Three Old Geezers & an Old Boiler - Shotover Moonlight 30k

After doing the Shotover Moonlight 30km in 2019 I managed to convince a couple of old mates to come out of running retirement for the 2020 version.  Kate (my wife) had been at the finish line in 2019 supporting me and was so enthused that there was no way she was missing out even though she would be walking it.

The Old Boiler: Kate, my wife. Climbed a lot of mountains in her 40s but was retired from running by her orthopaedic surgeon due to cartilage degeneration in her knee.  Look after your knees people!   

The Old Geezers: Trev, Lewis and Me (Mike)

Trev’s last running event was The Goat 2013 and prior to that the Rotorua Marathon 1993. He finished both ahead of me (I haven’t forgotten).  Back in the day, used to go very fast downhill on a MTB before they had any suspension and now goes even faster. Lew, had speed to burn back in the 90s but these days spends most of time trying (unsuccessfully) to keep up with his teenage son on the MTB. I managed to knock out a couple of Ironmans back in the 90s, now walk and run in the hills in the Queenstown/Arrowtown area.

The lads flew in Thursday afternoon and we all headed to Altitude Brewing for the pre-event get together. There was a good crowd and great atmosphere there and we got chatting to a group from Newcastle, Australia. Jane was rather concerned about some of the bluffs and ridges she had heard about but I was quick to assure her that she would be fine. If it hadn’t been for the upcoming run we would probably have enjoyed quite a lot more of the very fine sponsor’s product that was on offer. 

By Friday nerves were building, particularly as both Trev and Lew had had calf issues in their build ups and had been concerned about not making the start line, and holding together if they did.  Are there any runners in their 50’s who haven’t had calf issues?  We set our clocks for 5am, forced down some breakfast and made last minute adjustments to our gear, then set off for Moke Lake and then the bus trip to the start line in Skippers Canyon. The trip along Skippers Rd is an experience in itself with sheer drop offs and amazing rock formations and it gives you a good taste of the country you are about to cover. We got in a final bit of fuel, walked across the old bungy bridge and down to the start line beside the Shotover River where we provided a tasty snack for the local sandflies. We gave Kate a big hug and said goodbye.

The old geezers cruised up the first hill together, then Trev dropped back a little. He looks good and Lew is looking incredibly comfortable. Lew and I stay together until the second steep uphill at about 4km where he just seemed to disappear into thin air. We had been chatting with another very friendly Australian (why aren’t their cricketers as friendly as their trail runners?) and he said Lew didn’t seem to slow at all for the hill. Then we are onto the famous single track that has the most amazing views, but do you look at your foot placement or the views? A mistake here could be fatal. Then down into the beech forest, and up again to the 14km aid station at Moonlight Lodge.

Time for a quick graze and I wonder how is Kate going? From the lodge, it’s straight up onto the spectacular ridgeline you see in the photos; I do my best impersonation of someone running for the photographer. It is now getting hot and we are into another long hill climb that leads to the descent to the confluence of the Shotover and Moonlight rivers and the stock bridge. Once over the bridge there is the infamous ‘Grim Reaper’ hill climb. This was tough 2 years ago and it hasn’t got any easier! I’m now moving very slow and the thought enters my head, how far back is Trev, will he catch me here? Finally, I’m at the Sefferstown aid station and receive words of encouragement from a group of ladies doing the 21km, along with a big drink of Coke.

Pic: Photos4Sale

Pic: Photos4Sale

Up the last bit of the hill and onto the downhill to Moke Creek. The last six km with many creek crossings was a battle, a guy of about my vintage passed me and there was nothing I could do, then two km from the finish he was cramping and moving slowly so I summoned up some energy to pass him.  I  managed to run km 28t in under six minutes. At the finish line I was greeted by Lew with a huge smile on his face.

Pic: Photos4Sale

But where was Trevor? Trev suffered from cramp from about 13km and was out there longer than we expected. Iit was a nervy wait for Lew and I, we were very happy when he came into sight. While we waited for Kate to finish we enjoyed a few beers as we chatted to new friends we had made during the day,  the trail running community is so friendly. Trev and Lew both agreed “that is it for running now” and they would get back on their bikes. Kate finished with a time of 8:14 with a few tears and then a big smile and it was home to a big feed of chilli con carne that Kate had cooked the day before. There was talk of mojitos at Arrowtown’s Blue Door and partying like it is 1993……but this never eventuated as I had fallen a sleep on the couch before 10 o'clock.

Kate nears the finish line, cheered on by the Old Geezers

Kate: Had a great day and was able to stick to her targeted average moving pace and finish ahead of a few runners.

Trev: Suffered from cramps after falling in a hole just before Moonlight Lodge and then more cramps for the rest of the day after the Ridgeline. But Trev is one tough customer and made it to the finish line when many wouldn’t have. “Shit, one downhill/flat km took me 15 minutes!”. He came in 3rd in the 60 – 69 age group.

Lew: Fell six times (I told him to buy some trail shoes) but loved every minute of it and had a fantastic day, except for the last 6km. He came in 3rd in the 50 -59 age group and 13th overall.

Mike: This is the best run I have ever done so of course I loved it. 15 minutes slower than last year I’m putting that down to being a year older. I came in 6th in the 50 – 59 age group and 37th overall.

Here are a couple of quotes from the boys at the airport. Trev:  “I might have to come back and do it without the pain, oh there will be pain, I mean without the cramp”. Lew:  “yeah, I might have to come back and go under four hours”.  Kate: ‘That was a great experience but not one I need to repeat!”.

It’s definitely one out of the box. We could not recommend it more highly. Thanks to the Foster family for allowing us to experience this beautiful piece of Aotearoa and to all the organisers and volunteers for making it such a great event.

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Have you run at the Shotover Moonlight event? If so, we'd love to get a short review from you on our Partner Events page (it only needs to be a few words, not a whole race report!). Your comments will be really helpful to ther Wild Things looking to follow in your footsteps in future years. Thanks.