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 Ring of Fire (ROF) 100km Solo was that race.
A quiet bunch of nervous adventurers stood in the rain on the southern slopes of Mount Ruapehu outside the Powderhorn in Ohakune. It was 4am wondering and most were probably thinking, ‘why the heck didn’t I entered the Tussock Traverse 21km on the other side of the mountain?’ The hooter tweeted and the day (an actual full 24 hour day fo many of us) and we headed off on a flat little out and back rural road to make up the number 100. This brief warmup complete and the first climb of the day began, 3 kilometres of trail and then back on the road for the next 9kms. As the rain cleared it reveal a starlit sky. It was part way up this first big climb that I slowed to a hike and Maurice caught me up. We had chatted the night before at registration recalling running sections of the 2019 ROF together. And now as we began the 2026 version we settled into a tidy rhythm for the next 20 hours together.
14 kilometres done and a brief hello to my crew (my girl Lorraine, my running mate Glenn and his lovely Andrea), and it was time to finally exit the aid station and begin the real race as we headed east on the Round the Mountain Track through elvin forests, across multiple swing bridges single file, and scrambled the ups and downs of a tussock clad wetland. Ruapehu was the clearest I have ever seen it as the golden ball finally burst into view, showing off its rugged terrain and glaciers. Deep valleys with their opposing rock walls became the reoccurring obstacles to be navigated until finally arriving at the Tukino saddle 36kms in and right on schedule. At this well-timed aid station there was plenty to be happy about. An enthusiastic crew of volunteers raised our spirits and topped up our reservoirs. Previous ROF promoter and creator, Jason, had showed up to get amongst the action and cheer us on. After a quick repack of the vest we were off once more, and I was honestly feeling like I’d just been out on a 10km training run. My mind was positive and clear, buzzing actually. My legs, in fact my whole body, was fresh. And most importantly my left achilles was, well, doing its job.
I was one of the very nervous and fidgety competitors toeing the line that morning. To be honest my nerves were less about the mountain and more about my dodgy achilles. The previous 4 weeks had left an almost blank Strava activity page. After a month of 60th birthday running adventures late last year including grunty Legend of the Peaks Marathon in Rotorua, a casual 60km of my favourite Raglan routes, and the Ridge Runner in Coromandel, the left achilles decided the party was over and doubled in size. The next 12 weeks became a slow steady climb of training up and down our local Mount Karioi and Pipiwharauroa Wind Farm Trail, plus a weekly dose of short loops out on my backyard trails and country roads, all the while managing the dreaded swollen tendon. Daily magnesium massage, weekly plastering with some magic potion tape from my acupuncture magician Armen, and plenty of dynamic stretching, were all added to the training schedule in the hope to keep the ROF triple alive. I wasn’t just a nervous 2026 ROF starter, I was one of a few idiots who had been here before and forgotten how brutal it was and came back for more. I had always wanted to do it 3 times but after 2018 & 2019 finishes I had missed 2023 due to injury. When ROF’s rebirth was announced I was so keen to complete the triple I must have missed the 100km adjustment memo and entered.
As Maurice and I dropped down off the Tukino saddle into the long valley leading to the Tussock Traverse it was time to pick up the pace and get some time credit in the bank. But it was also time to see if the achilles could go the distance. We finally stretch the legs on flowing tracks through riverbeds, undulating tussock, and even a few boardwalks. The most runnable section of the race, this gorgeous trail winds its way between Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe to the Whakapapa village and the iconic Chateau. Back in 2018 & 2019 this was the final section. I ran this well and all the way to the finish in 2018. But second time around in 2019, I had discovered that going out too hard and fast comes with a cost, and had hobbled the final 15km home on the traverse loosing over an hour that I had gained on my previous attempt. Thanks to another ROF mate Phil joining me for this final push, I finished only a few minutes better the the first time. But here on the triple, the Tussock is only the third of 6 sections and in the first half of the race, so pace was crucial. Fast hiking the ups and running the rest, Maurice and I maintained our credit and finished with plenty of time to spare.
A few kilometres out, before the beautiful Taranaki Falls track, I spied the young race Photos4sale guy crouched up ahead and yelled out, “you ready for a jump shot?” With the assist of my poles (I knew they had a purpose) I launched in the air and called back, “did you get that?“ As I looked back I saw him flicking through his screen and he replied, “I got it all, its perfect!” “Great” I yelled, “It will be my next book cover”.
ROF 2026 was not just a chance for the triple, but also the perfect event to launch my book FIFTY-TWO: Birth of a Soul Runner. 52 is a memoir style biography about the year (2017) I ran 52 marathons in 52 weeks in my 52nd year on the planet. It is not only a collection of good running yarns, 52 introduces the reader to some incredible people, their stories, and many amazing locations. And central to the story is how my marathon journey helped me learn to live freely and love deeply. The Ring of Fire, Tussock Traverse and The Goat also feature in the book with a cover photo of me in mid air out on the Missing Link during my 2019 ROF. Now I had the perfect cover photo for my next book. Maybe I’ll title it ‘Secrets to Success at Sixty’. Actually ‘Still Stupid at Sixty’ may be more appropriate.
Arriving at the Chateau, this grand, yet hauntingly empty hotel watched on as we entered the 3rd aid station to repair and refuel. This was the 60km mark, past halfway, but not really with the dreaded Goat just ahead and darkness only a few hours away.
The Goat Adventure Run is famous for its highly technical 19km race (actually more like a scramble) around the western side of Ruapehu from Whakapapa to Turoa.
Only a month before I joined some mates for a weekend boot-camp at Ruapehu and we had clocked up 60kms of trail over three days. Today I had done 60kms in around 12 hours. That weekend effort had been a real confidence booster for me regarding elevation readiness and endurance but also raised doubts as to whether my tender achilles could survive the full loop of Ruapehu. Arriving home I had decided to bring my training efforts to an end and begin a very long taper, choosing to heed the advice ‘better to turn up under-done than over-done’, and ‘your goal is to get to the start line as injury free and ready as possible’. A few tantrums were had over the next two weeks, plus some very painfully enjoyable acupuncture sessions with Armen. With two more weeks to go my lack of recent kilometres had my head in a fog, so I decided to train up in all the other ways I had heard about, dabbled in, but never taken too seriously. Magnesium massage continued each morning, dynamic stretching became a daily routine, not just a pre-run thing, I started going to bed at 9am not only to get more sleep but also to allow the body clock adjusted towards the ridiculous 4am start that awaited it, and I took my already healthy diet and tweaked the knob to strict for that fortnight. Along the way I even contacted my coaching mates Ethan and Hadley for advice. They helped me to get my head straight and create a race day nutrition plan.
At the Chateau, for the first time in my ROF2026 adventure, I dared to consider that it was not only going better than expected, but something special was brewing. This might in fact be my day. I mean I’m just a mid-packer, always. Once, about 15 years before, I had a great Goat Goes Bush race and finished well above my start wave, and once I had won the Karioi Raglan Trail race only to find out later just before prize giving that I’d won the women’s age group (that’s what can happen when you enter last minute online the night before and don’t double-check the details). But at 60kms I felt great and suddenly thought ‘I could win this age group thing’. I knew there was one ‘60plus Eternal’ just in front, one just behind, and one I had no idea – but with only 4 in my age group at least a podium was a possibility. As I sat at the aid station with the biggest support crew on site (thanks team), Lorraine removed my left shoe and started to roll down my sock. With just a brush of her finger my achilles screamed out in pain. I finished removing the sock to find that instead of my left achilles being its normal twice-the-size of my right, it was at least 4 times as big, a massive red sausage from my calf to my heel, and it was hot. The weird thing was I could recall no pain from it in any of my walking or running and only an dull ache when I stood still and it bore my weight. So, I donned my fresh toe socks, hiding the potential problem from sight, downed a full bowl of hot noodles and a can of creamy rice, stocked up the pack back and headed off to climb the Whakapapaiti track to catch a Goat!
Now back to those fresh new socks. The fun side of deciding to enter a ridiculous 100km event, is the excuse to buy a few new toys. About 3 weeks earlier, packages started arriving daily, prompting Lorraine to wonder whose birthday it was. A new vest, and then a week later a new bladder for the new vest. New supplements to test along with some tried and tested salt sticks. Added to all this were my very trendy new Oakley running glasses so I could read my Garmin while running for a change. New shoes for the road section (cannot wear the already new mud shoes on the road). And new socks – these arrived a little earlier thanks to Bradley at Trail Running NZ (a comparative trial of Creeper and Injinji toe socks). I did the trial and honestly could not decide which was best, so on race day they both got a turn and my feet remained beautifully blister free and all nails intact. Though it wasn’t my birthday, it did feel like Christmas. Sorry budget.
The next section seemed to fly by and 8kms later we arrived at the hut to find my friends Rob and Jo had hiked in from the road in case things had deteriorated, but were very happy to discover they weren’t needed for anything other than a “you’re looking great, get going!” By the way, Jo had just run the Tussock Traverse 21km and won her age group, so the hike out across the scoria flats was pretty impressive. Sorry I do not have permission to disclose Jo’s age group. Soon after this we parted company at the Goat Junction and started the 5th and most difficult section as we now watched the sun set to the west and the moon rise. Maurice the Med (He’s an ED consultant so I knew I was ready for anything), and I were soon caught up my my fellow 60plus Eternal competitor, Adelaide Andy. At this point, the pumping Irish party of 3 rowdy supporters appeared on a ridge with boom box booming. Two young cheerleaders were joined by Jason the Goat who had hiked even deeper into the course to give us another timely boost of energy.
I took the lead of our trio as we fast hiked into the heart of the Goat and into the night. The stars soon littered the sky as they had so many hours and kilometres ago. I was familiar with the awful long trenches, that can trap you stay if you stay in them too long. They become deep narrow canyons that you cant climb out of, so I regularly called back directions of when to exit and take the alternative tracks. Every few kilometres I’d also call down the line to check everyone was okay as we crawled towards the top of the numerous rocky ridges and waddled, I mean rock hopped, down the steep waterless rivers. At the top of the biggest and most brutal of these climbs, I checked in that Maurice the Med and Adelaide Andy were all tip top. Andy asked how I was doing, commenting that it was about time they checked in on my condition. I looked to my Garmin, made visible by my new expensive running glasses, and to my surprise saw it was right on 80kms and replied something like, “I feel great, in fact I have never felt this good this deep into this kind of distance, ever.”
I was surprised that the Goat was turning into a wonderful experience in the dark. Yes, there was the, ‘Surprise! it’s Lake Surprise’, disco lights without a disco as yet another reassuring marshall called out “this is the way”, and the hut that tempted us to come on in and sit by the fire for a while and enjoy a drink of hot chocolate - we would not be fooled into that trickery! A few kilometres later the trio sadly parted ways. We were nearing the road section and I knew it was time for me to ‘go’!
The Cascade falls suddenly appeared lit up like Vegas, well maybe like a 10 year olds birthday cake, and next thing I was on the road again, it’s good to be back on the road again. I could not believe how easy the climbing of the Cascade Falls was in comparison to my previous 2 ROF’s, and my half dozen Goats. Exiting the trail I hit the road and literally raced into MUAC aid station to the surprise my 1am crew. Lorraine and Glenn were still in their chairs under the gazebo wondering which mad man belonged to the headlamp that was running down the road towards them like he was actually in a race when they suddenly heard a familiar ‘wahoo!’ On arrival I informed them I was ‘racing’. Following a formula one class pit stop and switch from off-road to road tyres, I ran down the road. I was the guy who was freaked out about making the Whakapapaiti Hut cut off time. For weeks I had been over thinking ‘the Goat’ in the dark on tired legs. And I had refused to even entertain having a plan of how to descend to Ohakune on the road after a full loop of the mighty maunga. As I left MUAC aid station, I started a slow jog, that turned to a slow run, until I had to stop and put the walking poles away so I could actually run. Years back my son had told me I should run down hill more because ‘you can run downhill all day’. Finally this little mantra rang true as I ran a few of my fastest kilometres of the day and freely all the way to the Mangawhero trail. That’s when I met my other running buddy Lizzie from Worcester for the 3rd time that day and we decided to cruise on into Ohakune and down the finish line shoot together.
Waiting, like so often before, was the race reward, the much anticipated finish line hug from my girl Lorraine, who has endured her own form of training for this event the past few months (supporting and tolerating the obsessed trail runner). Best mate Mark finally showed up to welcome me home (after a week of marking the trails that had guided me well all day, and playing tale end Charley on the other side of the mountain for one of the other races). And Glenn and Andrea who have sacrificed a weekend and comfy beds to fuel me up and cheer me on (Glenn sadly was a DNS for ROF relay due to injury but using the weekend crewing as good mental prep for 2027).
I was finished, and well before the discovery that I was the first 60plus Eternal home, I knew this had been my race! In 20 years of road and trail, countless marathons and a bunch of extreme ultra adventures, the ROF had been the toughest and the best yet.
Every time I run an ultra distance a few things take place. I loose a tonne of weight, my cheeks and eyes get that sunken gaunt look, and I cramp. I cramp the second half of the race, at the finish line, and after the run. I cramp on the drive home, then later on the couch watching TV, and cramps continue through a night of interrupted sleep. But at ROF 2026 my weigh-in start and finish differed by only 200grams, my cheeks still filled my face, and no cramps, during or after, none!
So what made this my ‘best race of 20 years’? Here‘s the 3 secret ingredients (not really so secret), and maybe one more.
Food Does Matter: Some famous runners have said ‘Ultra races are actually food eating events with some running in between’. I agree. I discovered counting calories, formulating fluid, sucking in the sodium, putting in the protein … it all matters. Those who know me, know I’m an energiser bunny, but even the bunny can go flat after daylight fades and the numbers keep adding up. Here’s my race day menu: creamy rice, hot ramen noodles (thanks to ROF aid station), Froozeballs, OSM bites, baby food (those squeeze bag thingees of oats, rice, sweet potato etc), Jericho dates stuffed with freshly roast and rock salted almonds (thanks to my friend Hadley for this super food bomb suggestion), salt sticks, Pure gels, Tailwind.
The Power of People: My girl Lorraine, she is my super fuel before during and after. Lorraine nudges me out of bed to get going in the dark when I’d rather sleep in, she adapts home around my daily diet, she is so incredibly patient with my obsessive chat and the blowing out of our financial and time budget. I do feel on these long hard adventures that I am literally running home to her. Friends (my crew on the day and surrounding it – Mark, Glenn and Andrew, Rob and Jo, Anne and Nigel, bringing so much encouragement and belief to my head and heart. And in ROF26, fellow runners Lizzie, Andy, Bradley, Daryl, Campbell, Phil and especially Maurice. To find someone early on in the race who shares my stage of life, trail pace and general outlook on life, and then spend 20 hours together doing something really tough is an amazing gift.
My Happy Place: Ever since Mark and I ran our first adventure on Ruapehu at The Goat Adventure Race in 2013 this mountain has brought a smile to my face. I have run a dozen races as a competitor in ROF, Tussock Traverse and Goat. A bunch more have been unforgettable as I worked on the other side of the events as a crew member for Victory Events alongside good friends Jason and Luke. I find this clean, remote and other-worldly environment intoxicating and somehow it fills my soul. And conditions for ROF2026 were perfect, dry underfoot, beautiful clear sky’s day and night, mild temperature with a cool breeze when needed.
And maybe sometimes it’s just your day: Earlier in the week the Race Numbers were announced. The moment I saw mine I knew something special was coming. “23”. Thats my number! If I had to choose a Race Number it would be 23. State Highway 23 connects Hamilton to Raglan. SHW23 is the end of the line to the place I call home. And I have run more marathons on SHW23 than any other road, 15 of these all the way from Hamilton to Raglan (a few in reverse). Yep ROF26 had my name on it as soon as I pinned on my 23!
Thank you Lorraine, my crew, fellow runners and Maurice for your love in action.
Thank you Jayde, Jason and the Ring of Fire Crew for making the loop of a volcano in one day possible.
Thank you Ruapehu, I loved our dance together.
STATS
Event: Ring of Fire 100km Solo Ultra
Distance: 102.61
Total Time: 23:38:49
Elevation Gain: 3924m
The true story of mid-packer Campbell Forlong's 52 marathons in 52 weeks in his 52nd year on the planet. More than a running book, FIFTY-TWO introduces the reader to a bunch of great people and beautiful places, provides some good laughs with a few good yarns, and most of all is a call to live and love well.
SHIPPING: Please note that there are set prices for NZ POST standard shipping within New Zealand. If your delivery address is outside New Zealand, please use the email form on the HOME page to request a shipping rate for your address.
Thanks to Photos4sale and my friends Maurice and Glenn for the photos.
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Comments
It was a great day on the mountain and you ran a great race picking off the ‘Eternals’ en route. Think you can ‘dine out on this for a long time’.
Thanks for the company as it made those hills so much less steep 😀.
What a great read. It was amazing being part of upur incredible day.
Campbell, absolutely love this. Such a great read. Thank you for sharing!
First in the Eternals group… that’s proper work, especially on a course like ours. No shortcuts out there, just time on feet and a willingness to keep going when it gets uncomfortable. The small decisions, the shifts in mindset, just ticking things off and moving forward. That steady approach comes through the whole way. It’s a good reminder of what these days are actually about. Not perfect, not easy, just showing up and getting it done.
Absolutely top Eternal! Bloody well earned mate. 🔥
It was such a pleasure meeting you and getting to know you over the lead up to the event. Thank you for sharing your journey to and around the maunga. Such a big weekend for myself and the crew and its awesome to read from your point of view. I just think what you’ve done is pretty incredible. The way you approach it all, and what you achieved out there, it’s something really special.
As things start to wind down at this end post event, I’m really looking forward to a bit of quiet time, cup of tea on the couch, and properly sitting down to read your book.
See you next year… on the crew this time 😉
Great read Campbell
After yarning about this race and all the sections while we explored Ruapehu trails, I am stoked to read how it all panned out on race day. Now I am looking forward to getting stuck into your book!