Wonderful K Gorge!

The Xterra National Trail Running Champs were in Rotorua the first year I ran them. It was quite a nice trail that started in the Redwoods and wound it's way out into Whaka Forest and back... I remember it clearly as it was the first time I had beaten a long time friend (long time before I started running) and I beat him by a whole 6 seconds. I had no idea he was that close until we finished... and both of us were less than 10 seconds under 2 hours!

The next year I was - at first - disappointed that they had moved the race away from my home town to Waihi. I thought "why move it from the best trails"... until I found out there were better trails at Waihi... ok, well different trails anyway!

So 2013's Waihi and the 52 in 52 Challenge was my 4th out of the 4 held at Waihi and if I am physically able I will be there every year!

Daughter Kate was with me for the day, she was running her second Waihi 7km and was looking forward to it as well. So we set off nice and early from Rotorua and still found the carpark pretty full when we got there nice and early.

The race starts out from the Dicky Flat Campground, tucked away on a side road off the Karangahake Gorge.... and the field this year was as large - if not larger than ever... despite the fact that these days they have a marathon and an Ultra, the national title still drags in a good field... including some real stars off New Zealand Trail Running like Ruby Muir, Chris Morrissey and Vajin Armstrong this year!

We got there in time to catch up with a few of the Marathon runners just before they set out for their tough journey, but way after the Ultra runners had set off to kill themselves on a very very tough course.

Last year at this stage I was really starting to feel the benefit from the Tarawera Ultra run and I positively flew over the course for my best ever category finish of 4th - which actually qualified me to go to Hawaii, shame the budget didn't allow it!. This year was about survival and my intention, as always with a two race weekend,

was to take it easy... the trouble was that, as usual, my body doesn't listen.

To be fair, inside knowledge told me that you have to go hard out at the start or you will be in a queue a mile long at the first of the 4 swing-bridge crossings... so I did, although in true Total Sport style, the race starts with a nasty wee climb that this big frame of mine does not like!

Despite the fast start, I felt pretty good across the first 2 bridges, along the river, through the tunnel and over the 3rd of the swing-bridges, then onto the climb. Last year I felt strong, in fact I 'towed' several other runners up the big hill. Not this year. It was definitely a run-a-bit, walk-a-bit ... until the downhill, where once again I made up a load of time. I bumped into Caris Teo from Te Kuiti yet again... I am not sure what she thinks of me, she must dread passing me on a big uphill knowing that she will hear a sound resembling a charging elephant coming up behind her on the next downhill... but par for the course she passed me on both the uphills and I went back past her on the two downhills.

The best part of the course and the worst are both on the last section ... the Dubbo 96 trail. The downhill is technical, roots, mud, everything a good downhill should be. But then a nasty little stream crossing is followed immediately by a nasty steep set of steps and some testing ups and downs (mainly ups)... this was a walk section for me this day... before the last lovely downhill that spat us back out on the river for the last short section to the finish.

Ten minutes slower than last year... and last year had a detour and was longer, but on the day that didn't matter too much, #27 was ticked off. Kate was happy and had a good run taking 6 minutes off her time from 2012!

So we could head back as far as Te Aroha where, thanks to the kind sponsorship of Shaun and Jillian O'Neill, we were able to join Lorraine and daughter Kelsie to spend the night in their fabulous new accommodation complex there called Te Aroha Landing to get ready for the next days Morrinsville Half. The units at the Landing are designed for the cycle trail users with garages for your vehicle or bike and luxurious accommodation (for up to 6 in our unit).