Tarawera 100 miles 2020
Jon Richardson Race Report
Why would you run 100 miles? Are you mad? Surely you stop along the way? These are just some of the questions I got when I would tell people that I was heading to NZ to run the Tarawera 100 miler. To be honest, not so long ago I would have asked the same questions, until my now wife Anna ran the UTA 100 3 years ago I didn’t even know there was such a thing as ultramarathons and I couldn’t have imagined swapping the comfort of a nice pub for spending a day and night out pushing your body to its limits. However there I was at 3:55am in the morning standing at what must be one of the most spectacular start lines around at Te Puia watching the smoke rise from the earth, listening to Maori’s perform the haka and sing, surrounded by almost 300 fellow runners about to embark on an adventure into the unknown. There was something extremely spiritual about that moment that made the nerves disappear and replaced it with a great sense of calm.
Why was I even standing at that start line in the first place? It had been a journey I had been on for the past 3 years, trying to transform myself from someone coasting in life, overweight and unhappy to someone with a purpose and capable of taking on challenges. When I looked back at what I was passionate as a kid it was sports, sports and sports and I felt as I had moved through adulthood I had lost the passion for playing and competing. I had also always talked with my brother about taking on some crazy challenges, like rowing the Atlantic, however again dreaming of things like that had drifted away. However, after watching Anna run her first 100km and see the passion, dedication and determination she displayed lit a spark in me and started me on this journey.
I don’t think you can ever feel completely prepared or ready to run 100 miles, throughout the training and process there is a lot of questioning yourself, what you are doing and whether you can actually do it. However, I was lucky to have a great coach in Joe who had copious amounts of experience running that distance and pulled together a great training plan where I peaked at just under 140kms in a week. For me to feel as prepared as possible I needed to make sure I did all that I could in the lead up and Anna was an amazing support for this, there was no alcohol for a few months including Christmas, a vegan diet and lots of prioritising running, rest and nutrition. It would be so much more difficult doing this without such a supportive partner who understand exactly what I was going through.
Anyway, after all the prep and training, it was a relief to get going and to settle into the race. My too biggest issues in previous ultras was pacing myself and nutrition which in a 100 mile race are absolutely critical so a massive amount of my focus before and during the race were on this. I thought I paced the start pretty well, running well within myself on quite a nice runnable section at the start and it was great to knock out a few kms in the dark before the sun came up chatting to a few fellow runners. Seeing Anna and Joe at the first checkpoint at 13km just settled me into the race and the day. However at around 25kms I started to feel a hip issue that I had been managing since the Narrabeen all nighter at the start of Jan. This probably got in my head a little and meant I felt I couldn’t run freely but luckily it never got worse than a niggle and uncomfortable so I was able to continue with a bit of restricted movement. Looking back it probably was a slight blessing as it meant I ran from about 30km to 100km more conservatively than I would have which gave me more in the tank to run when the sun went down.
I knew beforehand that running this distance I would be faced with a bit of adversity and some tough times but I hoped it wouldn’t come as early as it did. Seeing Anna and Joe at the checkpoints really helped however with my hip giving me a bit of grief and a 15km road section from about 45kms which felt that it was always slightly increasing in gradient my mind went to a few dark places and I had to use some advice from Joe and tell that alter ego (he calls him Leroy) to F off whenever those negative thoughts would slip in. I think though this is where I really started to break down the race as effectively 15 shorter runs between checkpoints, trying not to think further than the next leg. A nice boat trip at around 50km was very welcome to mix things up and then seeing my crew at 53km and 60km was massive and gave me a chance to take stock, stretch out and release my hip and get some words of advice and encouragement before the next section where I wouldn’t see Anna and Joe for 60kms.
I can’t overestimate the importance of the mental side of running this distance, for me giving myself small targets to tick off and achieve helped to keep me motivated and recognising what the worst case could be, acknowledging it and then putting it to the side helped. After leaving my crew at 60km I targeted each of the individual checkpoints as small goals and then ultimately Lake Okaitana at 120km where I would see Anna and Joe and also pick up Joe to pace me to the end. I felt if I could get here then there was no chance or reason for me not to finish.
Between 60km – 100km was probably my hardest section, we went into the Tarawera forest and as the heat and humidity started to rise, what should have been a nice runnable track felt like a long slog, the time seemed to go quickly but the kms not so much and as I was passed by quite a few runners my moral dropped. I looked for little things to keep me going, voice messages from my family, a podcast and chatting to a few other runners helped distract me from how I was feeling.
I also started to develop another issue which I hadn’t experienced before, later I would find out it was called Rhabdomyolysis, but at the time all I saw was really dark urine. Luckily it didn’t really affect me and apart from other issues, my hip and a dodgy stomach there was no reason to worry. At the Outlet checkpoint just at 104km I gave Anna a call so she could help problem solve and figure out if there was anything I could do with my nutrition or anything by the time I saw her at 120km. I don’t know what it was about that checkpoint, the really friendly volunteers, taking some time to have some food, the lift of hearing Anna voice or the coke I had (which I have never done before) but something changed after that checkpoint. The next couple of sections to Lake Okataina were the best I felt in the race. The trail was reasonably technical and it reminded me of running back at home, where before I could only shuffle or hike I now felt like I was skipping over the rocks and roots on the ground and I started to pass a lot of runners. Looking back at my splits I was the 24th quickest through that section and I couldn’t believe how good I felt, considering I’d run over 100km and it was the furthest I’d run and longest I’d ever been out on my feet. This really gave me the belief I could actually do this.
Arriving at Okataina at just after 9:30pm, it was amazing to be greeted by a hug from Anna and I felt a massive sense of achievement to make it this far. I think both Anna and Joe were slightly surprised to see me in decent spirits and seeing Joe all wrapped up ready for a long night in the cold gave me the motivation to get him sweating! After calling Anna at the Outlet she had spoken the medics and some other people on my issue and reassured me things were ok as long as I was feeling ok. Okataina had been such a big target for me and mentally it was great to reach it with some running left in my legs and just over a marathon to go. I knew I was lucky to have one of the most experienced pacers in Joe to help me home so as great as it was to see Anna I was keen to get out of the checkpoint and keep the positive energy going up the large climb we had out of the checkpoint.
The climb out of Okataina is tough, about 500m over 6kms, especially on tired legs but I felt pretty good and with the boost of having Joe breathing down my neck and the poles I had picked up at Okataina I was able to climb well and over take a number of other runners. Again, this is where some of the tough climbs we had done in the Blue Mountains or locally really helped condition me as much as possible. Spurred on by some 90s music, dad jokes and Joe’s stories the next few hours through the night went well as we targeted the next aid station. We passed through Millar aid station quickly with just a stop for water and a swig of coke and headed on towards Blue Lake and the next stop we would see Anna. There was something quite peaceful about this period of the race, it was pitch black except for our headtorches and the stars lighting the way, we had one singular goal, to finish and I found a complete clarity in my mind where I could block out any distractions or pain and just focus on nothing else but the goal and the here and now. Joe would be really encouraging and tell me how well we were going as we would pass people but in my head I couldn’t let myself even consider the possibility that it was a done deal as I was afraid my mind and body would just fall apart as soon as I let those thoughts in. We arrived at Blue Lake at 149km and as throughout the whole race Anna was incredibly prepared with everything laid out ready. I must have been running pretty well as Joe had to strip off all his thermals J. I later found out we recorded the 19th fastest time for that leg across the race and it absolutely no coincidence I had Joe there supporting and driving me on.
16km to go knowing that from the Redwoods it was basically flat to the finish, looking back I realise now how powerful the mind is, my body was starting to creek, I was feeling tired but all I had in my mind was getting to that finish line. I learnt how to block everything else out, I don’t think I was the most chatty person through those last few hours but I think in hindsight this was the crux of what I wanted to find out about myself, could I block out all the pain and keep going and keep pushing. I am proud to say I did and we continued to overtake more runners. A defining moment of the race for me was climbing up near Redwoods and shuffling (I won’t call it running) up a climb to overtake 3 or 4 other miler runners who had been ahead of me throughout the race. The downhills were still agony afterwards but I knew how close we were.
I couldn’t have asked for a better finish to the race, in Tarawera as many people as you like can run with you from the Redwoods (about 7km from the finish) so Anna joined myself and Joe to the finish. To be able to share the last few kms with both the people who had supported me throughout the journey was very special. At the time I probably didn’t articulate very well or show them truly how special it was to me as I was just trying to hold everything together and run strong to the finish but it meant so much.
I crossed the finish line in 24 hours 56 minutes in 35th place and 27th male. When I finished I was overcome with a sense of relief, accomplishment and exhaustion and I remember Anna and I sharing a few tears. From what I have been told since I wasn’t quite with it but it was an incredibly special moment Anna presenting me with my Pounamu. This is another unique aspect of the Tarawera miler. A Pounamu is very special in Maori culture and is gifted to someone who has achieved something and then passed on through the generations. An amazing gift to receive and certainly something I will treasure. After a quick stop in the medical tent to get weighed it was then back to our accommodation where the real drama started. After passing out in the shower I had the fortune to spend the next 13 hours in Rotorua hospital on a drip where I must say the staff were awesome. Lying in a hospital bed though wasn’t quite how I planned to reflect on everything and recover but as I lied there with everything sore and aching in a weird way it was one of the best feelings I have experienced. The fact I ended up there gave me the comfort that I had pushed to my limits which again gave me amazing satisfaction.
So, after that very long report, what did I learn? Short answer, so much! Firstly, don’t stop eating or drinking near the end of the race! Pacing is so so important, don’t push in the heat of the day and make sure you can run at night. Break the race down into small manageable sections and don’t look further ahead. If you think you are done, the chances are you are not and you’ve got more to give. If your wee looks like blood, probably get it checked out but it doesn’t have to end your race. Have an amazing crew by your side, it makes all the difference. And enjoy the journey, it won’t be pretty and will be painful and quite sobering at points but try and embrace all those feelings and moments because that is when you are most present and alive.
The experience lived up to everything I expected but gave me so much more as well. I liked what I found out about myself but I still think it is going to take quite a bit more time to really understand and be able to articulate all my feelings and experiences. Would I do it again? Well don’t tell my mum, but hell yeah!!
I want to thank everyone involved in the race, it truly is a special and unique event, from the organisers to each and every volunteer, they are what makes an event. The support and welcome we received at each and every checkpoint was incredible and gave all us runners such a lift. Kieran and Dom at IB Physio for getting my body ready for the event, thank you! Thanks to Tamara and MadonNutrition for helping me finally execute a nutrition plan and thank you to everyone at Manly Beach Running club for creating an amazing environment to train in and holding me accountable every morning. Also, everyone who send messages, my family who spend the time to send voice messages thank you
Special mentions though to Joe and Anna. Firstly Joe, thank you for being a great coach, mentor and most importantly mate. You have helped me achieve my goals and created a great training plan that kept me focused, interested, challenged and not injured! But coming over to NZ to support and pace me was completely above and beyond and I really appreciate it. I knew that from Okataina I had a massive advantage as I truly believed I had the best and most experienced pacer in the field. Last but certainly not least Anna, firstly thank you for being my inspiration and starting me on this journey and giving me the confidence to believe I could achieve something like this. You have been incredibly supportive throughout this whole journey. There was nothing more motivating during the race than knowing I would be seeing you at the checkpoints and you seemed to know exactly what I needed before I even knew. I really couldn’t have done this without you, I love you!
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