction in parts. I half ran and half 'skied' the downhills. I was still feeling good, and hot on the heels of a pack of runners in front of me. That being said, I was very conscious of conserving energy, and kept dialing back my pace whenever I felt comfortable.

Coming out on to the road to Lake Okareka, I let the group of runners ahead of me go, and continued at my own steady pace.

The next aid station is at Miller Road at the trail head to the Western Okataina Walkway at 22.8km. There's a long uphill road section - half sealed and half gravel - up to the trail head. The section is quite runnable, so I continued on up at a very easy pace. I stopped for a few seconds at the aid station, and grabbed a few sips of Mountain Dew before boxing on. My plan was to run as much of the WOW as I could, thinking that once I got to Okataina, I only had the Eastern Okataina Walkway to go to get to the 60k finish.

I ran the first couple of hills, but soon after that started to feel tight in my calves and hamstrings, and increasingly low in energy. I couldn't work out what was going wrong. I just felt 'off'. Soon I was hiking and walking the uphills, and soon after that eeking the walking out onto the flats. I thought to myself, don't worry, this happens in endurance events, and the feeling will go away. I kept walking and kept positive.

By about half way up the WOW I started feeling very fatigued. I wasn't enjoying the process, and any running I did was hurting. I was struggling to string together more than 1-2 minutes of running, before having to slow down to a walk again. I was being passed by dozens of runners, which was demoralizing. And despite the fact that I was walking a lot, the tightness and the pain in my legs was getting worse, not better.

I tried eating. I had another muesli bar, and drank practically all of the water I had on board. That didn't help. I tried putting some music on. That felt overwhelming. I stopped and stretched. Nothing changed. Nothing was helping.

At about this time I bumped into a JK Coaching team mate Tom Igusa. It was great to talk to him. We hiked a long uphill together, but when he said 'ready to run now?', I had nothing to respond with, and had to let him go.

The fatigue and pain continued like the seemingly never-ending uphills of the WOW.

Finally, when I got to the downhill section before Okataina, I was so fatigued, sore, and over it, I decided to give myself permission to end the suffering and pull out. I felt that I had nothing to prove, having run the race five times before. I rationalized to myself that only ego would keep me going. I also contemplated whether continuing after Okataina would take me closer to my goal of a WS100 qualifying performance at the Ultra Trail Australia in May, or further away from it (the answer was obvious). I thought about the days of pain I would be in after the event, the damage I would do if I re-tore my calf, and the fatigue associated with pushing beyond a certain limit. I also thought how much better I would feel, physically, stopping and enjoying the rest of the day. If I'm honest, I also thought about finishing the 60k in 9 hours (which is how long it took in 2009), and that felt like I would be taking a step back rather than forward. I did let my ego get the better of me there, a little.

In the end it was an easy decision to make. I walked into the Okataina aid station, and told my wife Bridget that I was done. I immediately felt a sense of relief, and failure at the same time. Bugger!

Coming in to Okataina. Putting a brave face on.

A more candid shot at Okataina, capturing how I really felt

What went right???

At first I thought that this would be like the chapter in Allen Carr's book "Easy Way to Stop Smoking" on the benefits of smoking (which is a blank page). When I think about it however, there were things that went right:

• My gear performed faultlessly. I ran in a pair of Salomon S-Lab Sense Ultra 4's and they were brilliant. They were light and flexible, with the right amount of grip for the trails, as well as performing perfectly on the road sections. I also want to make a special mention of the Salomon Bennetti jacket I wore. It is an amazing piece of kit - ultra light to carry and it kept me completely dry when I needed it. 
• I felt relaxed and ready going into the race. I tapered as per James's advice, and felt fresh come race day. We opted to stay at a hotel away from the event base, and spend minimal time at registration to avoid the hype and nerves of the throngs of runners, and that was a good call.
• My pacing on the first 21km was good. It was nice and relaxed, and never felt like I was pushing too hard. If anything, I wasn't pushing hard enough, and that's a good problem to have in an ultra trail race.

What went wrong???

I think, objectively as I can, I can put my DNF down to 4 significant things:

• My body was not prepared for the race. I had done minimal running in the 6 months leading up to it, and had been struggling for months with a calf injury that took a long time to come right. The injury had healed by race day, but the tightness and lack of conditioning remained. There's no bluffing your way through an ultra (well, not unless you are really prepared to suffer, or are a freak!), and my lack of preparation shone through. I needed more running in my legs, more strength in my body, and more flexibility and suppleness in my muscles.
• I had residual fatigue, even though I didn't realise it, from a long training run (54k and 9 hours) I had done in the Waitaks two weeks before the event. That was too close to the event, and I suffered as a result of it when the going got tough. Any long hard training like that needs to be done further out from the event.
• I didn't get my race nutrition remotely right. I was over-confident. I thought that I could rely on what was available at the aid stations, and my 'plan' was to eat when I was hungry during the race. I rarely, if ever, eat during training runs, and as a result I'm not used to chugging down gels at regular intervals any more. The ironic thing is that is what used to work. Relying on aid stations, and eating only when I'm hungry didn't work. I need to give this much more thought.
• I wasn't 100% committed to finish. I wanted to do Tarawera, but had no greater purpose (either because I was chasing a PB, running for charity, or trying to knock off a distance). I also had one eye on the Ultra Trail Australia, and wasn't prepared to put a finish at Tarawera ahead of that bigger goal. So, when the pain and suffering started, I had an excuse in my mind to drop from the race, and it was an easy decision to take it.

Where to from here???

The plan from here is to refocus and rebuild towards UTA in mid-May. I've got 14 weeks to prepare, and to right the wrongs of my effort at Tarawera this year. I'm going to train consistently and well, include strength and flexibility, and pay attention to good nutrition, and healthy habits.

I will think of it as a learning experience, and a reminder that no matter how many times you've done a race, endurance events can be, and often are, (in the words of one of my great mates) brutal affairs, and must always be respected.

Thank you

First and foremost, a huge thank you to my wife and chief supporter Bridget. I couldn't do this without your support, and I would have been in a world of difficulty if you weren't there to pick up the pieces for me at Okataina. I truly appreciate everything you do to support me.

Also, a big shout out to Salomon and Shoe Science Takapuna for supplying me with the best gear that I have ever run in. The Salomon S-Lab Sense Ultra shoes, Bonatti Jacket, and compression shorts are phenomenal. Not to mention the other fabulous gear. I truly appreciate your generous support.

To my coach, James Kuegler of James Kuegler Coaching - thank you for the incredible support, mentoring, and coaching you've given me, and for building such a great tight knit team of runners and multisporters. It's a privilege working with you.

Finally, to the race organizers Paul Charteris, and Tim Day. You guys have created an incredible event, which I have been proud to complete in since 2009. It is my first and favourite trail ultra, and that keeps me coming back year after year. If only that damn Dr Jo Petersen would retire, I might be able to catch up to his 8 finishes one day!

Some More Images from Xterra Hunua

I love these photos. The look of joy on Max's face as he crosses the finish line sums it all up really!