20 years after my first ever marathon race at the Rotorua Marathon I finally returned for my 3rd Rotorua Marathon (#2 was 19 years ago). Lorraine told me afterwards I got a PW (Personal Worst). But I actually think it is the PB (Personal Best) of my 3 Rotorua Marathons! Joined by my running buddy Jo, we were the Back of the Pack Heroes responsible to get everyone home, and hopefully still smiling! 

My toes have vanished!  It was 2005 and I was 39 years old in the shower realising I had lost the direct line of sight to my toes due to some good middle-aged spread.

Today I may have walked down the Main Street of Raglan like an old gentleman in need of a hip replacement, but on the inside I still had a spring in my step. Having finally found the secret to winning my age group in an Ultra (keep running long enough so the competitor numbers reach single digits, be the youngest in that new age group, and get lucky), I was having a day off and about to enjoy my 3rd flat white, eat too much good food, and talk way too much about the race that was to whoever will listen.

The 13th edition of The Taniwha Mountain Bike & Trail Run/Walk saw not only its first Autumn start, but also a whole herd of first timers hoofing the line on a very crisp, misty and picture-perfect Waikato morning. My fellow Raglan running buddy, Glenn was back after only 6 months for his second marathon, and I was one of the many having my first crack at this deceptively uphill (she’s all upstream) trail marathon from Waipapa Dam to Lake Whakamaru.

The day after felt like a world away from one of the most challenging days of my 58 years, as I lazily crashed on the couch and watched a dozen crazy runners do laps of a forest trail at the Riverhead Backyard Relaps Ultra.  And as I wrote this the final 5 were still out running into their second night on lap 37.

The Aorangi Undulator 100 is a beast as it spans 3 days, crosses from Wellington to the Wairarapa, and clocks up some serious distance and elevation. But most of all, it provides dozens of wonderful memories. So I’ve decided to keep this blog simple and describe in my favourite statistics:

I was only a couple of hours into my weeklong road trip in my sons Mazda Bongo - I had decided during Lockdown that I should head off to the Manawatu and visit my elderly uncles and aunties once things settled down in NZ. A few years ago I helped my son Jordan convert this old van into a self contained camper, and today was my chance to finally test it out. I felt like a hippy without the hair, and a surfer without a board, as I cruised along, loving the loose long gear stick and slight smell of petrol that reminded me of road trips in my teens.