SA’s Bianca Tarboton races to memorable trail victory Down Under

By
Stephen Granger
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Cape Town athlete Bianca Tarboton claims the Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB 50km title on debut - Photo Harry Talbot

Otter TERREX Trail champions, Bianca Tarboton and Robbie Simpson, turned in top performances at the Tarawera Ultra-trail by UTMB, run from New Zealand’s North Island centre of Rotorua this weekend (Saturday 15 February), with kiwi athletes Ruth Croft and Dan Jones stealing the biggest prize with record wins in the 102 km race.

South African Tarboton and British athlete, Simpson, have won the Otter, run along South Africa’s Tsitsikamma Coast and a race with many similarities to Tarawera, for the past two years and were racing in New Zealand for the first time in their careers.

A spectacular Tarawera sunrise greets runners as they traverse an area of high geothermal activity. Photo – Tim Bardsley-Smith.

Tarboton ran the race of her life to win her first ultra-marathon, finishing the T50 race over 52km in 3 hrs 45 min 55 sec, just two minutes off the course record held by leading American, Allie McLaughlin, and the second-fastest ever recorded in the race.

Tarboton was in a league of her own, racing with the leading men and finishing an impressive 12th overall and over 25 minutes clear of second-placed Australian, Madison Reynolds.  New Zealand’s Julia Grant was a further two minutes back in third.

“It was amazing,” said Tarboton at the finish. “Really hard and fast but amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a better day.

Bianca Tarboton in the finishing straight of the Tarawera. Photo – Tim Bardsley-Smith

“New Zealand is always a place I’ve wanted to visit,” she said. “I also really wanted to qualify for the UTMB OCC in August, so qualifying was the goal for this race. I’m glad I achieved that.

“I didn’t really have expectations, but Tarawera has definitely exceeded everything I thought it would be. It’s actually very similar to South Africa, so it feels a lot like home, which is really nice. For me that goes a long way in a race. I’ve loved it, and I’ll definitely be back.”

A second South African, Simone Ackerman, placed a competitive 4th in 4:16:12, less than three minutes of the podium.

One of the world’s leading ultra-trail athletes and winner of last year’s UTMB CCC 100km, American Hayden Hawks, was pushed all the way by Scottish athlete Simpson and Kiwi Michael Voss before Voss dropped behind in the final sector. 

Hayden Hawks (USA) opens his 2025 season with a win in the 50km race at Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB – Photo Harry Talbot

Simpson led by 10 seconds out of the final aid station, 6km from the finish, but Hoka athlete, Hawks, dug deep in the final stages to race to victory in 3:18:46, leading the top four home under the previous course record.

Simpson finished just 75 seconds down in second, with New Zealand’s Michael Voss third a further three minutes back.

The T102 is the Blue Ribband event at Tarawera, and locals celebrated as Kiwis Dan Jones and Ruth Croft were crowned Rotorua Royalty after record-breaking wins over the spectacular 102km race.

While Jones had it much his own way before breaking the tape in 7:17:42 – 6 minutes inside the previous fastest time recorded, Jim Walmsley’s 7:23:32 in 2017, and more than 30 minutes clear of Japanese athlete Hiroki Kai in second place – Croft had to pull out all the stops to hold off her compatriot and TERREX teammate, Caitlin Fielder.

American Beth McKenzie went out hard from the start and held a two-minute lead after 30km. The Kiwis had moved ahead through halfway, with just 6 seconds separating the two through Millar Road 73km into the race.

Ruth Croft wins the Tarawera T102 in record time. Photo – Tim Bardsley-Smith

Croft gradually pulled away from Fielder and was 90 seconds clear through Lake Tikitapu at 85km.  Fielder’s resistance cracked with Croft going on to win by six minutes in 8:24:34.

With McKenzie third in 8:46:09, the entire podium finished inside American Camille Herron’s previous fastest time of 8:56:00 7 years ago.

“I knew Beth would go out fast, because that’s what she did last year,” said Croft. “I actually felt pretty awful for the first 40K on the forestry roads, then once I started getting into some single track, it felt a lot better.

Highlight for many is the welcome ‘Haka’ before the start of the race. Photo – Tim Bardsley-Smith

“But with Caitlin right behind me, there was not much room to breathe, and I was just lucky to pull away at Blue Lake [penultimate aid station]. It’s so cool to see her [Fielder] get second and a Golden Ticket to race the Western States Endurance Run in June.”

Jones, who won the Ultra-trail Cape Town’s 35km in November, was delighted with his win. ““I’m ecstatic. I knew I was in good shape, so I just wanted to see what kind of form I was in.

“We had some good competition out there and I was pushed pretty hard for about 30 or 40 kilometres. I kept on pushing right on the edge and I was just able to hold it together,” said Jones.

New Zealand’s Sam Harvey on his way to an epic victory in the 100 mile race at Tarawera. Photo – Harry Talbot

The final race of the day, the TMiler (164km), was won by an emotional Sam Harveywho became the first New Zealander to win the 100-mile race at Tarawera Ultra-Trail since it was first introduced in 2018. Harvey broke the tape in 15:16:54, 15 minutes clear of compatriot Simon Cochrane.

In the women’s TMiler, it was third time lucky for Hoka athlete Kimino Miyazaki from Japan after finishing second in 2023 and posting a DNF in last year’s race. Miyazaki won in 17:40:37.

Japanese athlete Kimino Miyazaki celebrates her win in the TMiler 100 mile race. Photo – Tim Bardley-Smith

New Zealand-based South African, Naomi Brand, narrowly missed out on a podium place. Courageously going for the win, she ran in second position until just 25km from the finish, before being overhauled by New Zealand’s Emma Timmis and Australian Sarah Parkins, eventually crossing the line in 4th in 19:36:38.

The T21 was won by another Kiwi duo, Jessie Speedyand Joe Steward.

South African trail-running adventurer, Nontuthuko Mgabhi, ran from the back of the field in the T102, making up countless positions throughout the race to finish 114th out of 250 in the women’s race and 23rd in the women’s M40 category.

Giant redwoods dwarf Tarawera runners. Photo – Tim Bardsley-Smith

TMiler (100 miles) RESULTS – WOMEN

1 Kimino Miyazaki (Japan) 17:40:37

2 Emma Timmis (NZ) 18:50:48

3 Sarah Parkins (Aus) 19:11:10

4 Naomi Brand (SA) 19:36:38

5 Katie Wright (GB) 19:50:30

TMiler (100 miles) RESULTS – MEN

1 Sam Harvey (NZ) 15:16:54

2 Simon Cochrane (NZ) 15:33:45

3 Ryan Whelan (GB) 15:56:11

4 Luca Percoco (Arg) 16:42:27

5 Cullen Rhind (NZ) 16:44:22

T102 RESULTS – WOMEN

  1. Ruth Croft (NZL) – 8:24:34
  2. Caitlin Fielder (NZL) – 8:30:45
  3. Beth McKenzie (USA) – 8:46:09
  4. Helen Mino Faukner (USA) – 9:03:01
  5. Nancy Jiang (NZL) – 9:10:13

T102 RESULTS – MEN

  1. Daniel Jones (NZL) – 7:17:42
  2. Hiroki Kai (JPN) – 7:48:45
  3. Adrian Macdonald (USA) – 7:51:05
  4. Cody Lind (USA) – 7:54:11
  5. Marcel Hoeche (DEU) – 8:02:49

T50 RESULTS – WOMEN

Bianca Tarboton shares a lighter moment with Australians Madison Reynolds and Patrica McKibbin at the start of the T50. PHoto – Tim Bardsley-Smith
  1. Bianca Tarboton (SA) – 3:45:55
  2. Madison Reynolds (AUS) – 4:11:28
  3. Julia Grant (NZL) – 4:13:24
  4. Simone Ackermann (SA) – 4:16:12
  5. Amelia Lythe (NZL) – 4:17:40

T50 RESULTS – MEN

Robbie Simpson (right) is all concentration at the start of the T50 while Hayden Hawks shares a lighter moment with Spanish athlete Daniel Osanz. Photo – Tim Bardsley-Smith
  1. Hayden Hawks (USA) – 3:18:46
  2. Robbie Simpson (GBR) – 3:20:01
  3. Michael Voss (NZL) – 3:23:13
  4. Max Yanzick (NZL) – 3:30:56
  5. Daniel Osanz (ESP) – 3:35:17

T21 RESULTS – WOMEN

  1. Jessie Speedy (NZL) – 1:35:21
  2. Phillipa Williams (NZL) – 1:37:54
  3. Shelly Schenk (CHE) – 1:40:15
  4. Ashlee Nelson (USA) – 1:48:04
  5. Anna Williams (NZL) – 1:49:08

T21 RESULTS – MEN

Joe Steward (NZL) claims the 2025 Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB 21km title – Photo Harry Talbot
  1. Joe Steward (NZL) – 1:18:47
  2. Benjamin Otis (USA) – 01:19:28
  3. Michael Sutton (NZL) – 1:19:46
  4. Casey Thorby (NZL) – 1:19:52
  5. Mike Robinson (NZL) – 1:25:52

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