Cardrona Valley Half Marathon all go!!

A new half marathon down the Cardrona Valley and finishing in Wanaka is all set to start 9am Easter Saturday 11th April 2009 for all the details click here.

A gentle curving and slightly undulating course with a total drop of about 200m this could be the fastest half marathon course in New Zealand! Now there is a challenge for you- come along and run a PB!

Click the pic below for a full course overview.

To enter online and for a print-outable entry form click here.

See you in Wanaka!

Wanaka Skyline Challenge and Hillend Gutbuster Report

The weather was crap. No other way to describe it really. Sure, we didn’t have any problems with sun burn and dehydration but we didn’t really expect to get so close to hypothermia for some competitors!!

It’s days like this you really appreciate good gear (all those wearing macpac feel free to sing their praises) and minimum gear requirements! Comments from the top were “I was wearing all my kit and it was still bloody cold!” A big thanks too to Horleys and Annies for helping to keep the energy levels up on such a demanding day.

The low cloud (and maybe a marker or two missing) made keeping to the track quite a challenge along the top of the Skyline between Roy and Alpha but luckily everybody made it home eventually.

The gut buster course proved to be particularly gut busting going up and then for some competitors even more soul destroying coming down- although it was a shorter course than the Skyline Challenge it was no less a massive effort for all those who took place.

Ed and Terry were glad to see virtually all those who pre-entered turn up and pit themselves against ‘challenging’ courses on a good day but real adventure races on a day like we had today.

You should all be well pleased with yourselves for completing your distances! And didn’t those Export 33′s go down well afterwards- thanks very much to the export guys and also to 93b who supplied the yummy filled rolls (next year we’ll ask for a couple of vegetarian ones among them too).

A huge thanks to all the ‘volunteers’ (friends dragged in) who not only tramped up to mountain tops but also stood around in the rain and cold for hours! Events couldn’t happen without you and we whole heartedly appreciate it.

Please add your comments below- we know basically all of you got spot prizes so please make a comment and tell us if they’re any good. How’s that shave gel you all got in the race packs? I use the ‘Aloe Hydrate’ flavour and would have to say it is genuinely good stuff. (Sorry to the ladies- next year we’ll hassle more sponsors for product you can use too!) And how cool are those self charge torches/cell phone chargers… depending on feedback we’ll try to get more of the stuff you like and less of the stuff you don’t. Thanks very much. Terry and Ed

Primal Earth supports the Wanaka Skyline Challenge.

Thanks very much to Primal Earth for supplying samples for all runners (female runners feel free to take one home for the man in your life).

Experience for yourself the benefits of a natural shave.  May not make you run a lot faster on the up-hill sections of the course but it could earn you (the men I’m referring to here) valuable brownie points with the boss! (That would be your wife/partner/…)

Find some here and let me know what you think.

Export 33 supports Wanaka runners

 Wanaka Skyline Challenge is proud to be associated with Export 33.  

Every Runner (over 18yrs) of the Wanaka Skyline Challenge, Hillend Gutbuster  and also the half marathon (April 11th) will be given a free Export 33!!

Export 33 is brewed longer, which takes out almost all the sugars, making it
less filling. So you get all the enjoyment and taste of a smooth, satisfying
beer, but without that heavy, bloated feeling.

Horleys- Official sports nutrition of Wanaka’s new mountain race

Thanks very much to Karen and the team at Horleys for ensuring all runners will be able to Replace some hard-spent energy at Wanaka’s newest Mountain race the ‘Wanaka Skyline Challenge’.

Replace has been mine and Ed’s choice of sports drink for years now (as it is with most endurance athlets) and Horleys are awesome at supporting many events all around the country.

Wanaka accommodation Book early

Accommodation could be tight around 21st Feb for the Wanaka Skyline Challenge and Hillend Gutbuster. To avoid  disapointment book early! Stay with Ed at Wanaka Homestead (luxury eco-friendly accommodation at an affordable price.) Also checkout the Lake Wanaka website under accommodation. If you get really stuck email terry@highlandevents.co.nz  and he’ll be able to sort something out for you.