My last couple of big running events involved plenty of testing and learning. That theme has continued into the autumn, as I aim to rehab an achilles/plantaris injury. So although I’d rather be writing about new adventures, it’s handy to note any lessons from the past ones while I remember. Wait, I’ve forgotten. Was it ‘Maybe don’t do ultras cos you get sick’? Nah, surely not.
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2022 World 100k Championships report
The German customs officer wasn’t buying it. ‘All the way from New Zealand, for a run?’ Narrowing his eyes, he looked at my passport and back to me. If it seemed like a cover story for dubious activity, the white powder stashed in my bag wouldn’t help the case. ‘Why so far for so shortContinue reading “2022 World 100k Championships report”
Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Race, 2020
At the Sri Chinmoy event back in 2019, I remember Jamie Hawker cheerfully describing the folly of expecting a top result or PB every time you line up for an ultra. People think they can, he said, but it’s always going to be tick, tick, cross, tick, cross… Cheers, I said wryly. After two decentContinue reading “Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Race, 2020”
‘Us ultrarunners are used to extraordinary.’
As we headed towards full Covid-19 lockdown in March, I was chatting online with fellow NZ ultrarunner Fiona Hayvice. Bidding each other a slightly nervous sign-off ahead of this unknown time, she mentioned in passing that, while it was indeed surreal, ‘us ultrarunners are used to extraordinary’. At the time I agreed and we movedContinue reading “‘Us ultrarunners are used to extraordinary.’”
My first 24 hour track race: 2017 Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Run
What will it feel like? Many people can’t understand why runners would choose to run in circles on a 400m track for 24 hours. It’s a valid question – the extension of choosing to run in 2k circles over 100k. For me it was as simple as the above: I wanted to experience the highsContinue reading “My first 24 hour track race: 2017 Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Run”
5 tips for running Tarawera Ultramarathon
Tarawera Ultramarathon is nearly here! I’m down to share tips at a Hawks get-together, and when I wrote them down as notes they turned into pictures. They didn’t turn into colour pictures though, because my child has apparently eaten all my good waterproof pens. Enjoy. 1. Appreciate the moment – frequently. The start of an ultraContinue reading “5 tips for running Tarawera Ultramarathon”
Blast from the past: Paris Marathon 2010
I wrote this four years back to pitch it as a travel article to a newspaper but never got around to it. Enjoy! Pre-child Europe jaunt. People travel to foreign big city marathons for the buzz, the energy, the new experiences. The awe-inspiring amount of public urination before the 2010 Paris Marathon presumably falls intoContinue reading “Blast from the past: Paris Marathon 2010”
From the couch
I’m at home, by myself, on a beautiful day, with gifted garlic soup heating up in the kitchen. Life is grand. The only blight is the cold sitting like a small elephant on my nose. For the last few months my colleagues and friends have fallen like flies with loathsome lurgies but I’d become complacent. SeemsContinue reading “From the couch”
UTDC – the preamble (AKA ‘TMI’)
‘You’ve run wearing a rectal thermometer before, right?’ asked Lillian, as she prepared the heat chamber. I laughed. Ho, ho, what witty banter! Ha ha ha. Ha..? Yeah, it seemed she wasn’t joking. I figured doing the Ultra-Trail Des Cagous in New Caledonia would make for some interesting new experiences, but hadn’t expected them toContinue reading “UTDC – the preamble (AKA ‘TMI’)”
What’s next: deuxième partie
It turns out my comment about not entering any ultras for at least two months after the NZ 100k champs was a complete lie. Sorry, limbs. Encore une fois? (Wow, sudden late ’90s dance music flashback.) For anyone who missed it, my 100k race report is over at Backcountry Runner. Short version: it went well, despite an overenthusiastic start. IContinue reading “What’s next: deuxième partie”
Dawn Tuffery 