Woohoo! First to complete the Hillary Double!
I did it! I just completed a double effort of the Hillary Trail in 29 and a half hours. So in summary a 149 km run (6,700 metres climb) through the Waitakere Ranges at their wettest following the 18 month old Hillary Trail Route which goes from Arataki Visitors Centre at the southern end of the ranges to Muriwai, taking in some of the more scenic tracks in the Park.
The Hillary Trail for those that haven’t come across it yet the Hillary Trail connects a network of existing regional park tracks through the Waitakere Ranges. The 3-4 day tramp is advertised on the Trail’s website… “The Trail epitomises the sense of adventure and personal achievement that Ed Hillary himself championed and was renowned for. It is not a walk in the park – but a chance for well-prepared trampers to experience the diverse, and often challenging west coast.”
Together with Gus Grey, I was first to run it, and since that day I’ve talked about attempting the double. I’d never run this distance before and considered myself not particularly trained up for such a feat as I was recovering from a damaged disc in my back (long story) and prior to that my only real run of distance was in March racing in the 49km Mototapu Adventure Run event with Phil Wood. Also stacked against the mission was the fact that it is the wettest time of year so the tracks were muddy and energy sapping and the fact that it was the shortest day of the year 4 days after the run!
My family sending me off – silly dad!
I started at 2pm on Saturday at the Arataki Visitors Centre. I had my Osprey pack loaded with water and food, but only for a the next couple of hours as I had Richard Moyle (pretty much a professional support crew) following me in the car and he met me at points along the way so I could restock my pack with food and water.
A crowd gathered at the start!
I’d also roped in some awesome people to run different sections along the way. So I had at least one person with me at all times with the longest section one person ran being 11 hours. These were die hard trail runners who hardly need an excuse to get out on the track. They joined me mainly for safety so I didn’t run off a cliff, but also to keep me company through the long sections!
The first leg from Arataki to Huia (10.5km) was pretty uneventful. Half way through here we ran into some Japanese tourists who casually asked how far we’d been and were going. The look on their face was priceless when we told them. “You crazy man!” they cried.
Coming into Huia with Bart
We arrived in Whatipu 10 minutes under the fast scenario I had mapped out for the run. I had worked out a fast and a slow scenario, with the fast based loosely on what time I did for the single trip or 12 and a half hours (which was done on the dry summer tracks). This way I could give support runners and spectators a bit of a window as to when I’d be at various spots along the way. So coming in that quick – I needed to calm things down a bit if I was going to make the whole distance.
At Whatipu it was just getting dark here so I slipped on my Ay Up lights. We got to Karekare at 7.11pm, a few minutes ahead of the fast scenario still, despite the track being really muddy. Doh! I thought I needed to slow down as it seemed pretty quick but the legs felt good. We hoovered into some pizza here – my first real food and as we left regretted eating so much as the tummy was a bit solid! Up and out of Karekare towards Piha, this was a slightly longer leg at 12.5km and included a bit of gravel and sealed road along the top of Piha before dropping back into the bush again and running past the Kitekite Falls (which were in full flow and looked stunning in the moonlight). We arrived in Piha 18 minutes ahead of the fast scenario schedule. I was tracking for a pretty solid time for a one way Trail, better than I had done before and was really worried now because I had to come back.
With Dan who ran till Bethells
It was a stunning clear night as we climbed out of Piha, but we could see the odd lightning flash over towards Auckland. This is a big leg, from Piha to Bethells and I reckon the toughest at 14.2km with the dreaded Kuataika Track in the middle of it. My mind and body still felt really good and we kept a good pace despite these hills. I was surprised as I was expecting to be starting to cramp and tire by now, given how little training I’d done.
With Lou leaving Bethells
After these climbs we had a gnarly downhill to the Wainamu Lake and found the tracks around the lake a mud pool the whole way. My feet were well and truly soaked through and starting to get a bit damaged. We came into the support spot at Bethells in 9 hours 40, just before midnight and still 10 minutes ahead of the fast schedule.
From here three of us headed off along the Te Henga Coastal walkway. This is my favourite track in the Waitak’s and it didn’t disappoint. Running along here was the highlight of the whole mission – both ways were good but probably the return trip better. This track weaves along some cliff tops high above the crashing waves of the West Coast. The wind was up so the waves were really cranking and the moonlight on these was quite dizzying if you looked down. It was still quite a slow leg compared to the schedule, just due to the darkness I think and having to take things a little easy. It could go horribly wrong with one misplaced step! We were at Muriwai and had finished the first half of my mission, one Hillary Trail in 12 hours 35 and the time was 2.45am.
Time to turn around and go back – so we set off on the return leg to Bethells and as we tramped along the road section, saw massive bursts of lightning across to the east above the city. Luckily it was still pretty clear where we were although the wind was starting to pick up. By the time we got onto the coastal walkway the wind was blowing big time. We kept a good pace but there were some hairy times. At one stage I heard my current support – Vicki Woolley yell “arrrggh!” I looked around asking if she was alright and she said she grabbed a gorse bush as she’d tripped and didn’t know what was below, so gorse was the lesser of two evils. Once off the cliffs things were a bit quieter and smoother and we clocked into Bethells at 5.40am and only 3 minutes slower than the outward leg. Pretty impressive! But when was I going to do that calming down I needed to get through?!
The sun was just peaking over the ranges as we neared the top of the Kuataika Track and it was really nice to take off the headlamp that had guided my way for the last 13 hours or so.
Coming along Piha Beach with Vicki
By this stage I was fighting the sleep monsters, but these monsters were well blown away as we made our way down Piha Beach towards the Piha Café, where the support team waited. Also waiting was a super delicious and hot breakfast from the wonderful new owners Pete and Pattie at the Café. There were actually more than 10 people there to cheer me in. It was awesome to see my three wee girls and they sprinted with me up into the café carpark.
At the café I inhaled a cooked big breakfast like it was a wee snack and the coffee was almost instant in its awaking of me. I spent a bit long here enjoying the food and rest. The new support runners were itching to start so I put the pack on again and off we headed
Woohoo! A big breakfast from Piha Cafe
We made our way out of Piha at a slower pace as I finished another coffee!!
It was quite a group of runners now which helped the time and the kms ease by quickly. A wee routine was formed in that there was always someone behind me and the rest took turns at the front – good pacing! We finished this leg quite strongly and I was feeling good after the coffees.
The legs still felt pretty strong the only thing bad was my feet (which by this stage felt like one big blister underneath from being wet for so long) and an upset stomach which I assumed was from the huge amount of sports gels I had consumed! We did that leg in 2 hours 10 which was only 25 minutes slower than the day before on the way north. I was stoked with this given we’d had a longer break in Piha which was included in this time. It started dawning on me here that I was going to easily make it and even with quite a smart time! Why was my body not buggered yet?!
But from here the tracks started to appear as more like streams filled with mud and it was slow going, slipping and sliding through mud pool after mud pool. Downhills, which I’d usually been jogging down at a reasonable pace, were lots slower as we tried not to end tits up in the puddles!
Kitekite falls compulsory shot – Barbarella and Vicki
Dropping into Karekare
At the bottom of the Pararaha Valley which was flooded – joined by Allan
Crossing Pararaha Stream
Glorious mud..not!
As we came into Whatipu we were relieved for a break from it! This leg was 40 minutes slower on this return than it was the day before … it was a bit frustrating.
The rain was really hammering down as we climbed the big hill out of Whatipu and tip toed our way along the exposed ridgeline of the breathtaking Omanawanui Track. It was wild!
We got to the top of this climb, the last monster climb of the run and it was nice to drop down into the valley above Huia. I was getting really excited now – only one short leg to go! We clocked into the Huia stop at half 4 on Sunday afternoon.
The climb out of Whatipu
Last leg now and its considered a wee leg compared with the others – we had clocked it in 1 hour 20 the day before so thought 2 hours would be achievable. Little did we know it was to be the toughest leg of them all!! What a shocker! This wee leg sucked my will to live – what a mind bugger. I was so close and I regularly run these tracks so know the speed I could do on them but we were stuffed by the mud. It was long and tedious. I was thankful I still had strength in my legs because it was tiring work literally plodding through ankle deep to calf deep mud most of the way. It got dark a third of the way in here so we donned lights again.
It ended up being a 3 hour 8 minute leg! It was a huge relief to be done with the mud and get onto the big wide and gravel Slip Track (ironic I know), which climbs to the finish. I pushed hard up here, legs feeling good so I tried to keep a good pace so I’d finish under 29.5 hours. As we peaked onto the top of the climb I heard a cheer coming from the Visitors Centre just 200m below. It was amazing to jog down to the finish with this constant noise from a lovely little crowd cheering me in. At 29 and a half hours I stopped the stopwatch! I’d done it – first to do the Double Hillary Trail! I’d knocked the bugger off!
I was stoked to finish, although to those there it might not have seemed it as I’m pretty sure my body started going into shutdown … Shaun is logging off. From one instant striding out up a munty hill to hardly being able to walk and I felt sick and shaky. The crowd of supporters (some had come back after a sleep and showers from running with me earlier) congratulated me and I tried to stay standing up.
At the finish with Amy and Allan
I couldn’t eat or drink so my lovely wife piled me into the car while the awesome Richard who supported the whole way packed up my gear (despite probably feeling just as whacked). I got home and tried to shower (quite hard to clean muddy legs when you can hardly bend down past your shoulders!) and fell into bed. I was feeling pretty rough. Quite mind blowing, the body had been fine all the way until it had done its job and then it was instantly sore. Sore like you feel two days after a massive run! Apparently all night I swapped between a fever like warmth to shivering cold and shifting around as though I couldn’t get comfortable. I was oblivious to this as I slept.
So I wrote this a few days later and was all recovered. Once again I can’t quite understand it. I thought I was well under-prepared for such a feat given I’d not done any specific long training and was recovering from a back injury. Before starting I was worried I was taking it all a bit too casual and probably shouldn’t be doing it but I did. The body is a fantastic invention!!!
I’d like to thank all my support runners and support crew who came for parts of my journey. All fantastic people and without whom I wouldn’t have been able to compete this mission.
