Crackneck

The 19km Tongariro Crossing which passes over an active volcano in the Alpine region of the North Island was always going to be part of the holiday. Originally mum and I were going to hike it, but then when she fractured her knee at the gym, the hike turned into me running the Crossing and mum doing a couple of short walks nearby. I’d done a fair amount of research into how to run it and the risks involved, there was NOT going to be another Kosciuszko incident! The track was also meant to be crazy busy so an early start was recommended. This was easily achieved by starting pre-dawn, and at 6:10am in the dark and with the track lit by headlamp I set off (1100m). The track was very easy to follow and nice to run without being too technical but with enough features to make it interesting and with duck boards thrown it at different times to mix up the surface. It starts out with only a slight uphill on the way to Mangatepopo Hut (1190m). But what was really surprising were the number of pe

After scoping out the course on the Thursday and attending the race briefing and rego on the Friday the support crew plan was set, the temporary tattoo was on my arm, the splits on my other arm and the seam sealed jacket packed. It was race day! The race started at 6am in the rain and dark amongst the giant sequoias. There are no waves in this race, it’s a straight pack start with a very narrow starting chute, so I was there nice and early and after a brief interview with Ultra-Trail World Tour, not because they thought I’d go well, but because I was wandering around wearing a garbage bag. I merged into the chute and waited as everyone got ready. A Haka was performed in front of the start line, the final words were said and then we were off! I started in about the 6th row which was fine. The race started with a steady, but not too hard, climb on a fairly wide track before narrowing into single trail. I was in a good position with everyone around me moving at a similar pace. It was