Running the stunning Motatapu Trail Marathon

This was one of the most beautiful trail marathons I’ve ran and was a great way to celebrate a summer of running and see in the beginning of autumn (though the weather was still very much throwing the heat of summer on event day – which fell on the first Saturday in March).

The 42km Motatapu trail marathon started at 10.30am, at Motatapu Station near Lake Wanaka, with temperatures already in the low twenties and the sun high in the sky. Participants (453 of us!) boarded coaches in Wanaka and chatted with excited anticipation as we were transported to the start of our adventure.

The event started with a couple of kilometres of climbing, a helicopter hovering over us and our heels kicking up the dry ground, leaving dust in our wake.

There was a quietness amongst the runners at the beginning, everyone seemed to struggle to get into a comfortable rhythm due to the heat. Many people broke up running with walking breaks, slowing the pace to lower the heart rate and feel more comfortable as the temperature continued to rise to the high twenties (degrees celsius) by midday. I would pass a few people and then take a walk break, nodding at them as they passed me, then I’d pick up my feet and run again, and so this continued, until we spread out more on the course.

By the middle of the course there was a familiar smell of bodies working hard in the heat (!), and I was so glad of the first of many river crossings (the majority are in the second half, with several in the last few kilometres). Every time I crossed a river I took the opportunity to dip my cap in the water, splash my body and face, and then put my dripping cap back on my head (it didn’t take long to dry off again!).

The scenery was spectacular, but the course was very exposed and there was no shelter. We ran along an undulating valley, surrounded by towering peaks, our journey following a route early Maori used for hunting and gathering, and to move Pounamu (Greenstone). The valley was not discovered by European explorers until around 1862, during the gold rush.

Whilst I was out running, from Wanaka to Arrowtown, my hubby and our daughter, Alice, had driven to Wanaka and were enjoying a 30km e-bike ride from Arrowtown to the Kawahau Gorge suspension bridge and back. It was nice to thinking of them out enjoying some equally stunning scenery and knowing I’d be seeing them around the finish area in Arrowtown later in the afternoon.

My favourite aid station of the whole run was the ‘Barbie and Ken’ one, but all the aid stations were an absolute relief to see and the volunteers so friendly and helpful. I arrived at each one with two empty drinking bottles ready to be refilled and I was so grateful for the thirst quenching water and electrolytes!

It was such a great opportunity to trail run through the magnificent Motatapu, Soho and Glencoe high-country stations, which thanks to the owners, are opened once a year to the public for this event, which made the event so appealing. The longer event option, a 52km mountain ultra course follows the DOC Motatapu Track, which forms part of the Te Araroa Walking Trail from Cape Reinga to Bluff, and as much as I’d love to do that too (especially now that I’ve had a taste of how great this event is!) I thought I’d rather run a trail that’s only open once a year – as I could do the other public trail at any point in time (but I am now very keen to return and participate!).

The highest point of the 42km trail marathon was 880m , with 847m of total elevation gain (I would need to do A LOT more climbing if I return to the 52km event – with the highest point being 1,230m high and a total climb, over 4 peaks, of 2,496m).

My enduring memory of this event was the heat and the river crossings – which were thigh deep and so wide at times – but calm and easy to cross (and very welcome!). I was so glad I wore my lightweight T8 sherpa shorts, which didn’t hold any weight when they got wet and dried off really quickly.

As the finish line approached I could hear the sound of music and announcements as people crossed the line, turning the final corner of the trail I came into the last stretch, so happy to see my wonderful husband and youngest, Alice.

I was thrilled with my finish time, especially given the heat, and felt on such a high at the finish (and ready for a good feed!). I stretched down, had something to eat and drink, and then we headed back to Wanaka, where we had a lovely meal that evening. The next morning we had a lovely walk along the shore of Lake Wanaka, New Zealand’s fourth largest lake, before driving to Queenstown, where we had time to stretch our legs before flying back to Wellington. A magic weekend and a great run for me (and a good build up to the Faultline Ultra 50km event on the 21st April – which I wrote about here!).