FAQ’s
If you don’t mind all the reading, more info can be gleened from the pre-race briefing notes.
Please post a question in the box below if you can – if it’s of a ‘personal’ nature you can email the race director, terry@terrydavisevents.co.nz
Closest Airport?- Queenstown, NZ
Accommodation options? See the ‘about central Otago’ tab above.
Transport? If you’re traveling internationally – see more info here…
What are the cut-off times?
50km – 12hours
100km- 30hours
160km – 48 hours NOTE – These are ‘official’ cut-off times. It is most likely that the race director will still allow you to finish outside of these times depending on distance remaining, your physical condition and other factors that may apply.
Do you allow pacers? (somebody to run sections with you at a set pace) Yes! This year we will. see more info here.
How hard is it going to be? Bloody hard!
Is there minimum gear I need to take? Yes.
daypack.
rain jacket – it can be just a ‘shell’ but it must be seam-sealed waterproof.
merino or thermal long sleeve top
extra fleece/mid weight wool top.
long thermal tights or trousers (not just compression pants!)
warm hat or beanie
polypro gloves survival/emergency blanket
own snacks, gels, energy bars etc
water bottles/bladders – enough to carry 2 litres of water at all times
headlight for night-time with back up batteries.
reflector stripes or vest or back flashing light for night-time running (most running packs these days have reflective tape sewn into them).
Whistle
cell phone (recommended but optional)
gaiters (optional but recommended)
gps/compass optional
waterproof over trousers (good to have in your drop bag at TW (major aid station up the mountain) just in case.
Good to have in a drop bag at start/finish and/or TW with extra warm clothes, spare socks, water proof trousers, special foods/drinks…
How much training will I need to do? Shitloads. Training depends on your individual experience and expectations. If you’re experienced and or aiming for a competitive time you’re probably not reading this or you’ll have a pretty good idea of what you need to do anyway. If you’re new to ultra running and just aiming to complete the blimmin’ thing without doing permanent damage to yourself then my key bits of advice are:
First of all listen to everyone but follow no-one (actually that’s not my advice – Dean Karnazes said it in one of his books).
Train your body to eat and drink as you run. Even if you are only going for a 30min run have a slice of bread or a muselie bar as you start and have another mouthful mid way through (lollies/banana/biscuits/crackers/pie…) you will need to eat about every 30mins during an endurance event and after the first few hours nothing tastes good so get used to variety. Practice drinking water and electrolites in your training also.
Chuck in a bit of biking – this is purely personal and lots of hard-core runners don’t do it but I swear by MTB/cycling as part of my training for long runs – you have to bike hard though – not much point just going out for a cruise. Basically cycle short but hard (up to 1.5hrs hard as you can handle)
Run slow on your long runs (up to 3 hours) and don’t worry about ‘speed work’ – speed work is where you are most likely to injure yourself.
Go wild. About once a month go for a full day ‘tramp’ in the mountains. Best to go with a friend and take all the ‘minimum gear’ listed above. Walk the up and the steep down otherwise try to gently jog as much as you can.
Go for at least 1 or 2 overnight missions to see how you cope with sleep deprivation… do this with mates and over a well marked track.
