7in7 runners above Luxmore Hut

Finally, almost 3 days after completing the ultimate leg of this year’s 7in7 Challenge I have found the time, space and energy to write up a more detailed report about a memorable day…..

It dawned clear and hot, just like the previous six in the unseasonal heat wave that characterised (and almost killed) this year’s 7in7. As I’m not someone who deals well with heat (see Day 2 report for further evidence!) this had me a little worried. The alarm had gone off at an ungodly 4.15am (so much for getting more sleep this year – hah!) and I stuffed my tired body into running clothes for one last time. Preparations by this stage of the week were slick and routine – I could (and just about did) do them with my eyes closed. Porridge with All Good bananas, slap on the chafing cream and sun block, select food for the day and we were off to the start line.

Altogether, 28 runners at this year’s Kepler Challenge were running as part of ‘Team 7in7′, distinguishable by their white All Good running caps that had been thoughtfully provided by our sponsor and that had given me so much valuable protection from the burning sun all week long. In our group that started at the back of the pack of 400 runners there were a dozen of us who had all decided to run together, taking our time rather than racing. Curiously enough, after 60+ hrs and 310 kms of running over the previous six days, I wasn’t really in the mood for racing!

The gun went at 6am sharp and we set off in high spirits along the gently undulating track towards Brod Bay, the first checkpoint. From here the legendary 1,300m ascent to the tops begins. I was feeling strong as we power-walked our way towards the bushline, occasionally even breaking into a jog if the gradient permitted. After an hour or so of steady climbing we hit the open ridge and the vistas that make this the iconic race that it is opened up, blowing the minds of those in our party who hadn’t seen them before. What a place it is to be running – any tiredness or pain seems to evaporate and is replaced with an almost surreal sense of wellbeing.

We reached Luxmore Hut in just over two hours, went through gear check and continued climbing higher on the ridge. The spirits of our group continued to soar with the altitude and we were trucking along at a nice steady pace, snapping a few photos and enjoying one another’s company as well as the surroundings. For the third time in a week a few snowballs were flying as we traversed a small patch of snow on the track. By now we had passed a few of the slower runners in the field too.

After a couple of hours of the most stunning ridge-line running it was time for the knee-jerking descent to Iris Burn. Previous experience (and mistakes) have taught me to take it easy on this section, so were cautious in our approach. Iris Burn hut was reached after an hour of non-stop downhill running and as usual the volunteers there were dressed for Xmas, with Rudolf and friends handy out much-needed sustenance to tired runners who were realising that after almost 5 hours effort they were still not quite half way through.

At finish with Steve Norris (Kepler Race Director), Beinn & Sally

I knew the next section would be a test of body and mind. This is when I’d find out just how much the last 6 days had taken from me and how well I had managed to recover from the rigours of back -country running in searing heat. My feet had started to ache but fortunately my legs, although rather stiff and heavy, still felt as though they had something to give. From Iris Burn to the finish is mostly gently undulating track on beautiful single track through beech forest – the ultimate trail-running surface. And apart from a few small sections where the track breaks clear of the trees there was much needed shade most of the way. So all was good as the 7in7 pack made steady progress towards its ultimate goal.

We passed the 40 km mark still rolling along well, but shortly afterwards I had my first (and as it turned out, only) slump of the day. I had been expecting this to happen at around this point as was prepared with a teaspoon of concrete to harden myself up with! Actually, I just made sure I kept piling in the fuel and worked on keeping my thoughts positive. It’s in times like these that memories of my brother Alan really provide motivation to keep going. I remember when he was fighting leukaemia he often had severe leg pains. I was feeling something similar but knew my pain would pass, I just had to tough it out.

And sure enough things came right after about half an hour and now I was being driven on by the support of the friends around me and the thought of my son Beinn waiting at Rainbow Reach to join me for the final 10 kms. This is the final checkpoint on the run and we got there in just over 8 hrs – almost an hour quicker than last year. We clearly had a good chance of breaking 10 hours and so we didn’t muck about. Putting Beinn’s 13-year old fresh legs out in front to set the pace we continued or steady pace towards the finish and the welcoming crowd of supporters that we knew were waiting. Perhaps I was giving this too much thought, or perhaps I was more tired than I realised, but twice in the space of 5 minutes, almost within smelling distance of the end, I tripped and fell. The second time gave me a heavy bruise on the hip (now a lovely deep shade of purple and getting bigger by the day) and sliced the top of my index finger open – nothing like a bit of blood to paint a heroic picture eh!                                                                                                                                                                 

The celebrations begin!

Then we could hear music and Noel the MC announcing runners as they crossed the line…. the 2 kms to go mark… the 1 km to go mark… around the final bend and onto the control gates dam… there was Sally waiting with arms open wide to welcome me and a huge crowd of well-wishers cheering. We crossed the line in just under 9½ hours (almost 40 mins quicker than last year), exhausted but elated.

Another epic week of running for a cause dear to my heart was over. Now for the celebrations…. they weren’t as raucous as hinted at in the previous blog but it was a very happy gathering of a wonderful group of people – people with a passion for life, with caring hearts and a generous spirit – the kind of people that make life special and restore our oft-challenged belief in the goodness of the human race.

To all those hundreds of people who ran, supported and cheered me on – you are far too many to name in person – a billion thanks.

At the time of writing we are just a few thousand dollars short of bringing the 7in7 Challenge fundraising total over the past two years to $250,000. Thanks to the thousands who have donated. And yes, the fundraising site is still open – please just click here if you’d like to help us crack the quarter million.

More reflections and more photos to follow, but my brain is feeling scrambled and we need to hit the road – it’s a long drive back to Auckland from the deep south! THANKS again for all your support.

Mal

All done. A fantastic day, exceeded all expectations – the team came in about 1/2 an hour faster than expected (that’s a first!)……but that was a little slower than one 7in7 runner – Kristian Day who, having done days 4 & 5 knocked his first Kepler off in an astonishing 6:16, some 3 hrs ahead of the rest of us!  After a good soak in the lake and champagne the team has headed off to the Moose Bar.  Mal will send out a full report when he gets over the hangover!

54km, only 2km longer than expected today, and a little over 10 hours.

Woke up before the alarm yet again feeling very under cooked on the sleep front.  The bod was a little stiff and sore but I was still looking forward to the day.  How could you not when it was a cloudless morning and the day was to start with a boat trip across Lake Wakatipu to the start of the Greenstone track.

We had a smaller group today, just the 5 boys, and they were all raring to go!  The run up the Greenstone was great but then the track got rough and tough as we climbed up over the saddle into the Mavora valley.  It didn’t look like anyone had been over the track for some time as it was pretty overgrown.  Once we got out of the bush it was hard going.  The track kept changing underfoot with ups and downs and lots of little creeks to cross so it was tough to get a rhythm going.

With about 15km to go Jayson sprained an ankle but luckily we had the Doc (Andrew McLeod) on board with us again today so he strapped it up and administered pain killers and Jayson was up and running again.  I offered Jays my own advice – a teaspoon of concrete (to harden up) but I was glad the Doc had something a little more scientific to offer!

We hit the lake with 10km to go and could see our final destination but again we were out in the open and it was a long haul down the lake edge.  I thought we would go back into the trees to get some relief from the sun but the track kept going back down to the lake and at times it got really soft under foot.

Today was harder than I’d expected, only 2 km longer than I had thought and we came in closer to my estimated time than we had all week but we still kept the support crew waiting for half an hour.  The team had made us a “last hill” sign with about 500m to go so we could regroup and do our hair in preparation for the run in.  We could hear the cow bell through the trees as we neared the end and there was a big team to welcome us home.  What a stunning spot to finish another long hot day at work!

Thanks to Alan, Andrew and Jeff for carrying my pack at times today and to Jayson, who ran yesterday and will be lining up with me again tomorrow for the Kepler Challenge with about 28 others!

Also I want to give Alan a special mention – today he ran 4 hours longer than he ever has before – what a great effort!

We got in just after 5 so after a soak in the lake we jumped in the wagons and headed to Te Anau to meet up with the big team for tomorrow and attend the race briefing.  I had a chance to talk to the competitors at the briefing to drum up more support for the cause and to point them to the 7 in 7 table where we had enough bananas to feed an army, along with some of Sal’s home cooking available for a small donation.

Once we got to our motel Casey broke out the massage table, yet again, and after a great rub down and a dose of fish and chips and left over lasagne for dinner I’m off to bed.

Thanks again for all your support out there.  The messages and donations just keep rolling in.

Cheers

Mal

For photos- please view the “follow the challenge page” here.

Another very long, hot day – 67km (not the 61k as we had thought) and about 13 1/2 hours.

Mals thoughts on the day:

Awesomly beautiful and incredibly brutal.  The best trail run I think I’ve ever done!  Great running, great scenery, great spirit of the group. 

It was a cool start with low cloud and mist – a very stiring beginning to the the day with mountain peaks bathed in sunshine high above.  Fabulous running up toward the Dart Hut with a new view around every corner – lots of whoops and hollers.  Reached Dart Hut on schedule – first time I can remember getting to where we said we would in the time we had specified.  Saw the first kea of the week coming up to the Rees saddle and took a break on top for a snowball fight.   Unfortunately the trek back down the Dart river turned out to be much longer than I’d imagined so once again we kept our fabulous support crew waiting.  Luckily they chose to hang around despite the army of sand flies!   

The last 4 hours were desperate stuff.  I was over tired…..dog tired……I just wanted to sit down and cry.  But what a great team I had around me.  Dave Bolger, a mountaineer only back in his running shoes for 10 weeks, grabbed my pack and carried it for the last few hours.

At the end Aaron Carter was awarded the pink pants for his stand out performance on the day – having worn out all his shoes in training he grabbed his least worn for today’s big effort.  Sadly they blew out early on and one shoe fell to pieces just before the Dart Hut…..but nothing a bit of Jess’ strapping tape couldn’t fix (check out the photos).

I need sleep now so that’s it for today.  Tomorrow is another day and I’m sure I will be raring to go in the morning to take on the Greenstone-Mavora walkway.

For photos- please view the “follow the challenge page” here.

Cheers,

Mal.

Today’s run took longer than expected in both distance and time. Nine hours and 42.2 km’s later the group arrived at Wilson Bay (Lake Wakatipu) in good spirits. The overall pace was slow today and required a lot of focus  from the slower group to complete. Another great run with great support and Mal is feeling good and still on track!

Mal’s thoughts on the day.

The sky was cloudy to start and soon burnt off to another warm one.  I felt ok today overall and the tempo was much slower than expected based on the group’s pace. With a gentle start to Queenstown we were greeted with good climb up to the Lomond Saddle (1316m) where we hit a stunning singletrack descent overlooking Moonlight Creek!

A 6-7 km hot and dusty 4wd track in full sun offered little respite during the heat but a good rest and feed at Moke Lake had us in good spirits and refueled. We then hit the lovely track all the way out to lake Dispute and Wilson Bay. The distance  was longer at 42.2km vs the 38km expected – but once again spirits in the group pushed us to the finish.

Highlights included the fantastic run down from the lomond saddle and the stunning views. The perfect singletrack found along the route was also great!  The stand out moment though had to be the supporters at the finish (again!) We came around the corner and thought we’d seen a mirage.  Darren Frazer (1st time half marathoner from day 1) and his trusty assistant, had driven all the way from Winton and set up a coffee cart (see photos!) so the long blacks were flowing!  Thanks for your commitment guys.  Donations in exchange for coffee and cake were received from delighted trampers who couldn’t believe their good fortune.

Overall I feel good after such a long day, but apprehensive about tomorrow’s run on the Rees – Dart Circuit being the longest at 61km. It’s going to be a taxing day with more gruelling ascents, technical downhills and once again sun sun sun!  Saying that, I’m looking forward to the good company, great scenery and more of everything the stunning high country has to offer!

For photos- please view the “follow the challenge page” here.
Cheers,

Mal.

Day three at the Motatapu Gold was a real turn around for Mal who was back on form after such a terrible run the day before. A long 14:15 day with 50.2 km had lots of ups and downs (3375m) and great spirits from all runners. Overall, a fantastic day with great weather and support!

Mal’s thoughts for the day.

The early start offered great weather as we set off for the hardest day of the challenge. I was feeling great after such a bad day on day 2. The cloud offered cover for the first part of the day to then burn off to a clear blue sky and the temperatures started to climb. It seems that the unusually warm days has followed the 7in7 challenge this year! Overall i felt brilliant out there today and put it down to the excellent care from the Dr. Andrew McLeod and fluid replacement. Dr. McLeod also ran with the group today and offered support if need be.

Today I used walking poles for the first time and they made the steep climbs far more manageable and the descents more bearable. Due to the nature of Motatapu Gold, we walked a lot of the tracks at pace as they were very steep and challenging. With such steep climbs, four hours into the day a runner got into trouble and started to struggle. The spirit of the group once again came forward and “got” the runner though the day with each taking turns to carry their pack. This is the 7in7 spirit!

The long day offered 4 massive stand out climbs and descents with at least 35 river crossings! The 7in7 support crew (who we missed by 5 minutes!) dropped off supplies at Macetown where the group had a fantastic feast overlooking the mountains. Spirits were high and legs “ok” as we headed to the final descent from “Big Hill” that offered a 10km singletrack forest run to the finish where family and support crew were once again waiting. The kids who met us holding the 7in7 flags was an experience I’ll cherish.

What an epic and enjoyable day. Tomorrow we move on to the Wakatipu Wonderland. Currently we sit at more than $145,000!!!! Thank you!

For photos- please view the “follow the challenge page” here.

Cheers,

Mal.

Day two at the Young – Wilkin Circuit was a tough one for Mal who was suffering from serious dehydration after yesterdays 42.2km run at the Twin Lakes Marathon. Early on Mal struggled with the miserable 6am start to battle with negative thoughts for half of the 11:45 and 55km run. Currently Mal is at the doctors being treated with a drip for dehydration.

Mal’s thoughts of the day.

Today was hard. After a record temperature of 32+ degs in Wanaka yesterday it took more out of me than I expected. I’m not great with the heat and even with regular fluid intake it got the better of me. I started out beaten up and the first 6 hours were a mental and physical struggle. Infact, it was utterly miserable.

Once at the highest point (approx 1700m) at Gillespie Pass things started to thankfully  improve for me and the highlight of the day presented itself as a large snow field for us to all play! Sliding down it like children laughing and “wooping” was a fantastic way to turn things around. The runners spirits helped me to this point and then onwards to the finish. Richard Usher was a total legend today and carried my pack for a large percentage of the run…along with his own!

We were out there for 11.45 hours and covered 55km and picked up once arriving at the river by a jet boat. What a fantastic experience that was, which we will all cherish and never forget. All long runs should end with a jet boat finish!

A huge thank you to  Alan and Patsie at Wilkin River Jets, and the runners who spirits got me through the day. I’m now feeling much better after treatment and pumped for tomorrow’s huge day at the Motatapu Gold. This one will be a long day!

For photos- please view the “follow the challenge page” here.

Cheers,

Mal.

Day one at Hawea was a hot and challenging. 42.2 KM’s of undulating and exposed trails required full attention and focus to reach the 7in7 goal today. 5:15 later the support runners and Mal crossed to a warm and welcoming Wanaka crowd. Some runners ran the full in under 4 hours, while many spent more than 6 hours on their feet. What a fantastic event and effort!

Here are Mal’s thoughts of the day.

The scenery, huge amount of support from marshals and such a great atmosphere were the highlights of my run. There are talks of this becoming a yearly event and i believe we have created something really special that will out live the 7in7 dream year in year out.

Meeting so many people who i have not met before with a majority under taking their first marathon and half distance challenge was inspiring and motivating. Some were out for more than 6 hours in 30+ degs so i tip my hat to some fantastic efforts and determination!

The blistering heat challenged everyone today, including spectators and supporters and my pace was reasonably strong to finish as soon as possible to get to the lake for good chilly soak. The last 10 km’s were very tough with fantastic views of the high snow capped peaks motivating us all on. Being greeted by a large and noisy crowd was the icing on the cake today and a finish i’ll never forget! Thank you so much.

A big nod to Dan for running ahead and filling my cap and watering me! A massive cheers to the marshals, volunteers and supporters and a big well done to ALL the runners. Let’s not forget Marc Ellis either for storming through his half marathon and last nights popular Mitre10 auction.

Once finished…i could not get into the lake quick enough ! Day two preparation for Young – Wilkin circuit is underway as we organize food, location and the runners. We hit the road shortly to Makarora for tomorrows challenge.

Thanks again to everyone who helped today, the supporters and of course the runners who made today so special. The Twin Lakes run and Mitre10 auction has exceeded more than $40,000 for 7in7! Fantastic!

For photos- please view the “follow the challenge page” here.

Cheers,

Mal.

Tonights auction at Wanaka Mitre10 was a fantastic way to kick off the next 7 days! With Marc Ellis helping eager Mitre10 staff (thank you!) the nights proceeds took off with a bang. The rain held off for a fantastic crowd that before we knew it had bid a total of $10,365 to the 7in7 cause. The total is now at a whopping $136,045 and we are our way to the target!

After 9 months of planning i’ll finally start the journey tomorrow at the Twin Lakes Marathon and the week is underway!  I’ve had my pasta and extra serve of fruit cake and i’m off to bed.

Thank you to all of the challenge supporters, Mitre10 and Marc Ellis for his time today. ZZZZZZZZZZZ……..

Click on images to see larger views.

Alan Law 1956 - 1970. RIP bro'.

Well, that’s about all the prep done… I’ve been through all the checklists and ticked all the boxes. I’ve taken my final wee jog up Mt. Iron. What will be will be – I can’t do any more to influence the outcome now.

Very soon I will be gathering with friends, loved ones and support runners I’ve not yet met. Over the next week we will experience some great highs and desperate lows, knowing all the time that what we are doing really is making a difference to the 10,000 New Zealanders facing their own challenge of a lifetime. When things get tough that knowledge will keep me going. When things get really tough I will think of my bro’ Alan. He has been absent from my life for 40 years now, snatched away by leukaemia at the same age as my son Beinn is now; but he is never forgotten. He is the reason the 7in7 Challenge came into being; he is my constant motivation. This one’s for you bro’….