As soon as the TransRockies tickets came on sale (of course it was the middle of the night because of the time difference between NZ and USA, making it feel even MORE of an adventure) I jumped straight online and bagged myself a ticket! This was happening! From there things swung from focussing solely on the Tarawera 50km point to point race to focussing on the new MAIN EVENT TransRockies. We (Action Potential Coaching and i) decided Tarawera would still be a perfect race as a stepping stone on my way to TR, sweeeetttt! It was a successful run, pretty tough, as a sort of extreme training run I was happy to finish in around 7hrs 15mins.

Fast forward a few months of increasingly intensive, all consuming, 7 days a week training. This included several camps, including one in a tent in winter to simulate the real TR! Then before I knew it I was flying off to altitude in Denver, Colorado, it was 3 weeks out from the race. This was to ensure I had as much time as I could to acclimatise (both altitude and a lesser extent the heat, as I flew from winter to summer in two short 16-hour+ plane rides!).

*Turquoise Lake - just outside of Leadville*

I made my way slowly from Boulder (5,430 feet) to Leadville (10,119 feet) and thence to Buena Vista (where the race started), training the whole time. The stepping up and down in altitude was carefully prepared using Russells previous multiple races up here and results at both Trans Rockies and Leadville 100. It was great to get to Leadville - it was so damn hot in Boulder (high 30s). But suddenly I could barely manage an easy 30min run around the stunning Turquoise Lake! It was just much, much tougher than I expected to run at altitude. What should have been an easy run felt almost impossible.

After 3 weeks of training & acclimatising, the day was upon me. I felt so nervous, god do you ever feel ready before a big race? This was despite the most detailed prep & great coaching from Russ by the way. Would I be able to do it? I didn’t know (my definition of a Big Hairy Goal). I was about to find out.

Day 1 (30km, 675m elevation gain) was absolutely terrible, it was hot and getting hotter and about 20km in I was seeing stars and starting to feel quite faint. I was just thinking maybe I should sit down when I started to come right, nek minute BOOM I was on the deck, cut hands and knees, a first for me (but surely not the last).

From there it was a roller coaster of a week, Day 2 (21km, 950m) was EPIC, the highs of Hope Pass, a good fast hike up which I LOVED, then free wheeled it down, passing a decent amount of people who were obviously quite sensibly saving their quads for the rest of the week (silly me). Still, it was a great day and I loved it. Gorgeous scenery. I managed to finish in 20th place. It cannot be overstated that for races going to over 12,000 feet a person really needs to do some preparation - dont do it unless you understand this demand.

Day 3 (39km, 751m) was also fantastic because at around the 20km mark I realised I was constantly running alongside two amazing dudes who were running a similar pace to me. Actually they were a little faster than me, but seemed happy enough to cruise along with me and therefore pulled me along with them. Ifinished the day in 17th place! Thanks Michael and Jamie!!

*Tent city - a beautiful place every night….*

Day 4 (22.9km, 850m) was HARD HARD HARD, a real low point where tears may have been shed. In theory it was ‘only’ a 21k run, less altitude than Hope Pass, and anyway I loved Hope Pass so all good right? WRONG. I struggled on the up, then I struggled on the down, oh and finally I struggled on the flat. At one stage a volunteer gave me a ’20 second medicinal hug’, thanks, you have no idea how much I needed that. The official photographer saw me limping down the hill at some point and put his camera away. Finally, the torture ended, and it was back to camp for a lie down and some serious questioning of my life choices. I finished in 16th place, which is where I was to stay for the remainder of the race. No one was giving up a place easily at this stage of the race. Despite the tough day, things quickly started looking up as my two new mates approached me and asked if I wanted to run together the next day, DID I EVER!

So day 5 (38.6 km and 1,200m) dawned bright and early, legs somehow felt better than they had any right to feel after the previous day and a bit of massage gun in the physio tent the night before didn’t hurt…absolutely loved this day, the sun was shining but it wasn’t baking, despite the vert there wasn’t any one nasty climb and the hours flew past with the great company of the boys. At some stage it really felt like we were 3 mates running in the bush on a Saturday morning for fun!

Day 6 (36.7km, 1,350m) dawned and we were off! While it was a tough day, made tougher by the run through the ‘burbs of Avon, then the added misery of a steep climb near the end of very tired legs which seemed a bit unnecessary and never ending.

When I saw the lady in 17th place behind me leapfrog us, I decided to make a break for it & sprinted (ish) fast as I could down the hill to finish ahead of her. Who knew, a little bit of a competitive streak does lurk in me! I finished strong in 16th place (females under 50 years). Absolutely STOKED with that, in my first big, stage race.

Literally the next day I was on a plane flying back to little old New Zealand, and boy did that sunrise look pretty spectacular when I crawled into my own bed many hours (and days cos of the time difference) later. This was the singe hardest, biggest physical endeavour in my life (to date) and I bloody well did it. In fact I couldn’t have done more. I wonder what else I can do?! Well, starting next week I am officially going to find out, because I am picking up again with the marvellous Russell! New goals – Tarawera 100km 2025, and I can’t wait. Let’s go Russell! :)

Thanks for everything, I couldn’t have done this without you. If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you. Well I feel like a new person, in all the best ways!

Coaching Success Stories

6 day Colorado mountain ultra ..."I bloody well did it!"