Kauri Run Turns 10

Kauri Run Turns 10

When almost 300 runners from five countries line up in the Coromandel on Saturday for the 10th Great Cranleigh Kauri Run, they’ll be achieving far more than good health and personal goals. For every competitor who lines up for the race across the Coromandel Peninsula’s Central Divide, this unique event quite literally plants a new Kauri tree.

In the 10 years since it was founded by Coromandel event organisers Keith Stephenson and Andy Reid, the Great Cranleigh Kauri Run has planted more than 2500 Kauri seedlings. This weekend the Kauri population will increase by almost 300 more.

Starting at Waikawau Beach on the rugged Pacific Coast, the Great Cranleigh Kauri Run traverses the Coromandel ranges to finish at Coromandel Township on the Hauraki Gulf. Along the way competitors experience 32km of native bush, stream crossing and over 800 vertical metres of climbing. Much of the course is on private land, which means competitors get to see parts of the Coromandel not typically open to the public.

Course records for this scenic but savage challenge belong to Galatea’s Sjors Corporaal (2:25.35, 2009) and Australian Hanny Allston (2:42.11, 2008). Favourites for 2013 include Christchurch’s Vajin Armstrong, Whakatane’s Chris Morrissey and Rotorua’s Colin Earwaker. Armstrong is the defending champion, while Morrissey won the 2011 event. But Earwaker is a Kauri Run legend.

The 54 year old was the first winner of the Great Cranleigh Kauri Run back in 2004, and is the only person to have completed all 10 editions since. But even more impressively, he has only finished outside the top five only once, including a strong second place last year.

While the traditional 32k Classic is the feature event, in recent years organisers have introduced options over 13k, 23k and even 70k.

“We wanted the event to be more inclusive across all types of runners and walkers,” says event organiser Andy Reid. “The 13k Kauri Crossing is a great intro to trail running and the 23k Kauri Demi-Marathon is a good step up to completing the 32k Kauri Classic.”

As keen endurance athletes themselves, Reid and Stephenson have a soft spot for the 70k Kauri Ultra. “It’s like the ultimate test,” says Reid.”

Introduced in 2011, the 70k ultra starts from Fletcher Bay at the top of Coromandel Peninsula and takes the Northern Coromandel Walkway down through Three Stones Bay to Waikawau Beach where they join the normal 32k Kauri Run for the remainder of their journey.

Eighteen hardy souls will line up for this year’s 70k Kauri Ultra. Favourite is defending champion, Kerry Suter. But the Cambridge runner will need to be wary of women’s favourite, Lesley Turner-Hall. The Aucklander is a well performed marathon runner and was second woman in last year’s 32k Kauri Classic, but many consider her a potential ultra star capable of winning the race outright.

Other features at the Great Cranleigh Kauri Run include the 13k Cranleigh Team Challenge where entrants from the same corporate and community organisations have their average time totalled to give a team time, the fastest of which will be the winner.

The Great Cranleigh Kauri Run is the second of Adventure Racing Coromandel’s popular summer events, which include November’s Cranleigh K2 Cycle Classic and the ARC Adventure Race on March 15-16. Their events benefit the Spirit of Coromandel Trust, which provides opportunities for young people to experience the outdoors.

For further details visit www.arcevents.co.nz.

ENDS

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