Pukeiti Puffer fun run (6-7km) - 1 April 2012

Gerry, me and Henriette - nervously ready for big things.

It's been four months since we've done any running. I honestly don't think the four 5km run-walk attempts to try and get us back on the road in February, counts for any level of fitness. I huff and puff pretty much like my mom's bulldog just walking up the 50 metre little incline behind our house!

Numbered and ready for take-off!

So when we visited Henriette and Deon in New Plymouth, and Henriette suggested that we do the Pukeiti Puffer fun-run of about 6.5km, my immediate thoughts were "April fools joke! :)". But when I saw that this was no tongue in cheek suggestion, I figured "how hard can it be?". And besides, walking and/or crawling is always an option on such short runs. Maybe this is just what we needed to get us back on the road. Alas, things don't always go according to plan...

Daylight saving kicked in and with the event only starting at 11:15, we had ample time to sleep in, have breakfast and make our way to the venue. A good field of participants pitched for all three events, making parking a wee bit problematic. But we all got sorted and after we entered, the briefing was done before we were off.

Dark clouds looming just before the start.

Three different events were presented: a 2km for kids (which I briefly considered when the reality of the "run" finally sunk in), a 6-7km out-and-back run (which we did), and a 10-13km circle loop challenge, which sounded very exiting. If only we hadn't been so lazy the past four months ... As always, the period shortly before any event buzzes with excitement and adrenaline - always a very uplifting moment for me - hyped up and happy to be there, tinted with a little bit of "fear", depending on the size of the challenge.

And we were off!

Me and Henriette, still going strong early
in the race.

It was the perfect day for a trail-run in the park. Overcast and cool which turned into a fairly hot and humid run. 

The runners doing the longer event were set off first, and 5 minutes later we were on our way. Starting in front of the lodge, you run across the vast lawn before turning onto the footpath where we reached a nice long downhill, helping us to settle into a slow trot. The "pecking" order was quickly established and we slotted in nicely behind the back runners, just ahead of the walkers.

As we ran the downhill bits (which turned out to be only the first shortish section), we realised that it will all be uphill on our way back! But we decided to just walk all the uphills - there is no way that I would be able to run even three metres uphill in my unfit state.

The trail turned out to be not too technical and really a very lovely run. The Pukeiti Gardens are beautiful and running amongst the trees and shrubs, only surfacing every now and then for a view of Mt Taranaki's foothills, makes for a very pleasant scenic outing.

A hanging bridge at around the 1km mark needs to be negotiated and only four people are allowed on the bridge at one time. That caused a small bottleneck on the way out, but coming back, runners had spread out enough so that this was not a problem anymore.

At about 2kms a watering station manned by friendly helpers provided some much needed H2O. With the humidity and heat, we lost quite a bit of fluid. The last bit of the road before the turn around point, were run (walked in our case) on tar. The biggest part of the first half turned out to be mainly uphill. So you can imagine the fun we had on the way back, as we came screaming down the mountain!

Queu at the hanging bridge.

The marshal at the hanging bridge making sure
no more than four people are simultaneously crossing.

I guess it is thanks to the fun we had, but the course felt a bit shorter than the 6-7km it was supposed to be.

Really glad to have done this, we left for the late brunch and relaxing afternoon at the Roodt's.

Gerry, on the bridge.

A short sealed section at the turn-around point.

Too much energy! 

Henriette on the way back across the bridge.

Roll-call at the finish, making sure that everybody made it safely back.

White Cliffs Walkway - 26 December 2011

Whenever I hear the world "white cliffs", the first thing that jumps to mind, is the brewery. And why not. The White Cliffs Brewery makes a lovely brew.

Gerry in the blazing hot sun, making his way up the steep climb on private farm roads.

Amused cattle with a lovely view from their grazing spot.

We were visiting in New Plymouth for Xmas when Henriette suggested we do the walk. It is a fairly long hike, 14km point-to-point from Pukearuhe boat ramp to Tongaporutu. So, on the morning of Boxing Day, Deon, Henriette, Gerry and I left for Tongaporutu where we would leave Deon's car at the picnic area next to the Tongaporutu river. On the way back to the start, the four of us were contemplating whether we allowed enough time to complete the walk, having left the house quite late, but we decided to do it anyway.

Me on a downhill section with Henriette in the back.

At the beginning of the walkway, a number of routes are available. A short loop track which covers a stretch on the beach, that takes you back to the start, but can only be walked during low-tide. This section can also double up as the start of the point-to-point route which we planned to do. But since it wasn't low tide, we couldn't do the beach section and opted for the inland route higher up. This route follows the Kapuni to Auckland gas pipeline. A third option lets you walk the point-to-point route until about halfway when you reach the Mt Messenger Track, when you make a right turn to exit on State Highway 3.

The first bit, which felt like kilometres on end, is fairly challenging and mainly uphill on private farms. Up and up and up we went in a blazing hot sun and coupled with extreme humidity, it turned out to be a bit more than a casual stroll in the park.

Grazing cows welcomed us as we made our way to the highest point (Parininihi trig) where we could also spot the gas pipeline. Unfortunately the gorse is threatening to take over in places, but otherwise some lovely indigenous forest provided much needed shelter from the sun.

At about 4 kms, when looking back on the route, you could see the white cliffs that provided the name. 

Deon, Henriette and Gerry in front. Evidence of strong winds can be seen by die angle of the tree on the hill.

At around the 6 km mark, Te Horo Stock tunnel takes you down to the beach, but this section has unfortunately been closed in recent years due to erosion and lack of maintenance. The tunnel is unstable and dangerous to use. Pity though as this would add something special to the walkway. After a fairly long downhill, you pass a lovely little beach with magnificent rocks with holes and tunnels in the cliffs.

A hanging bridge at about the halfway mark.

We had two picnic stops en route, feasting on sarmies made with left-over Xmas turkey. These were welcome breaks, as the walk turned out to a bit of a challenge, since we wanted to cram it into only a couple of hours in extreme heat. It is a tough long walk, and to do the point-to-point route and still enjoy a more relaxed walk, one has to plan travel time ahead to be able to have a vehicle on each side of the walk.

A nice outing which we'd love to do again at low tide, in order to spend some time on the beach.

Kahuterawa Two Day Classic - 19 & 20 November 2011 (43.99km)

Taking shelter from the rain before the start of the 15.42km event.

It's official - I have well and truly run myself unfit. I guess that is what happens if you just pile on the kilometers, plodding away at the same pace without doing any quality sessions. And as we all know - when you go longer, you get slower.

A handful of participants getting ready for the start of the
walking event, with some threatening rain clouds on the horizon.

When we ran the 7km section of this event last year, we promised ourselves to do the full event this year. But things don't always work out as we plan, does it?

The Kahuterawa Two Day Classic, organised by the Manawatu Striders, is an on and off road marathon divided into three stages spread over two days: a 7km, 15.42km and a 21.57km. It remains a great way to complete the marathon distance without the rigors and damage done to your body when running a marathon in one go.

But for some reason, the weather has just been awful this year with wind and rain that just won't ease up. We're grateful for every drop of rain since our water tank had been completely empty earlier this year, but sleet and wind just don't do it for me. The only things that spring to mind in such weather, are nibbles, wine and a book, snuggled up in front of a cozy fire.

The field of about 20 participants in the 15km walking event.

It is not surprising then that when we woke up on Saturday morning to gusts of up to 80km/h, rocking our little house on its poles, coupled with sleet, that I couldn't plug up the energy to drag my sorry arse out of bed. The first section of 7kms is run at eight in the morning, which at that point just seemed too early (which it is not! But if you're not training for something specifically, your motivation and willpower seem to be way on the backburner.). Since we have done this part in 2010, we decided to stay in bed and hope the weather would improve for the second leg starting at one in the afternoon.

My energy levels were sapped for no particular reason, and my motivation was at an all time low. I just could not imagine myself running … not even one kilometer. So Gerry came up with the brilliant plan that we could walk the Saturday afternoon event and run the half marathon on the Sunday morning.

Compared to running, passing other participants in a
walking event seems to take forever!

No sooner said than done! The prospect of walking it the countryside at an organised event, getting water and support en route, lifted my spirits considerably. What is it with me and running these days?

The Striders' events are all wonderful and I really didn't want to miss the opportunity again to participate in this run. But walking nearly half if it, sounded grand. So with my bag of jelly babies, we lined up with about 20 other participants in the walking event which started half an hour earlier than the run. The wind was still howling, but for the moment at least, it wasn't raining.

Alister explained the route, counted down and then we were off. It didn't take very long before the pecking order was established between the speed walkers and the casual walkers. I guess we settled in somewhere in the middle. It took us 2:08.40 to walk the 15.42km, if that's any indication.

Not far now. Gerry on the final stretch towards the finish,
with the sun also making a surprise appearance.

The course winds through the farms of the Dam Block behind Massey in the foothills of the Tararua's. Needless to say, the course counts as "hilly" in my book, although it is locally described as rolling. Parts of the road are on tar, others on gravel and a short section in the middle is on a footpath. It is a beautiful event in the quiet country.

At around halfway, we were shocked out of our blissful thoughts by a hail storm! Fortunately only tiny wee size ice pellets, but coupled with a bit of rain, enough to get us wet. The wind was still fairly strong, which cooled us off quite a bit and for the remainder or the couse it rained on and off. Shortly before we finished, it really came down and we were rather wet.

To top it all off, I was so sore by then that I could barely walk. Obviously my "speed" walking muscles were't used to going at a 7.5km/h pace. I got so carried away when I realised that I might be the third lady, that I kept going as fast as I could. But alas, I was overtaken by a small lady making a great effort to pass some participants and managing to maintain her pace.

The start of the half marathon run. Still rainy and windy.

My only hope was for a miraculous recovery overnight. Yeah right!

Came Sunday morning, we rose early for the 8:00 start. Alister again explained the course while a faint rain and wind made me again contemplate my own sanity. Taking into account that I could barely move, let alone run, I wasn't sure how I thought that I could possibly participate in a 21km event.

Before we passed the starting banner, I was at the back of the pack, and there I remained for the whole event. Because of all the rain of late, the approximately 7km loop on the Back Track, couldn't be done. The footpath was damaged and potentially very dangerous. To make up the distance, some out-and-back sections were introduced down Greens Road and on Kahuterawa Road. 

It was tempting to skip some of them and just take the shortest route home (which is exactly what some people did), but we hung in there and completed the full course. Albeit in 2:37.38! Not my best performance of late.

Alister explaining the course before setting us on our way.

The weather really didn't play along and I'm sure more people might have turned up if it was a sunny, wind-free day. As usual the event was absolutely wonderful - I sure do hope that the Striders would not cancel it due to lack of support. They put in a lot of effort and it might not seem worthwhile when there's so little interest. Although, this year saw a record field of 129 participants across all the events. Maybe it is just a case of me being so used to 1000+ participants at every event in SA, that any event smaller than 500 people makes me worry that it might be cancelled (as often happened with SA races).

Glad to have "done" the event, I did feel a bit sorry that my fitness levels weren't up to standard. We went home for a quick shower and dry clothes before returning for the prize-giving and wonderful lunch (with dessert!) at the Dransfield's farm. 

Gerry making the most of the lovely rolling countryside.

This is definitely one of those events that must go on one's "to-do" list every year. A great outing, very well organised in wonderful surroundings. Thanks to the Manawatu Striders for making the effort. More information and results can be found on their website: http://www.manawatustriders.org.nz/latest-results/kahuterawa-classic-2011/.

One of our busier moments on the run - the Kahuterawa Road out-and-back gravel section
on the way to Black Bridge.

The drinking station at the Black Bridge turnaround - me in last position.

Gerry and Alister (who manned the water table) having a chat while we take a rest at the start of
the Greens Road out-and-back section.

When going so slow as we did, there's time for playing around with photo opportunities. 

Wonderful lunch in the Dransfield's Woolshed. This race must be the
best value for money in all of New Zealand.

Alister handling the prize-giving in the woolshed.

Auckland marathon - 30 October 2011

Medals! The first time ever out of all the events we've done in NZ so far.

T'was a rainy day in Palmy when we left around two in the afternoon, heading for Auckland. Gerry and I decided to make a wee bit of a outing of it and packed the tent for a halfway sleep-over.

The Te Kuiti campsite on the pavement
opposite houses.

We took the road over Wanganui and onto the SH4 to drive a section that we haven't driven before. New territory - hilly and curvy roads between farms, a beautiful area in the heart of King Country. About 20km from the Waitomo Caves, we stopped to overnight at Te Kuiti. Should the caves entry fee be affordable and time allows, we would make a trip in the morning, to see amongst others, the glow worm cave. However, neither turned out in our favour. So, off we were to Auckland, to Willie and Alida who kindly hosted us for the weekend.

The front of the field, with the start banner way
up ahead.

We arrived in a hot and humid Auckland in the early Saturday afternoon, when Willie, Alida and her dad took us back into town to register and fetch our race packs. Afterwards they took us on a scenic tour of the city, showing us all the new buildings and shops that were built for the Rugby World Cup. Roads were closed off to become walkways and the recent win still tints everything rose-coloured (or is it black?).

To the back of the field. We were somewhere
in the middle.

Before returning home, Willie drove the marathon route, which gave me a bit of a fright, to again realise how far 42.2km is! Alida and her dad prepared a lovely chicken-pasta dish before we went to sleep at around eleven.


Race day
It was an early start having to catch the bus at 5:05. We got up around four, had some yoghurt, banana and tea, and were off to the "Park and Ride" at Constellation Drive in Northshore where Willie left his car. We caught the bus that took us to Devonport, Kind Edward Parade (at Windsor Park), to the start of the race. Across the harbour, Auckland city is visible in a distance, with the bridge that connects Northshore to the city centre.


It was still dark outside as busload after busload of runners were dropped off in the street at the start of the race. Some also arrived by ferry from the Auckland waterfront. We were fairly early and although the weather was near perfect, the cool breeze was a bit on the chilly side for me. Luckily we had the option of wearing warm clothing until shortly before the start - these we left in our participant bag, (labeled with your name and race number), which we placed into specially marked containers, to be transported to the finish by the organisers.


The fact that we were about to run 42.2km still hadn't sunk in and as the sun started to light up the sky, we made one last pee stop before lining up with 3 262 other runners about to embark on this mind-over-matter, crazy, lovely, challenging, gruelling, tough, long, beautiful adventure. 

A sea of green (the official race T's) with olive trees lining the streets of Devonport.

The half marathon run attracted some 7415 participants while the remainder of the 15 500 field were made up of walkers (42.2 and 21.1km events), quarter marathon and 5km runners.

Sun coming up in the background.
Willie (in green and blue) and me.

At 6:10 the horn sounded and we were off, trotting along in the early hours of the morning in Devonport's lovely olive tree lined streets. The first half of the race is on the hilly side of undulating (although the organisers describe it as "rolling") and it wasn't long before we hit the first little hill. A lonely trumpet player was entertaining us runners as we passed him. Apart from the footfall of hundreds of people and some birds greeting the new day, it was fairly quiet in the suburb. 


As we meandered Northshore through Devonport, Takapuna and Birkenhead suburbs in the first couple of kays, I still couldn't get my mind around the fact that after a first half marathon, a second one awaits! In SA we were used to (spoiled by?) running a 32km event before a marathon as build-up. But this time, we only did a couple of 21km races, forgetting all about how going longer and further, felt. 

Willie, Gerry and myself in front of a (clearly very committed) Tonga RWC supporter's house.

Drummers at the start of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

At the 10km mark, Alida and her dad treated us with Coke and snacks. Always very exciting to meet friends while on the road, while "suffering" through kilometre after kilometre. Thanks Alida and uncle Esra! 


A few more twists and turns before we reached the Auckland Harbour Bridge at around 14kms. The bridge could possibly be considered as the biggest hill on the course. It is about 1km long with an elevation of 33 metres. A drumming session by a bunch of musicians next to the road gave us extra inspiration for the hill that lay ahead. Having prepared for the worst, the "hill" was over before I knew it, leaving me to think that some of the other hills were worse.

Gerry and Willie on top of the bridge.

Me and Gerry, on our way down.

The western/right-hand-most lane of the bridge was closed off for the runners. Being a big city marathon, the organisation involved around managing road-closures must be cause for many headaches. But to our delight, all the roads were closed for traffic and nowhere did we have to negotiate vehicles. Absolute bliss!


Once over the bridge it is just a couple of kays before we reached the finish for the half marathon. By now, I could feel both my ITBs and generally some niggles in my knees. Maybe because of the humidity? As we passed the finish line for the half marathoners, I wished for the short while that it was rather me. We could hear the jollification going on as the 21.1km runners entered the finishing shoot at Victoria Park.


We took a left turn into Viaduct Harbour Avenue to start the second half of our run. From there we followed the waterfront all the way to St Heliers Bay to turn around at the 31.5km mark to run all the way back. Being a out and back course for the second half, makes it very social. By now I could feel the sun nibbling my ear, but the cool breeze was enough to keep us cooled down. Although we were now well and truly in unfamiliar terrain (having last run that far in May this year), I was still doing okey. I was very sore, but could still shuffle on, taking only a few short walk breaks, mainly at the water stations.


The course layout is such that you can see all the front runners. On the 21.1km, they come screaming past from behind if you're not too fast, and on the full marathon they come from the front as you start with the out and back section.

A loop at the bottom of the bridge, passing underneath towards the city.

Gerry running along the waterfront road
on the second half of the race.

Twelve water tables with at least water and Powerade are en route. Most of them also had Coke which really is a rare feature in NZ races (at least the ones we've done thus far). This is really a great event that is excellently organised - one that might just become an annual fixture on our running calendar.


We finished in 4:45, still feeling okey. And for the very first time in all our NZ runs so far, we received medals. :) We fetched our race bags with extra clothing and caught the bus back to Constellation Drive to get Willie's car. After a lovely lunch at Willie and Alida's, they took us for an outing to Piha - a tiny beach on the west coast of Auckland - where we enjoyed a celebratory bubbly. All in all a wonderful weekend. 

A Star Wars storm trooper.

Water cups everywhere with some runners still coming from the front on their way to the turnaround point.

A runner dressed up in full leather biking gear - helmet and all. Must have been hot.

Auckland Sky Tower, close to the finish, visible in the distance. Still going strong.

Yeah! Only 2.2km to go, and we're on 4:31. Still running without a watch, so we had now idea what our time
was until this 40km mark.

The end. A wonderful run in lovely weather.

Gerry, me and Willie (on the other side of the Sky Tower).

In the bus on our way back to Willie's car. Gerry chuffed with his medal!

Gerry, me, Willie, Alida's dad Esra, and Alida at Piha beach, enjoying a bubbly.

Course map.