MCL Triple Peaks 2020

On the 7th of March I had the pleasure of competing in the MCL Triple Peaks solo 55km, having won an entry through the Wild Things VIP giveaway bonanza-palooza (#itpaystobeVIP). My better half decided to come and make a weekend out of it, so she roped in some friends and entered a team into the relay run, with us staying with some other friends in Napier. 

I was coming into the race feeling a bit underprepared and a bit fatigued, having done an S-K Main Range, Shotover Moonlight Marathon, and Tongariro Northern Circuit tramp in the month prior. The other reason we were a bit unprepared is that we were cutting the 7:35am starting time quite fine and they started the race early – as we were walking across the domain towards the start line. Oops… 

With the late (only like half a minute probably) start, panic set in a bit and I was in a bit of a rush to get through the field, so probably cooked myself a bit more than I should have heading up the hill to Mt Erin. This initially followed a sealed road, which then gave way to mostly farm track with one particular area that got a bit technical through the cow-rutted marshy ground. This is where I tried to pass the first of the bikers and in my exuberance to jump around him, I promptly slipped and got rather muddy at basically the only opportunity to get muddy on a fairly dry track. 

The downhill from Mt Erin was fast and flowy, down the farm tracks and across the paddocks. I was initially a bit worried about cyclists zooming down the hill and causing mayhem, but found everyone was courteous giving warning and had no issues.

Crossing the Tukituki River and reaching the transition point, the relay crew weren’t there yet, so I had to do without my refill of Tailwind for the next 22km leg (doh!). We had discussed the night before at dinner at Pipi Cafe whether they needed to get there at 8:45 or 9:00… should have chosen the earlier time. Either that or I should have probably eased up a bit on Mt Erin to save my legs for later on in the race. I came through this first checkpoint in 5th place overall.

Heading up Mt Kahuranaki I was still feeling good and was doing the 7-11 walk/run method that Bronco Billy had taught when he did a group run and Q&A at Further Faster last year. Had some good banter with the cyclists that I was cruising past, as well as a few of the runners who were justifiably frustrated at almost reaching me during my 7-breath walk, before I surged away on the 11-breath run. The repetition of this cycle on the endless windy track up to the summit was great fun – although once it flattened out up the top and on the downhill, I was fairly soon caught and passed. This downhill is where I started really missing the Tailwind – as the calf cramp started up. I was stopping at each gate for a quick stretch out before carrying on to the next one.

I got back down to the transition point in 7th overall, and hurriedly gulped down my much needed Tailwind and filled up my flasks for the final leg. The next 5-6 km on fairly flat trails and road beside the Tukituki River should have been so much faster than they were… but alas the cramp was hampering my ability to run at anything above a shuffle. I was therefore very glad when the climb up to Te Mata peak started in earnest and I could legitimately walk up the hill. The 7-11’s were far from my mind for this climb! Again some good chats with runners and cyclists, as well as one cyclist who broke his derailleur and was a walker on the uphill and a cyclist on the downhill – good effort! 

By the run down from Te Mata, the Tailwind had done its magic and I could run fairly freely and cramp-free. I know it may be a placebo as a cramp-fix, but if it works for me who really cares? This part of the trail was great, with some nice single track and in shade, which was great because it had finally started to heat up after a blessedly cool morning. I crossed the finish line in 5:59, in 8th place overall and was pretty happy with the result.

The volunteers all around the course and race organisation were great – I would heartily recommend to anyone looking for a good run or bike. The icing on the cake was during the spot prize draw my wife won a voucher to Pipi Café – so we returned for dinner for the second night in a row and sampled even more of the great menu!

Thank you Wild Things and MCL Triple Peaks for the free entry - #itpaystobeVIP!!

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