This is my recap of Tarawera 102km ultramarathon 2024. A good day out in Rotorua. I cover a bit about pre and post race and dive into the race itself. If you are thinking about tackling this one there should be something in it for you. Even if you are not read on and let us know what you think.
Goals
Sub 9hrs
Top 5 - top 10
High level training plan:
160-180km per week
Loads of elevation
A longer period of high volume 12-13 weeks
Early sign-up
I can’t remember exactly why I decided to have a crack at Tarawera 102 in 2024 but I was keen quite early in 2023 to put it on my calendar. I’m a big fan of locking in a decent race early in the year, it’s a great way to stay motivated to do some decent training over the summer. (Tarawera is generally in mid to late Feb).
I was also pretty motivated for this event having grown up in Tauranga, a town about an hour from Rotorua. It felt a bit like I would be going home to race, and I knew it would be a nice chance for my parents to come along for the ultra race ride.
So I applied for an Elite bib and was confirmed an entry in September of 2023.
Summer training block locked in!
Training block
From October I knew this would be my next target. But through October and November I also raced a 10mile on the road, 13km on the trails, 10km on the road, 1,500m and 5,000m on the track and a 5km on the roads (in that order). A lot of races!
The 3 road races helped me to lock in Club champion for both my club BERT and the Brisbane Road Runners Club for 2024.
Unfortunately I had no races in December or January on the plan but I did jump in a 3,000m in Tauranga over the Christmas holidays at the last minute. The plus side of this was 8-9 consistent weeks up in the 170km and 180km per week range with no major down periods. The one blip in that being when I caught Covid. It came at a really bad time but luckily it only forced me to skip one hard session and one long run.
Overall I felt fitter than ever going into this race! Huge Ks, training in the heat, no injuries.. Just generally a really positive block.
Travel blunders
Travelling solo for this one, I put myself immediately into some unnecessary stress by leaving my drive to the airport late. I had opted for cheap airport adjacent parking but hadn’t factored in enough time for the shuttle from the carpark to the airport. I made it to check in with 5 minutes to spare but I had to be one of those annoying people that push straight to the front of the queue. Not great.
To back that up I’d booked a very tight transfer to domestic in Auckland that relied on my flight to NZ arriving on time and my bags getting through to the carousel quickly. Both of those things did not happen. We ended up only 15 minutes late on arrival but add on 10 minutes of waiting for bags to get to the carousel and I was done. I checked in on my phone with 3 minutes to spare but the transition from International to Domestic was an impossible sprint. I didn’t make it. Bag drop was closed and I was forced to beg for special treatment again. Luckily because I had checked in I had an allocated seat on the plane and after being told no about my bag 3 or 4 times the manager discovered that the domestic flight was also late and agreed to take it! Phew. (Of course on the plane there was loads of room for an extra small bag or 5)
Chill time
It was great to stay at my parents house in Omanu, Tauranga for this trip. An hour drive from Rotorua but on the beach. The weather was beautiful and it was nice and quiet. It is an amazing part of the world and I feel very lucky that that is where they chose to call home all those years ago.
Pre race
Everything went to plan for this one, I ate my usual foods and carb loaded really well. I follow the process of going carb heavy 2 days before an event but easing off a bit after lunch on the day before. This seems to help a bit with sleep the night before the race, but it is still hard to sleep with so many carbs in your system. Travelling solo also helped with those few nights of sleep prior to the race. So race morning I felt how I expected, full of carbs and ready to run long.
A note on carb loading: If you carb load properly you should expect to put on some water weight. This is because carbs hold water (think cooked pasta and rice vs dry). Even so I was a bit sceptical about the scales at check-in the day before the race when they registered me at 72kgs.
Race day
Mum and Dad drove me to the start and dropped me at Te Puia where I joined the crowd. Those 20-30 minutes before a big ultra are something special. The anticipation of a day (or more) out is different than at a marathon or shorter event. Tarawera also does a great pre start with a Māori greeting performed. It is a cool unique touch.
Early stages of the race
I had a clear plan to let the leaders go early on in this one and that is exactly what I did. I am not in Dan Jones league and as the results show - no one else was. So running with him was always likely to end in disaster.
I was really forced to slow down though by my heart rate. I decided to wear my heart rate monitor for this event. Not something I’d normally do but my wife gave me an arm strap monitor for Christmas and I’d been using it in training. On the day I was getting really high H/R from the start. So much so that I thought maybe it was not reading accurately. As I continued to check it I realised it probably was accurate and I was working too hard, going from no warm-up straight into running at a decent pace and then uphill. It started to come down to more normal levels as I progressed. Unfortunately the bluetooth was eating up my watch battery so I made the decision to take it off after approx 22km.
Running into the back of the 50km race
We started 1.5hrs behind the 50km on the same course. So I was surprised by how soon we started to run into the back markers of that race. This is one of the most inclusive events I have seen in terms of athlete fitness. I guess a 14hr cut off for 50km is very achievable for most people with the courage to take it on. I am always inspired by these “warriors” as they are out for a much longer day than fast runners.
The downside of this schedule occurred at the second aid station where there were masses of people from the 50km trying to refuel. I lined up for water for about 15 seconds... then decided I would risk it and skip the refill. I am sure I paid for this later in the day. I can only hope the event takes on all the feedback and does something different in future years to make that better.
The race
Out the other side of that and traffic started to thin. As I reached the point where the 50km and 100km separated I was coming up behind Ruth Croft and another runner. I was feeling really good at this stage, in the flow, running freely and easily. I had a little chat with Ruth but kept on moving. At some point running through here I tripped and landed face first. This is never a good feeling as it could be the end of your day. Luckily I landed on some soft soil and didn’t even scratch my hands. My knees were a bit scratched up and achy but I was basically fine. This was a flat section heading out to Miller. I saw my brother and parents for the first time as I ran through here. They let me know I was in 8th, moving up! By the time I reached Okataina I had moved into 7th.
The out and back stretch between Miller and Okataina is by far the hardest part of this race. It’s single track most of the way, with a rutted trail in lots of parts. I’d contemplated changing into Nike Vaporfly 3's (road shoes) at Okataina but running through here I made the decision to stay in my Saucony Endorphin Edge. This is a hugely discussed topic on the event’s Facebook page - road shoes vs trail shoes. I think as trail shoes improve it won’t be such a discussion but there was a strong case for both at this event.
So I got to the Okataina checkpoint feeling good. I was out hunting for places now… or so I thought. The return from Okataina is hard work. I honestly didn’t remember it being so steep on the way out. I fell again through this phase, this time I was looking at a couple of guys coming the other way and stood on a little stick. It rolled and so did my ankle. I thought my day might be over but got up, got moving and seemed to have gotten lucky again. At this point I started to struggle a little and my confidence dropped for the first time. Roberto Mastrotto, an Italian, caught and passed me late in this stretch but I was really surprised to pop out the other side of Miller checkpoint and find myself somehow in 5th!
It seems like Roberto and “Mikey” Dimuantes had both taken their time in that checkpoint. Unfortunately within a few hundred metres I had severe pain in my ab muscles. Sharp and jarring when I ran, I stopped in my tracks. This is when Mikey passed me and I was confused until I had a look at him and realised he must have popped really badly and was struggling. I asked if he had seen Roberto come past and he said something like “yeah he was cooked” which confused me as well. It was soon clear as Roberto came past again. My moment to strike disappeared so quickly as I struggled on through this part of the course and I started to think about pulling out. I was walking and jogging, burping, farting, squeezing, trying everything I could think of… Eventually I mixed a Precision 1000 tablet in some water and that seemed to help a bit. Combined with massaging my stomach for the next 20-25km, I was at least moving again, just way too slow on that flat fast part of the course. Ruth and Beth McKenzie both passed me in this section. Massive kudos to Beth who I thought had cooked herself early on. She really wasn’t too far off Ruth.
Change to road shoes and the final stretch
At Blue Lake aid station I changed into my Nike Alphafly 1's. It was amazing to feel the light springy propulsion they give and they were fine on the nice trails around Rotorua.
Feeling “ok” I asked if there was anyone to chase. My Dad said “yeah and they are fading” or something like that. I think it was my brother Richard who gave me an estimated 10min gap. Probably not closeable over the last 17km in my condition but it was something to work towards. In the end I was only about a minute behind Mikey. He must have been in a worse way than me or just jogging it.
It is a really nice last section of running. The trails are wide and once you are over the last hill it is 12-13km of downhill and flat to the finish. You run through the beautiful Redwoods again then across into the sulphur flats. That section is quintessential Rotorua with pungent sulphur smells and steam seeping up from the ground. A great highlight to end the event.
Finish
I ran through the finish line feeling pretty good. No where near the time I thought I would run but 7th male. So not stoked but not super dejected…somewhere in the middle. I think I will hold on to the sense that an opportunity to podium or at least top 5 was missed. If I had had a good day and everyone else had run the same. I know it's easy to say this but ultras rarely go that way.
I pulled up in the recovery area feeling ok. I did weigh in at 67kg, 5kgs lighter than midday Friday so clearly a bit dehydrated. My arm was also tired from the massage job it had just been doing on my abs for the last 2-3 hours. Other than that I was “ok”. Ruth, Beth and Sage Canaday were sitting in the tent. I congratulated them, sat down and had a bit of a chat with Beth and Luke (Beth's husband) and then moved on. I was done and didn’t need to be there. Time to go home.
Final Result
9hrs 51mins, 7th male, 9th overall.
Post race
A nice easy drive back to Tauranga, we stopped in at an awesome old school Chinese buffet called Kwangchow and got some takeaway then it was back to Mum and Dads and bed.
The next day was as you’d expect a bit of a blur but involved watching my nephew play indoor volleyball (they won!!!) and dinner at my sister's house..
Then on Monday I went to the Mount Maunganui hot pools and spent an hour and a half soaking in hot salt water. I was iffy about the benefits of this but it felt fantastic on my legs.
I’m not sure if it was the hot soak, the fact that I didn’t get to run really hard over the last 30km, or not having any alcohol since November but I have recovered far better than ever post this race. I am still half expecting a niggle to appear but so far so good.
The return home was largely uneventful so nothing to recap.
Paulie and the kids were very happy to have me back and proud as always.
I did feel quite content for the week that followed.. But that feeling doesn’t last does it?
Ok that's enough. If you have stayed with me this far, thank you for reading. Please reach out if you are thinking about this race.. or a trip to the Bay of Plenty in NZ.
Andy
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