Fuel prices make rural running event 'a luxury', says organiser

Shiloh Rumbel, who placed second in the men's half-marathon, and Riki Green of Summit Forests. Photo / Supplied

Despite persistent rain, 300 runners and walkers took to the trail at Te Aupōuri Forest for the twenty-first instalment of Sport Northland's The Summit Forests Kaitaia Trail Run/Walk on Sunday morning.

For the first time, it was a triple distance event, featuring a newly-added half-marathon that drew 70 runners.

It also included the usual 4 kilometre and 11.5km distances, which made the event accessible to a variety of participants of differing fitness levels.

This year also saw the addition of food vendors and a local MC, as organiser Sport Northland endeavoured to raise the event's quality.

"We saw a lot of smiles, and happy people who stayed on after their events longer than usual," said Sport Northland events lead Jesse Gavin.

"We put more emphasis on providing a professional event, to support people who'll move on to other bigger marathons in Kerikeri and Auckland."

Although Gavin said the rain wasn't enough to spoil the day, the financial challenge of reaching the rural event was thought to have hindered participation.

"The rain definitely put a damper on things, but didn't stop people from having a good time," he said.

"But for runners coming from places like Whangārei, it would have cost them at least $100 in fuel to reach the event.

"That's a bit of a luxury, isn't it?"

Gavin noted it was standard to see up to 20 per cent of people registered for an event not turn up, especially when the entry fee was so low and considering that people may not feel like driving in poor weather.

However, there weren't many no-shows this year, suggesting that most people who registered were able to see their commitment through.

Last year's event drew 400 participants, while 300 made it this year.

As part of Sport Northland's Run/Walk Series, Gavin said the event aimed to support people in completing progressively longer distances.

"The idea with the series is for people to start with a lesser distance and work their way up to the half-marathon."

The next event in the series is the NorthCloud Whangarei Run/Walk festival on September 11.

Gavin also said the event's relatively low entry fees supported broader participation.

"A big part of why we can hold this event in Kaitaia is our sponsor, Summit Forests, who manage the forest we use," Gavin said.

"They mow, clear the path and prepare the course, at no cost to anyone.

"If we had to pay that cost, we just wouldn't be able to have the event there."

Gavin said Summit Forests' sponsorship had saved the event at least $10,000 which they would previously have had to spend on traffic management.

He said this was a cost that could now be passed on to participants.

Last year, following last-minute changes to traffic management plans, the event was held in the Te Hiku forest for the first time, and renamed from its original title 'Kaitaia Run/Walk'.

The change was said to have suited the general push towards more off-road running, driven by the proven health benefits of forest running and reconnecting with nature.

In order to support the local community as much as possible, the event was also locally-staffed.

This year, volunteers came from LCP Basketball in exchange for a donation to their fundraiser to reach Rotorua basketball competition Hoop Nations.

Congratulations went to overall winners Grace Sanders (4km), Dane Gunson (4km kids), Blake Maskell (11km) and Sam Rout (21km).

To find out more about the event, visit: sportnorthlandevents.co.nz.

Results

4km
Overall: Grace Sanders (36:31.732)
Male: Sam Herdman (36:41.811)
Walk: Jan Reiher (1:07:55.61)

4km Kids
Dane Gunson (23:50.523)
Felise Sanders (25:43.611)

11km
Overall: Blake Maskell (37:40.0104)
Female: Lee-Anne Spice (38:59.375)
Walk: Christie Lawrence (1:33:20.61)

21km
Overall: Sam Rout (1:19:33.253)
Female: Amy Howse (1:47:10.831)