Current Otter TERREX Trail Champions, Robbie Simpson and Bianca Tarboton, take on a strong international line-up at Tarawera Ultra-trail by UTMB, New Zealand’s most important trail event, this weekend.
South Africa’s premier trail marathon, ‘the Otter’, which takes place in October, has much in common with its Southern Hemisphere ‘twin’, Tarawera. The races share ‘birthdays’, both events having launched in 2009 and Simpson and Tarboton will be looking to join New Zealand athlete, Ruby Muir, as the only athletes to have won titles in both races.
Muir won the Otter in 2013, eight months before clinching the Tarawera 102km title.
The stunning natural beauty away from big city lights, the priority placed on respect for and celebration of the natural environment through which the trails pass, and the down-to-earth family-centred style of race management are features shared by both races.
“Tarawera is all about connections,” past race director, Tim May reflected. “Connections with others, connection with the environment around you and connection with yourself. Tarawera offers people the chance to immerse themselves in the beauty of our trails and be connected with nature.”
In much the same way, the Otter TERREX Trail prides itself in connecting runners with nature and closely connects with the local community who are strongly involved the South African race.
“That’s cool that both races started in the same year and there are definitely some similarities in that they both run through some sections of indigenous forest on flowing trails,” Simpson reflected. “The trails here are far less technical though, it’s super smooth”.
South African Tarboton and Scottish athlete, Simpson, will be racing trail in Oceania for the first time in their careers. While Simpson has raced several ultra-marathons on trail and road, Tarboton will be in new territory, the 42km Otter her furthest race to date.
“The Otter is extremely proud of its past champions, and we eagerly watch their racing during the year,” reflected Clark Gardener, owner of the Otter TERREX Trail. “These two (Simpson and Tarboton), in particular, are race favourites having won for the past two consecutive years.
“They are great ambassadors to our event, its pedigree and trail running in general. We wish them a good day out in NZ on Saturday.
“It would seem that some sort of collaboration (with Tarawera) would make sense.”
Simpson had originally entered the 102km at Tarawera, but his focus on preparation for a major road race in Cape Town altered his plans.
“I decided to change to the 52km rather than the 102km,” Simpson added. “I’ve been enjoying road sessions and faster running and didn’t want to destroy myself with such a long race. I’m hoping to do Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town in April so can hopefully bounce back quickly.”
“(Leading USA athlete) Hayden Hawks is also doing the 50km, so it should be really competitive.”
Tarboton recorded her third Otter victory in tough conditions along the iconic Tsitsikamma Forest trail year last year. While the rest of the elite field (male and female athletes) wilted in scorching conditions, Tarboton was on fire, coming in just four minutes off the record in a superb performance.
“There’s something about the Otter that lifts my spirit,” Tarboton admitted. “So mentally I’m in a much better space to cope with any physical dips along the way compared with some of the higher profile races in Europe.
“Tarawera seems to have a similar culture and I’m enjoying getting to experience the beauty of its trails on our training runs.”
Four months after Tarboton’s Otter success and little more than two months since a convincing victory at Ultra-trail Cape Town 23km, Tarboton is a strong bet to record her third major victory in four months at Tarawera.
Starting in the heart of Rotorua, the course takes athletes on a tour of Rotorua’s geothermal areas, lakes and forests, featuring a combination of trails and forestry roads with native bush, conifer forest, farmland, parkland and thermal landscapes.
Among those most likely to challenge Tarboton for top honours is Team Vibram’s New Zealand-based American, Robyn Lesh, whose sporting background is in competitive sailing. Lesh placed a solid 14th in last year’s UTMB OCC 50km and will be looking to move up the podium following her third position in last year’s race behind leading New Zealand athletes, Caitlin Fielder and Kate Avery.
Australians Patricia McKibbin, Georgina Campbell, Madison Reynolds and Jessica Jason all boast respectable UTMB index ratings and will be eager to make their mark across the Tasman Sea and although American Corinne Malcolm’s primary focus these days is on trail media, her long experience in the sport cannot be discounted.
The men’s 52km contest between Simpson, Hawks (ranked second in Freetrail’s Trail Runner of the Year for 2024 competition) and Spanish athlete Daniel Osanz could prove a highlight of the Tarawera weekend, with Dylan Bowman (USA) and Marc Olle Bernades (Spain) also likely to be in the mix.
“I’m really loving it here, wow!” Tarboton enthused. “It’s far exceeded any expectations I had of it. The area is beautiful, but it’s the people who have impressed me the most. They are so kind and accommodating and just so easy to get along with.
“I’m sharing a house with some of my TERREX teammates, having heaps of fun and feeling really excited about the race.”
While the T50 ( 52km) race has grown into an internationally competitive event in its own right and could steal the show this weekend, and the TMiler (100miler) has begun to attract global athletes, the T102 (102 km) ultra-marathon takes pride of place at Tarawera, attracting the biggest names in trail racing to the shores of New Zealand’s North Island.
The prospect of ‘golden ticket’ entries to the Western States Endurance Run in California for the top two male and female athletes across the line in the T102 further enhances the race.
The route highlights include running along and around five different lakes, native vegetation on the Western Okataina track, towering redwoods, steam alongside the trail at Sulphur Point and finishing at the Village Green in downtown Rotorua.
Another winner of the Otter, Ryan Sandes, made the podium in the T102 in 2016 and placed 5th in a competitive field in 2019. “What makes Tarawera special for me is that it was part of the early evolution of trail,” said Sandes.
“(NZ trail legend) Paul Charteris started it back in the days and I recall that (Americans) Sage Canady and Tim Olsson battling it out on the 100km in one of the early years.
“Tarawera has attracted some of the best. Swedish athlete Jonas Buud (World 100km champion in 2015 and second in the 2013 Comrades Marathon) won in my first year in 2016.
“It’s an incredible place. There’s a great atmosphere and an awesome community and it was particularly special having a Maori traditional dance and a ‘Haka’ performed at the start. The Haka also welcomes home the first male and female athletes.”
A hattrick of T102 titles are on the line for New Zealand’s leading trail runners Ruth Croft and Daniel Jones at this weekend’s Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB – but they will face fierce competition from some of the world’s best athletes with UTMB World Series Finals and Western States qualifications up for grabs.
Ruth Croft was already a household name in the world of ultra running before she claimed her first T102 title in 2021, having claimed back-to-back UTMB OCC titles in 2018 and 2019. Croft also excelled in the Golden Trail World Series and finished second at the season finale, which was held at the Otter Trail race in South Africa.
Later in 2021, Croft finished second at Western States and the next year went one to better to make history as the first New Zealander to win one of the oldest and most competitive ultras in the world.
Last year, Croft won her second T102 title in February and six months later finished runner-up at the UTMB 100 miler on debut.
“It’s always nice to race at home, in front of a home crowd, and it’s also easy being able to travel up on race week and not have any time zone changes,” Croft told SPNAfrica this week. “It’s pretty amazing the number of people that Tarawera get out on the trails. I don’t know the exact numbers but it is usually over 5,000 people.
“Nothing beats running through the ferns, redwoods, and being greeted with the Haka at the finish – Tarawera is a pretty unique race experience!”
Fellow Kiwi and Rotorua born Caitlin Fielder will make her long awaited T102 debut this weekend, setting up a much-anticipated showdown with Croft.
A strong American contingent featuring 2023 CCC podium finisher Helen Mino Faukner, Anna Louden, Lotti Brinks, and last year’s T102 runner-up Beth McKenzie, will challenge strongly for podium places, while New Zealand-based South African Naomi Brand (who placed third in 2020 and sixth in 2023), Australian challengers Anna McKenna and Lucy Bartholomew and strong-running Kiwis, Niang Jiang (T102 winner in 2023) and Juliette Soule, are also in with a shout.
Leading TERREX athlete, Jones, who won the Ultra-trail Cape Town 35km in November, will be tough to beat in the men’s race over 102km.
Since switching focus from road to trail, Jones’ career has gone from strength to strength. For the past two years, Jones has kicked off the calendar year at Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB – winning back-to-back T102 titles and this year is aiming to become the first athlete to secure three successive T102 titles.
Jones will face world class competition for this year’s T102 title in the shape of CCC and OCC podium finisher Thibaut Baronian (FRA), two-time Leadville 100 miles champion Adrian Macdonald (USA).
Other challengers in this year’s T102 include Ryan Montgomery (USA), who finished third in this race two years ago, Blake Hose (AUS), Hu Zhao (CHN), Cody Lind (USA), Marcel Höche (DEU), Gabriel Kline (USA), and Hiroki Kai (JPN).
Apart from Brand, South African athlete from KZN, Nontuthuko Mgabhi, will be in the field, not competing for a podium position, but adding to her remarkable legacy of trail-running adventures.
Not satisfied with taking on one of Ultra-trail Cape Town’s challenging races in late November, she chose to race three on consecutive days, completing the 55km, 23km and 35km.
When many other trail athletes enjoy their annual break in December, Mgabhi invested significant time to train for Tarawera. “Building on from the Ultra Trail Cape Town, I continued to stay active and disciplined in my training, focusing mostly on hill sessions,” Mgabhi reflected last week.
“I expect Tarawera to be challenging but runnable terrain. The challenge will be the distance, 102km. But I believe I’m equal to the task.
“I enjoy the freedom and meditative nature of long runs. I have to say that running for the pure joy of life is freeing. And New Zealand is about adventure, so I’m expecting to feel adventurous in this challenge – I’m so glad I get to do this!
“This race is billed as one of the most scenic ultra-marathon runs in the world and I’m looking forward to soaking up the most spectacular landscapes, including running around five different lakes, experiencing the solitude of the Tarawera Forest and the waterfalls along the way. It sounds awe-inspiring!”
The TMiler (100-miles/163km) begin at 04h00 local time (17h00 CAT) on Saturday, followed by the T102 (102km) and T50 at 07h00 and the T21 at 10h00.
