Three Weeks of Fun Racing

Richard Ussher / 20.03.2013

Moonlight Marathon

After a full day roadie from Nelson to Queenstown it was good to catch up with everyone in my old stomping ground. The weather was so warm I even managed a swim in the lake minus the wetsuit.

Elina and I met up with one of NZ’s top men’s Ultra runners – Grant Guise for a bit of a chat for his Back Country Runner blog and then headed off in the 4x4’s for the nights accommodation at the Moonlight Lodge.

We had a great evening, good food and company, NZ Ultra runner Anna Frost did a talk for the crew of runners there put everyone else’s mega training loads to shame with her 50-miler preparation (insane).

Race morning and it was a far more leisurely start it I would have been driving, for us and the 20 something others who’d stayed at the lodge it was a helicopter trip for the short hop across the tops to the start at the old Skippers Bungy Bridge.

There was a good field assembled in both the men’s and women’s races, and both Elina and I were really at the event to have some fun and support what looked to be a fantastic event.

As the gun went off I was happy to see there was no sprint off the line, I headed into the steep climb from the river back in the pack a bit, reminding myself that this was a fun day out not a smash myself day out! I highly doubted I could do 42km of off-road and massive elevation gain and loss with no pain, but as little as possible was the goal.

Within a few kilometers the pack had spread out and I was still within sight of the lead, as we hit the old mining water races the track got pretty technical and as the pure runners struggled with the footing I gradually caught up.

Sitting behind Vajin Armstrong and Martin Cox I was happy to let them set the pace, but first Vajin fell and then Martin and I ended up in front, the one position I’d been least expecting.

I kept things very relaxed and ran at a good sort of training pace and so was shocked when looked back and I’d opened up a gap on the others.

It was short lived, as soon as the trail improved Martin caught back up and we quickly established a pattern – I’d pull away on the rougher stuff and down hills and Martin would peg me back and pull away on the ups and any better trails.

Just a few kilometers shy of half way I was in one of the leading phases when I missed a turn off and suddenly went from a minute in front to 2-3 minutes behind. Once I re-traced my steps and joined back onto the proper course I was now only a few seconds in front of Brazilian Multi-sporter Flavio Vianna.