St James Mountain Man Xtreme: Race Recap

 St James Mountain Man Xtreme

Date: January 2021
Category: Endurance Race
Weather: Hot
Location: St James Range
Distance: 2km swim, 100km mtb, 50km trail run
Website: St James Mountain Sports

Lake Tennyson

The following is my recap of my 2nd entry to this event. To give some background, I first heard of this event back in 2014 after having completed the Ironman. I wanted a race where failure was a real possibility and I wanted a race to push me both physically and mentally. Having read the description for this race, it checked those boxes. I DNF back in 2015 with a broken bike with only 30km of the ride completed. So I had a score to settle in 2021. 2020 offered me plenty of time to train.

Hail Storm

Race prep started 8 months prior to the event: strength training, indoor and outdoor swimming, riding bikes, and lots of time on feet (both power hiking and running). I could go into detail, but most would probably find it boring. Suffice to say, it was a lot of hours of doing each. Lots of base work, but still putting in some speed sessions. 

The Race Details

Friday night, the organizers like you to camp out at Lake Tennyson as it doesn't require you to walk up early to drive out from Hanmer Springs for the 5:45 safety briefing. We ate an early dinner in town and grabbed the race pack and then drove out to the start. It was a blend of warm temps that dropped off considerably. The aftermath of a huge hail storm which left large mounds of hail on the ground that we had to drive through. Luckily we missed the hail storm as I'm sure it would have been an insurance claim just waiting to happen. Then a short, but intense thunder storm while we had started to set up camp. After the rain, we crawled out of the tent and we were treated to a double rainbow. I finish organizing my riding bag with all the mandatory gear and put my bike back in the car. My running gear is put into a different pack in order to make sure it gets to the second transition area. I then crawl into my sleeping bag and fall quickly asleep while listening to some music.

Swim exit

Race morning started before 5am. I wake up wheezy and not feeling that great. It might have been the dramatic shift in temperature. Don't typically eat breakfast before a morning swim, but I made some oats and tea. I had thought about eating after the swim, but didn't want to lose the time. The few people doing the long course gathered around for a briefing at 5:45. But, the briefing was given late and we got going around a quarter past 6. The water temp wasn't bad, but I never found a rhythm as I felt like I was breathing through a straw the entire swim as well as my goggles constantly fogging up. I also vomited my breakfast up around the 2nd turn. This evidently was a sign of things to come. I'm no stranger to doing it in a race when pushing hard but for endurance races my pace and effort are scaled back. I got out of the water last, but it was only minutes between the 3 of us. Yes it's a small group of nutters. If you do the race be ready for the race crew to give you a hard time. For anyone doing the swim version of the race, you'll be required to change completely into dry clothes. Kayakers only have to change anything that gets wet.

Bike course elevation

A quick change of clothes and I'm out for a chilly early morning ride that would evolve into a hot mess. I was still having wheezy breathing and I couldn't get my HR down. But I kept spinning up the first climb and put down some calories. They've had some work done on the trail since my 2015 attempt. Parts were smoother and less gigantic rocks. The direction of travel was changed for the first off shoot where I previously broke my bike, a broken derailleur hanger with no spare. Upon returning to the river crossing I moved into 2nd place and saw the only person doing the kayak version heading out on the first out and back. I started to see other racers appear, but they were doing one of the many other events as it's a big event weekend. I took a wrong turn at a junction when following another rider. We ended up going over a single person 3-cable bridge. Don't like them on a normal day. Let alone when trying to move your bike in front of you. The other racer yelled back once I was already on the bridge that he doesn't think we are on the right path, but he can see a trail marker up the river. I thought it would be easier to go forward rather than trying walk backwards with my bike. After getting off the bridge, I cycle along a narrow trail and then started up a steep climb and my left quad cramped and I fell over on my bike. This subsided after popping a couple tabs of quick-eze. Then when returning from the check-in hut, I saw a sign that I thought directed bikes back the way I had just came. A family of trampers recommended that I don't cross the swing bridge with my bike. So what is another river crossing? I take to the water and then a bush whack up a hill with my bike on my shoulder. Rejoin the race, but a marshal comes over to me and asks if I got lost. Explain to him what he happened and I continue on my way. Now the heat is unbearable. I'm drinking a lot, but I'm starting to cramp more frequently and it's when I start to apply any power, aka climbing hills and there are plenty left. So I push my bike up the hills and ride them down. I finish the ride after 8 hours and 8 liters of hydration, well longer than I had been training for, but my body was opposing my effort.

Mike, the only finisher

I saw 1st place, and subsequently the only finisher, on my descent into the homestead. He was out for his first of 3 laps. Transition was a long affair of changing and getting a couple pieces of fruit in me. I got the foam roller out to try to loosen up. I saw 3rd place roll in. We had a quick couple words before I tried to run. It starts with a river crossing and a bush whack across ankle turner terrain. Then follow underneath the power lines. This is where I start to cramp to the point I fall mid stride. I also start to vomit with any exertion above a slow walking pace. 3rd place catches up and we talk a bit. He said he felt like toast after 50km of the ride, but he still managed to run away from me. At this point I was tempted to turn back, but wanted to see the entire course. I pushed on. Albeit very slowly. Its not pretty.

Run course elevation

The medical guy on the course didn't seem to happy with me at the last check point, but said not to push and call it a day once I got back. Little did I know that a hill like Te White Firebreak awaited me only a short distance from the last aid station. I did 20m at most then almost pass out. My head was throbbing and dry heaving at this point as there was nothing left. This ascent really hurt, but I knew I was almost done. I took lots of pictures and got to see the only finisher finish his 2nd lap. I went to the admin tent and turned in my tracker and withdrew from the race. Will I try again? I don't know. I know if I do consider it, I'll be getting a sauna to heat train in.

Some of the hot run course

Cycling Recap

In February 2021, we cycled 3 trails and as they are fairly short, I figured I would just write a single entry rather than multiple posts. Partly because 2 of the trails merged into each other and I rode one in its entirety and part of the other on the first day and then finished the rest of the trail the next day. The other ride was only a couple hours long. The trails are as follows:

• Lake2Lake Trail 
• Location: Te Anau
• Grade: 2
• Distance: 19km
• Clutha Gold Trail
• Location: Lawrence
• Grade: 2
• Distance: 73km
• Roxburgh Gorge Trail
• Location: Alexandra
• Grade: 2
• Distance: 33km, but contains 12km jet boat ride

Lake2Lake Trail

This gravel trail is found Te Anau and heads out toward Lake Manapouri along the Waiau River. At some point when the trail is completed, it will finish there.  At the moment it is 19km long, one way, which is predominately on gravel with short stints on the road. Where the trail official ends at the moment, you have to turn around, but you can ride the road to Lake Manapouri and ride back to Te Anau via some quieter back roads from what I could gather.

The trail is easy to find and to follow. Prior to leaving Te Anau, stop by the Takahe and other bird enclosure. It is right off the trail, but worth a little wander around. Then as you continue along the trail don't be surprised if you see trampers as you can get to the Kepler trailhead from this trail. It would add several km to a 60km trail, but if you're walking that far, what is a few more, right? When we did the Kepler, we parked at the trailhead and proceeded to do two 30km days. This was after a long couple weeks of adventuring with the in-laws. We had tramped the Milford, Rakiura, and cycled the Otago Rail Trail before ending on the Kepler. I had entertained the idea of running the Routeburn on the rest day between the end of the Otago Rail Trail and Kepler, but my legs felt like they needed the rest. My feet hated me with 5km left of the Kepler. I don't think I would have made these extra few km if I even wanted to.

After passing the trailhead, there are picnic and camping areas along the trail. Don't get to complacent though, as there are warning signs on the trail that state that the river could rise quickly. So be cautious if there has been bad weather. The Waiau River is on your right on the way out and occasionally you can get close to it, but other times you can hardly see it. The trail has some short steep climbs/descents and even a short section where walking is asked for. This was a narrow section with a steep drop off. 

For the bulk of the ride we encountered nobody other than a few riders on our way back. They snuck up behind us and tried to pass without comment. Ninja bikers. Why can't riders be taught to signal their intent? Trying to pass up hill and then losing momentum and having to stop just past us. This wasn't a fun experience. Getting back to Te Anau, we went in search of food. Several of the places we've tried before have closed up shop as they have been quite impacted by COVID. I would like to ride more of this area and see what the trail is like when it is completed.

Clutha Gold Trail

For this trail, we spent the night in Lawrence and organized a shuttle the next morning to Roxburgh Dam, where we would be dropped off and then cycle back to Lawrence. We had entertained getting dropped off at Alexandra and then cycling the Roxburgh Gorge Trail with a short jet boat ride, but it was going to be a very expensive day if we had done that. So instead we opted to do a shorter shuttle and then stay in Alexandra to complete the Roxburgh Gorge Trail the following day. You might see that there is a $10 per day trail fee on some of the brochures or websites. You don't have to pay this as I talked to the lady at the iSite and she said that it couldn't be enforced and just said that they would gladly accept any donations to support the trails. I ended up paying for the trail passes, but you could also leave money in various donation boxes along the trail.

The 73km trail follows the Clutha Mata-au River and passes through several towns. These differ in terms of what they can offer, but the brochures list out what they have. You'll be able to find food and drinks in all of them and that is what mattered to us. The trail only has one significant climb, but the rest of the trail undulates. Its easy to get lost looking around at the landscape or the placards displaying historical information.  

It was a hot and dry day with very little cloud cover. There are a few sections of trail that are in amongst the trees, but for the most part plan on using lots of sunscreen. The ride is pretty straight forward with plenty of sign posts and distance markers. There were a few randomly placed toilets on the trail in case you get caught out needing to go outside of the many little towns.

The bad part of the ride, starts in the final section from Beaumont to Lawrence as the trail turns from the river. The trail now is next to the highway and you get to listen to the sound of traffic rather than the river. You also have to cross back and forth across it as I'm sure there was property issues with allowing trail formation and access. The Big Hill climb culminates with a train tunnel. Both are rather short in the grand scheme of things, but we had our bike lights so we were able to ride through without an issue. The descent after is fun and I got to witness two bulls challenging each other for supremacy. They proceeded to butt heads for several minutes without a clear victor before I tired and continued on riding. After arriving back in Lawrence, we loaded up the car and grabbed a quick couple things from the shops as we planned on riding early the next morning. Actually I planned on riding another 22km that evening. 

Roxburgh Gorge Trail

After completing the Clutha Gold Trail, we drove from Lawrence towards Alexandra, where we had booked a nights accommodation. We stopped again at the Roxburgh Dam, but this time on the West side of the river. Here is the start/finish of the Roxburgh Gorge Trail. This trail is in 2 sections and if you want to ride in its entirety you need to get a jet boat to shuttle you or do what I did and do 2 out and back rides. The jet boat covers 12km and needs to be booked in advance as it leaves on a schedule. At some point I hear the trail will be completed so you could ride it straight through. Until then you can decide how much cycling or money you want to spend on doing it. I believe we were quoted a couple hundred dollars for the jet boat. Instead I cycled an extra 20ish km. 

Roxburgh Dam to Shingle Creek Elevation (Return)

I had previously cycled the other section (Alexandra), so this section (Dam) was entirely new to me. It was also more difficult than the other section. The trail is very similar, but the elevation made it more of a challenge. It could also have been that I was close to having cycled 100km by the end of the day. B decided she had had enough cycling for the day and did a short walk on the track while I did an out and back. There were plenty of switchbacks to contend with and a couple gates that were keeping the cows penned in. I tried my best not to startle them, but they seemed like an excitable bunch. They decided to run down the path of least resistance, which just so happened to be the cycle trail. It was once they got to the other gate that they turned off the trail. I saw nobody else on the trail, but then again it was getting late in the day. After finishing the trail, we drove the rest of the way to Alexandra. 

Alexandra to Doctors Point  Elevation (Return)

The next morning, we woke up early to tackle the rest of the trail before check-out so we could get a shower before driving for the rest of the day. B and I drove to the trailhead to save some time, but the trail has several signs throughout the town. The trail starts next to some historic bridge footings and then follows the river until you come to the trail end 10km away. This is where you would grab the ferry down to the section I had done last night. I love riding this section with the steep gorge walls and barrenness. Its an easy ride, with very little elevation. However, there is a short section that you must walk your bike. I recall the last time I rode this section, I ended up riding up the section, but walking the descent. I would love to get to this region in the Autumn as the colors must be amazing. 

Doing the trail early meant that we didn't see anyone until we were almost back to Alexandra. It also meant that we got to see the sun come over the East side of the gorge. The sun quickly started to warm up the trail and it wasn't even 9am. I kept thinking that Jawas were going to jump out at us though. If you are in the area, I highly recommend this section of trail. 

Routeburn Great Walk

Routeburn Great Walk
Category: Great Walk
Weather: Rainy and fine
Location: Otago/Fiordland
Distance: 33km
Website: doc.govt.nz

Date: February 2021

This was my last New Zealand Great Walk to complete and it happens to be the shortest. However, I would say its probably has the most technical terrain. There are multiple sections of precarious rocks that have to be navigated and they are often very wet.  But I get ahead of myself. The track is a point-to-point and the track can be accessed from Te Anau or Queenstown after a short drive from either. There are different options as far as car relocation or shuttle services. If you trust someone else you can do a car swap as well. I heard there is a FaceBook group looking for people wanting to swap keys on the trail, but I've not confirmed this. We decided on just doing the track as an out and back. So we booked Mackenzie Hut for 2 nights and left our car at the Routeburn Shelter. We would walk to Mackenzie Hut from the Shelter then out to the Divide and back and then back to the Shelter over 3 days. This is different from the previous trip I had to miss out on with a sprained ankle from a climbing fall, where they only did it from the Shelter to the Divide and I picked them up from there.

Day 1 Elevation

The first day we left Queenstown prior to 7am for the drive out to the trailhead. The weather was predicted to turn in the afternoon and we wanted to try to avoid it if you we could. The original prediction of snow to 1200m improved to only 1600m, but still didn't feel like getting wet on the ridgeline. The weather ended up being rather moody on the first day. We had low moving clouds and generally overcast making it great for photos. So I spent a lot of time with my camera out taking all sorts of shots. We covered roughly 21km and 1050m of climbing in order to reach Mackenzie Hut. This hut is a bit of a tease, as you get to see it well before you are anywhere close to it. As you descend into the trees again, it disappears and the track becomes a long rock garden of wet, mossy rocks and roots. This portion took some careful navigation as you wouldn't want to twist an ankle or worse. At the end of this you pop out next to some large boulders in a clearing and the hut is just past these. 

To sum up the first day: It starts with a bridge and then it starts to climb gentle at first then steeper. Then the rocks come. Then a flattish section. Then a saddle and a rocky descent. Into a rocky hell. The hut taunts you well before you can call it a day though. I would rather not be able to see it until I'm on it to be honest. Seeing it from that far away is just mean.

We were welcomed to a barely warm hut as the fire wasn't being well tended. Of course, our resident pyro read that the firewood was out back and that you could replenish the internal supply. The previous fire tender thought we only had 2 logs to keep the hut dry, but that wasn't the case. She soon had more heat coming out of the burner and we set out our clothes to dry. This hut has 2 separate sleeping areas. We took bunks in the main building, but were accessed via a different door and staircase than the common room. The other sleeping area was a separate building behind the bathrooms. But not as far as the Ranger hut. And definitely not as far as the cold lake, which has nothing living in it. The ranger gave a very long evening talk and that little tidbit is in it, but he doesn't mention it to any fishers though. He did regale us with several entertaining stories and the history of the track. 

Day 2 Elevation

I guess I should note that we passed 2 other huts and an emergency shelter prior to arriving to Mackenzie Hut and that there are designated camping areas. Since we were on limited time, we decided to make a bigger push than to stay at either of the other huts. We did stop by each of them and if I had to stay at either, I would pick the Falls as it has a series of waterfalls to go look at. 

Day 2 was a rainy affair, as well as our longest. Since we were staying at the same hut that night, we decided on only taking our running vests for the day. Each was loaded with additional layers, hat & gloves, a first aid kit, bivy bag, food, water, and a PLB. This allowed us to move quicker over the 24km as we wouldn't be weighed down with the gear we could leave for the day. We started out dry, but that only lasted about 5 minutes as we had a little river running across the track. Our shoes got soaked, but that is why I wear wool socks on days like this. This was to be repeated a lot over the day, as the rain was unrelenting and it would run off the walls and across the track in many places. There were many waterfalls along the track, but Earland Falls is probably the most famous. We got very cold faces from the wind and spray as you walk very close to the bottom of these falls. 

Track maintenance, is serious business

Before the steep descent into the Shelter we separated as Beth didn't feel like doing it as she had already done it before. So I set off at a quicker pace passing a group of guided walkers on their way up and out to Lake Mackenzie. After a quick stop at the Divide, where I took off my rain pants, I started back up the steep section. I ended up passing the same group of guided walkers, where they gave me a puzzled look. Some even questioned if I was the same guy they just saw going the other direction. I said "Yes" and sometimes I had to explain the reason to our madness. They mainly just shook their heads at me. I guess doing 66km in 3 days sounds kind of silly especially when you could pay to have your car relocated or be dropped off.

Day 3 Elevation

The final day was Mackenzie Hut back to the Routeburn Shelter. We woke up early as you typically do in a hut. What we didn't expect was to see a headtorch coming down from the ridgeline into the trees and the sketchy rocky section at roughly 6:15. We were all guessing that it was the car relocation company with multiple relocations in a day so they had to start early. We never did see who it was as they didn't stop by the hut and we didn't see them on our way up. On the climb we started to warm up as it was around freezing when we started. Once we got to the ridgeline, the sun was warming up the valley and the clouds were quickly retreating back to the cooler areas. 

At 9:38 am, we came across our first, single day runner. Don't know when he started, but it had to be bloody early. It wasn't until we got to the emergency shelter at Conical Hill that we saw our first trampers coming up from Routeburn Falls Hut. As it was already going to be a long day, we opted not to do the additional Conical Hill track. It would have been another 1-2 hour return in order to do it. Instead we we spent some extra time taking photos of Lake Harris and chatting with some of the people coming up. They were quick to give encouragement and tell you how far they think you are from the next hut. The day kept getting warmer and warmer and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. There isn't a lot of shade from the ridgeline until you pass Routeburn Falls Hut, but after that you get some good cover. We stopped by Routeburn Flats Hut and had a nosey. It was about this time, that one of the car relocation guys caught up to us. It was only his 2nd time having to walk the trail. We were also passed by 4 runners heading out to the Divide. He said he wanted to be as quick as them as they'll probably finish in 4-5 hours. On this descent, my ankle started to get very angry at me. It might have been the close to a 115km week I just had or all the janky rocks for the last 3 days, but I just had to grit my teeth and push on. I could regale you of tales of how I injured by ankle years ago and continued to play through. Only to be told by Doctors later that I actually repeatedly broke my ankle and that the x-rays show the history of my jacked up ankle. Anyway, the track ended with us taking the nature walk loop instead of the trail we took on the way out. There was a deceptive amount of climbing that way. With my ankle feeling like crap, I wouldn't recommend it. 

Paparoa Great Walk

Paparoa Great Walk

Date: February 2021
Category: Great Walk
Weather: Fine
Location: Paparoa National Park
Distance: 55.7km

Website: DOC

Local Shuttle and Camping Service

The recently opened 10th New Zealand Great Walk, is a dual purpose, meant for mountain biking and trampers, track that runs 55km from Blackball to Punakaiki. It is open year round for both. This might be a little jab at Heaphy which historically only allows riding for part of the year. I know they had trialed a longer window, but don't recall what came of it. It being the West Coast expect some wild weather. Had a mate do it in December and it was pissing rain the entire time. Right before we did it, there was a slip that required digger maintenance. We had fine weather for the entire track and only after  we started heading South did the rain start coming down. Without the rain, you wouldn't get the dense green moss monsters.

Logistically this tramp requires a little bit of thought as it is a point-to-point. Some of the riders we encountered chose to do an out-and-back ride over a couple days. Some did it in a single day, but used either a shuttle or got dropped off by friends/family. We opted to camp the night prior to starting in Punakaiki and then got shuttled over to Blackball. Jeb from PaparoaGreatWalk.co.nz gave us a lot of information on the ride over. It was part of a package deal of lodging, shuttling, and car storage. We had a short stop in Blackball to use the restroom and hit up some of the local shops before heading up the hill to Smoke-ho Carpark. The toilet situation up there were a couple of port-a-loos. So go in the serviced ones in town to spare yourself.

The track has proven very popular and securing hut spots for trampers was a bit tricky. Moonlight Tops Hut is the favorite stop over for riders doing it over 2 days, which means its booked until Winter. Not being able to get a spot there, meant we skipped that hut and gave us a long 2nd day. Day 1, our itinerary was Smoke-ho to Ces Clark Hut (according to GPS watch was 11.57km over 3:39). The initial track has a couple historic spots that you can stop and explore. These are the historic hotel sites as well as Garden Gully. If you like 3 wire bridges this is for you. I opted not to go and see it. After taking my bike across one the month before I'm good for awhile.

Day 1 Elevation

In the Ces Clark Hut, you can read about the history of hut, which is a bit sad. The hut design requires you to bring some ear plugs and a sleeping mask. It is one giant room with 2 sleeping areas around the kitchen area. There is a small coat room which has a couple solar powered outlets. So if you need to charge your USB devices bring a cable. We had a couple of load snorers and one guy with a stupid bright bike light that kept shining it in our faces while we were trying to sleep and he was rummaging through his bags. The hut etiquette seemed to be lacking on this trip. Lots of shoes worn in the hut, bags left on tables and benches, and leaving doors open when trying to leave them closed to prevent lots of sandflies inside.  The hut was slightly modified when the historic track was elevated to Great Walk status. There is a new deck with an egress window out on to it that requires a rather large step in order to do so. The solar power was added as well. The Croesus Track, which hasn't had any alterations to it yet, starts from Smoke-ho and its a pretty unrelenting climb of 700+ meters to the hut. Once you get on the ridgeline past here you get on the purpose built track. For those so inclined, there is mobile reception at this hut and for a good stretch up the ridgeline on the 2nd day.

Day 2 Elevation

The next day we pushed from Ces Clark to Pororari Hut (28.8km) with only a short pause at Moonlight Tops to use the restroom and top up water. The view from Moonlight was pretty cool and I heard you could get mobile service, but can't verify it. After leaving Moonlight the next chance for water or a toilet is 19.1km away and much of the track is very exposed. I saw more toilets on shorter tracks like Routeburn and the Tongario Alpine Crossing than I did here. It would probably help if DOC put 1 or 2 on this stretch. It was a little strange to look down from the huts and ridgeline and see cars and farms. It can be remote, but not always. Guess that explains why you could get service out here.

We covered the 16.7 from Pororari Hut to the end in under 4 hours. It was predominately downhill for the entire duration. However, just before the end the bikes and trampers become separated for the first time. This section of the trail goes down close to the river and it was our first time seeing a flight stairs on the entire trail. Lets just say our legs weren't expecting this and there might have been some groaning. The trail ends right across the street from the campground that we had previously stayed at and where our car was waiting for us. We we able to shower and re-pack our bags prior to leaving as we were planning on one day off the trail and diving right back with a Routeburn double.

Day 3 Elevation

Putangirua Pinnacles

Putangirua Pinnacles
Date: February 2020
Category: Day Walk
Weather: Fine
Location: Wairarapa
Distance: 2-4 hr round trip according to DOC, distance from my watch 5.58km
Website: doc.govt.nz

The Putangirua Pinnacles are an easy day trip from Wellington. You should stop by The Land Girl on your way and get a custard cronut or brownie base caramel slice. Or stop at one of the cafes in Featherston. We stopped on our way back after doing the walk. Its a good way to break up the drive prior to heading over the hill back in  Upper Hutt.

The directions according to Google Maps will have you trying to park at the wrong place. Look for the Putangirua Pinnacles Scenic Reserve which is just past Te Kopi Homestead. There is ample parking and a couple restrooms in the scenic reserve.

The initial walk is up the river bed. A short way up you'll have the option of taking the Ridge Track, which has a lookout, or the Stream Bed. We took the Stream Bed up and returned via the Ridge Track. Going up the Stream track there are loose rocks and ample orange triangles. Nothing challenging here. Make sure you look around as the landscape is rather stunning.

Returning we opted to see the lookout and return via the Ridge Track. Our previous attempt we tried to walk out this way in the pouring rain. The track can get really slick in bad weather so be warned. The lookout track climbs rather steeply from the river bed, but the view is worth it. You don't realize how many pinnacles are.