Ultra marathon: Age no barrier for Jim Kettlewell

Jim Kettlewell running in the Tussock Traverse last month. Photo/Photo4sale.co.nz

Jim Kettlewell is a bit of a legend when it comes to running. Having been racing since 1976, Jim has switched from marathon racing to ultra marathon racing. Jim recently won his age group in the Tussock Traverse and has his eyes set on the Tarawera Ultra in Rotorua.

For distance athletes it must be a hard yakka to train, how do you manage and what do you do in general?

All distance athletes train using the methods set down by the great Arthur Lydiard when he trained Peter Snell, Murray Halberg and Barry Magee all those years ago. This means putting down 12 weeks of base training to condition the body followed by six weeks of hill strength training with four weeks of taper before competition, so half a year of preparation before racing!

It's not all doom and gloom though as much of the joy of running is in doing the longer runs in places like the Glenbervie Forest, a fabulous training venue right here in Whangarei. I try to put in around 10 hours of running a week during my conditioning phase with additional easy running or bike riding as supplementary training.

How did you get into the sport?

I have always run to keep fit for other activities such as tramping and mountaineering and only got into competitive running when I decided to train for a marathon. Joining a running club at the time seemed like a good way to find people to train with, that was back in 1976 and I have been running ever since. After having run around 30 marathons, with a best time of 2hr 29 min 18 sec, I decided that I had seen enough of tar seal roads. This was when I discovered trail running, my current passion.

What is it that keeps you going back? You'd think being over 60 you'd start to slow down but there doesn't seem to be any stopping you!

I keep going back because I love being competitive and in my age group (65-69) in New Zealand I am still up there with the best. However, these days it seems that winning is like a war of attrition in that the last man standing is the one with the least number of niggles or injuries on the day and he is the one who wins. As we age we do slow down but stamina seems to remain and this can be worked on so endurance events appeal even if doing them takes me longer than it used to. I guess the body will eventually tell me when it's time to hang up my shoes but at the moment I am still looking forward to the next race.

With the upcoming Tarawera Ultra, what are your goals for it?

The Tarawera Ultra is a tough run with 2000m of climbing and 60km of mainly bush tracks and trails to traverse. It starts in the Redwoods Forest in Rotorua and finishes at the Tarawera Falls near Kawarau passing around Blue Lake, Lake Okareka, Lake Okataina and Lake Tarawera on the way. In the 60km event there are over 200 competitors entered from all around the world and the best will cover the distance in just over five hours. My main goal is to complete the distance without injury and if I can do this in around eight hours I will be very happy. I also want to come through with something in reserve because the Cape Brett Challenge is looming in April.

In 12 months how many races would you do, any favourites?

I try to not race hard out very often in a year but I do run in many events at a backed off pace. This allows me to have good recovery periods. My favourite event would have to be the Kepler Challenge in Fiordland with the Waihi Goldfields Trail Run a close second.