Half Marathon news
Brooks Off Road Half Marathon Media #3
5 July 2010
By Nick Reader
Record entries for Brooks Off Road Half Marathon
This Sunday at least 460 runners and walkers will line up on the start line to take on the Brooks Off Road Half Marathon held near Taupo. The event began in 2009 with a strong showing of 450 participants who described the event as tough, but enjoyable and like an old school cross country race. Organiser Nick Reader expects to see at least 500 on the start line and maybe up to 600 depending on the weather.
And with an almost complete change of course for 2010, participants will take on a fresh challenge with mainly forest trails dominating the 10km and 21.1km course. The course is a mixture of machine built, hand built and existing forest trails that make up the Tauhara forest. Epic Events staff have created a really fun course over the last month by adapting the course used for the Leatt Crank Taupo mountain bike event that took place in May. The course profile is undulating (a nice word for hilly) and includes fantastic views from the North side of Mount Tauhara.
There are options to run or walk the Smiths Sports Shoes 10km or full Brooks 21.1 km so most people should find a suitable distance and pace. Organisers expect that some participants will change their course option mid race depending on how they feel at the splitting point of the 10km and 21km. And while the event is a timed race, the main theme of the day is participation and personal challenge, not a race against the clock.
Half Marathon walkers are away at 9am with all other competitors taking off at 10am. Entries are still available at the normal fees up until Wednesday night. Entries are taken on the day, but incur a $10 late fee.
The Brooks is the first in the 3 event series of Taupo Half marathons called the 63.3 which proved very popular in 2009 and looks to grow even bigger in 2010.
Mount Tauhara Half Marathon media 2.
3 June 2010
By Nick Reader
Entries open for Brooks Half Marathon
In just over 5 weeks the Brooks Off Road Half Marathon enters into it’s second year, after a fantastic start up event in July 2009. The 2010 date is Sunday 11 July. Entries are now open at www.epicevents.co.nz
The Brooks event was the first ever Off road half marathon run in Taupo and attracted a great field of 445 runners and walkers. Local endurance athlete Cam Durno took top male honours and Annika Smail led the woman home in the Half Marathon run.
The event is based on Mount Tauhara and includes farmland, pine and douglas fir forest tracks and great views. The 2009 event was described as a reasonably tough ‘old school cross country’ course. The course is brand new for 2010 and includes a lot of the tracks made for the Leatt Crank Taupo mountain bike event run by Epic Events 22 May 2010. Runners and walkers will go on an adventure into the Tauhara Forest located on the North and East side of Mount Tauhara. A course map is available at www.epicevents.co.nz
There are some fantastic views available from certain points on the course. Elevation is rolling with the event starting at 500 metres above sea level, dipping down to 425 metres with the highest point being 640 meters high.
Entrants can either walk or run 10km or 21.1 km so there is a distance and pace that will suit everyone. Accurate distance markers every 1km will help participants judge their progress and speed and accurate transponder timing will ensure all finish times are right on the mark. 3 drinks stations will revive and refresh participants along their journey.
The event is 1/3rd of the Taupo 63.3 series of 3 half marathons organized by www.eventscapital.co.nz which was also super successful in year one. Every person who completes all 3 half marathons receives a branded performance T shirt and goes into the draw to win a major prize. See www.633.co.nz for details.
Entry fees are $35 for 10km and $45 for the Half Marathon, but late fees do apply so make sure you enter at least one week prior to the event. There are options to enter on line or you may print off a paper entry form to post in.
So if you have not already done so, now is the time to commit to a challenging and enjoyable mid winter run or walk in Taupo – the events capital of NZ. Or if you are super keen, take on the entire 63.3 series.
Note that there is an opportunity to register and pick up transponders on Saturday from 4pm-8pm at Smiths Sports Shoes in Taupo.
8 May 2010
Brooks Off Road Half marathon news
The Taupo Off Road Half Marathon course has been altered from 2009. The course is a made up of a fantastic mix of farmland and pine forest on the North and East side of Mount Tauhara. The course will not be around the base of Mount Tauhara, but will still have great trails and fantastic views.
26 March 2010
Mount Tauhara Half Marathon media 1.
By Nick Reader
Date set for Mountain Half Marathon
As we say goodbye to summer, it is time to write something on your wallplanner/diary /fridge that will keep you fit and active this winter. That something is the BROOKS Off Road Half Marathon in Taupo. The date is confirmed as Sunday 11 July 2010.
The event was first run in July 2009 and attracted a great field of 445 runners and walkers. Cam Durno and Annika Smail took the overall wins in the male and female categories. The event is based on Mount Tauhara and includes farmland, pine forest tracks and great views. Entrants can either walk or run 10.5 or 21.1 km so there is a distance and pace that will suit everyone.
The event is 1/3rd of the Taupo 63.3 series of 3 half marathons organized by www.eventscapital.co.nz which was also super successful in year one. Every person who completed all 3 half marathons received a branded thermal baselayer top and went into the draw to win a weekend for 2 at the Chateau Tongariro. See www.633.co.nz for details.
There are some course changes planned for 2010 which will include lots more forestry tracks similar to the section called ‘Pine Gulley’ used in 2009 and a little less farm. Epic Events is also running a mountain bike event on the side of Mount Tauhara 22 May called Crank Taupo. Some of the new pine forest single tracks built for the mountain bike race will also be used for the Half Marathon.
So write 11 July down now and commit to a challenging and enjoyable mid winter run or walk in Taupo. Or if you are super keen, take on the 63.3 series.
RESULTS 2009
Brooks Off Road Half Marathon
12 July 2009
Event report
Report date 22 July 2009
445 runners and walkers set off at 10:40am on the 12th of July on a mission to circumnavigate Mount Tauhara.
The event was the first ever Brooks Off Road Half marathon in Taupo.
It was a super cold day with wind gusts of up to 70km per hour. This added an edge to an already challenging course. In fact the winds were so high the organizers were considering converting to a farm only course to avoid the chance of falling trees in the forest sections!
The bang of a shot gun start sent the runners and walkers on their way climbing up to the steepest part of the course - the quarry saddle all against the strong head wind. 44 minutes later we heard that the first runner had reached the half way point near the Taupo/Napier road.
First home was Taupo local man Cam Durno in a time of 1:28:19. Cam is a top athlete known for his Coast to Coast, XTERRA and Ironman successes. First female was Annika Smail in a time of 1:37:16. Annika is better known a top mountain biker, but she proved herself as a very handy runner also.
The course was best described as ‘old school cross country', tough, but enjoyable with heaps of variety. There was a mix of farm and forest land with some challenging hills. The cloud obscured some of the views normally on offer, but there were still some great mountain views.
The statistics reveal a very even split between Woman and Men with Woman just coming out on top of participation. 29% of entrants chose to walk, which meant most took on the challenge of the run (but there were definitely a few runners walking a few hills). Masters Woman was the biggest entry category with 27%. Taupo residents lead the way with 54% of participants, followed by Auckland, Hamilton and Rotorua at about 7% each.
Event Director Nick Reader of Epic Events said it was a great start for this event and the highlight was seeing the huge range of ages, genders and fitness levels taking on the challenge.
The Brooks event will now be an annual event with numbers predicted to double in 2010.
And remember that the Brooks Half is the first of a series of 3 Half Marathons in Taupo called the 63.3 People who complete all 3 Half Marathons in Taupo this winter will all recieve a long sleeve base layer and also go in to the draw to win a weekend for 2 at the Bayview Chateau Tongariro. Go to www.63.3.co.nz for details.
ends