Things happen in mysterious ways….
My wife Lisa noticed the announcement for Southern Lakes Ultra in late 2020 while browsing Facebook one evening. She had had such a great time at Alps to Ocean in 2018 she made the comment “I hope you are going to race this one since I am going to volunteer”. Well, that was the easiest race sign up discussion ever. This race was centered to the northeast of Queenstown up in the mountains of the South Island. Beautiful country. Everything was moving along well, and then bam, along came COVID. The 2021 edition was outright canceled since New Zealand was not letting anyone into the country. In 2022 only New Zealanders and Australians were allowed in, but the race went on.
My entry along with other international racers rolled over to 2023. It was tough trying to get in shape for the race. I had been fighting a nagging foot injury for months and winter and holidays were upon us, but I managed.
Coordinating travel for the race was a major hassle since the airlines were still trying to figure out how to operate. Constant schedule changes were not giving us any good feelings as to if we were going to get there. We finally jetted off and as with previous travel to New Zealand straight into a cyclone (Gabrielle this time). Auckland and the North Island were hit hard, and flooding caused all sorts of disruptions. Air flights were in shambles however we were fortunate that our flight came from Sydney direct into Queenstown so no problems on that front. I did have problems at customs. You are not allowed to bring in pork or chicken (even if freeze dried) into New Zealand. Fortunately, we declared all our foods and avoided a hefty fine. This was my fault, and I should have looked into this more. I lost four meals and had to supplement with some local varieties. New Zealand freeze dried meals are very good and the variety different than here in the States.
Since Lisa was volunteering, we were provided housing for the several days before the race. We were lucky in that a local family needed a house sitter while they were away on the North Island for a race. We had our own house and were greatly entertained by their rambunctious kitten Tiger. This was perfect for acclimatizing to the time zone and relaxing before life got hectic.
The Race
Southern Lakes Ultra is a 261km (Long Course) / 226km (Short Course), seven day, six stage race. It has some serious elevation gain (11,000 meters+) and is in an alpine environment. There are two categories of racers in this event:
- Supported: Allowed a 16 kg bag with everything they needed (or wanted). This was moved from camp to camp while the racers only carried mandatory gear and food for the day (more on this later). Over 90% of the racers opted for this option.
- Un-supported (self-supported): Typical self-supported stage race where you carried everything for the week.
Several un-supported racers did not start due to a variety of reasons so that field was very thin. There were many repeat racers from the first edition and numerous newbies to the sport. An interesting side note was that well over 60% of the field was female. This is unusual, even in a stage race.
Friday 2/17/23 (Check-in):
This went smoothly and we met many old stage racing friends that we had not seen in years. I assisted in weighing supported runner bags in order to make myself useful. Over half came in above the 16 kg maximum and had to remove items! It was disconcerting to see all the extra junk that many thought was necessary or may be needed “just in case”. Every racer had around 3,000 kcals per day and most of that was powders and freeze dried. I thought how nice it would be to have the ability to bring “real food” however most thought extra stuff was more important. There were some tortillas/wraps and lots of coke and a little alcohol. Once check-in was completed the racers had to leave their bag with the organizers for transport to the first camp. No adding additional items here!
Following check in that evening was the welcome dinner. It was great with lots of good food and time to meet and greet. Lisa and I did not stay long but headed back to our abode to prepare for departure the next day.
Saturday 2/18/23 (Transport to Camp 1):
This was an easy day. We departed Queenstown around 10:00 and drove part way to Wanaka where we had time for lunch. After that it was another hour along dirt roads to camp along Lake Hawea. This was located on a private sheep station and many racers took advantage of the lakeside location and had a dip in the lake to cool off.
Sunday 2/19/23 (Stage 1): 30.3 miles
The first stage was relatively flat and fast on dirt roads and wide groomed tracks. The first 10 km was out and then back to the start continuing on along the eastern and southern shores of Lake Hawea. The weather was overcast, cool but windy. Camp was by a river that allowed us to rinse off. The pace was quite fast and the rankings in the un-supported category became clear.
Monday 2/20/23 (Stage 2): 18.0 miles
This stage was also on groomed trails near residential areas on the shores of Lake Wanaka. The exuberance of the previous day was tempered and there was a little more sanity on the pace. Towards the end there was some undulating hills that lead into camp at scenic bay. A beautiful setting that again afforded a lake for a dip to cool off. It was enjoyable to look out over the lake towards the mountains on the other side and enjoy the relative solitude.
Tuesday & Wednesday 2/21-22/23 (Stage 3): 41.2 miles
This stage was a hard lesson in why there are mandatory gear requirements. Do not complain when you are required to take gear and do not skimp on it to save a couple of ounces. If you are going to trail/stage/ultra-race, know how to use all your emergency gear and above all know how to travel in the environment you are going to race in, particularly the mountains.
The track climbed up from the lake into the mountains. There was some serious climbing ahead of us, almost 11,000 ft+ of vertical to be precise. The mountains of South Island remind me of those in Chamonix. They are quite steep, rugged but not as high.
The first 22 miles to Macetown had two big climbs. The track was quite narrow (about a foot wide) and dropped off steeply on the downhill side. Exposure in some parts was severe. You had to watch your step and pay attention at all times. At several points there was some serious bushwacking required and deep channels were cut by small streams that were covered by undergrowth.
There were three huts along the way that served as checkpoints. No supplies, just a check in. Water was available from many super clear creeks and like most places in the area, drinkable without filtration or treatment. That took some getting used to for me, but I never had any problems. In fact, most camp water camp directly from streams or lakes.
By mid-afternoon the clouds were rolling in and it began to drizzle. Not hard enough to put on the rain gear but enough to encourage you to press on. By the time I got into Macetown at mile 22 I was ready for my raingear. There was only a 9 mile (each way) out and back section to Arrowtown to finish the stage. The bad part was the (literally) 42 river crossings to contend with on this section!
I made it to Arrowtown just after dark, but the rain had really picked up and the temperature was dropping. River crossings were not above the knees on the way down. On the way back the rain continued but now the river crossings were over a foot deeper. I rolled into camp just before midnight cold and wet. I went straight to my tent, got out of wet clothes, put on dry ones and crawled into my sleeping bag to eat my dinner. It took about a half hour to warm up. Sleep was fitful.
Now for the rest of the story. There were quite a few racers that got caught out in the mountains during the rain and started suffering. This ranged from the uncomfortable to some degree of hypothermia. Many deployed their bivi-bags and activated their PLB’s for rescue. Unfortunately, helicopters do not typically fly in the mountains at night and in the rain, so they had to wait until 7:00 or so the next morning for pickup. Others made it only to Macetown in rough shape and were stopped there due to the conditions. Others made it to Arrowtown and were held there due to river levels. This really provided a challenge to the race staff to deal with all these variables especially with limited communications.
While social media and the press hyped the situation, everything eventually sorted itself out. Many reports were greatly exaggerated and inaccurate. While visions of Gansu China were floating out there, all race participants had sufficient equipment to survivein the environment. Six were air lifted out to hospital. All but one returned to the race the next day. Those held in Arrowtown (and separated from their complete kit) were taken care of by race personal and locals.
In all my decades or racing and traveling in the mountains this was a prime example of how quickly a race can go sideways. Even though it was summer, weather conditions can change rapidly and if one is not prepared things can turn out disastrously. I have seen hypothermia, heart attacks, heat stroke/exhaustion and body recoveries at races. It is no joke when you sign the waiver that you can be maimed or die. Some may make light about the challenges of a race, but one needs to respect the event as well as the environment in which you are operating. All the necessary information was out there on websites, Facebook posts and emails. It is your personnel responsibility to be prepared and to think when you are racing.
Thursday 2/23/23 (Stage 4): 16.2 miles
This was a recalibration day. The decision was made to alter the course due to dropping snow levels and unfavorable weather conditions. We were re-routed back down to Arrowtown (and all the river crossings) and up and over to Coronet Peak Ski Area where camp was to be. This cut the stage about in half and significantly reduced the elevation profile. The option was given to those who chose to stop at Arrowtown and grab a coffee or pint to then be transported to camp. Those who were held at Arrowtown the night before were able to join the race there.
For those of us who chose to do the entire distance we were in for some climbing and nice scenery. As we made our way to Coronet Peak, we were greeted with views of Queenstown and the valley below. As we approached the ski hill, we were notified that camp had been moved due to snow levels and that we were being transported to the lodge until we were moved to the new location of camp. Up at the lodge, the chair lifts were being cleaned off of about four to six inches of snow. We eventually made camp at the new location which was to be the camp site for the next day.
Friday 2/24/23 (Stage 5): 27.4 miles
The night was cold (again) so sleep was not as good as it could have been. This stage was also shortened (by only four kilometers) due to ice on the road at higher altitudes. We were bussed up to the new start location.
This stage was fun. At first there was lots of downhill that was very runnable. The scenery was great, and I spent the first half of the stage basically by myself until I linked up with Matt Miguelena another runner from the states. The weather was clear and warm. The course looped around, and we re-ran some of the trails out of Arrowtown and back into camp. At the finish we got a popsicle (they call them icees down there)
Most everyone was beat down hard, even the elites. All the runners were ready for the final stage and the finish line!
Saturday 2/25/23 (Stage 6 and Awards): 4.1 miles
This was basically a hill climbers dream up from camp and back over to the Coronet Peak Ski area. Three waves were set off at one-hour intervals in order to compress all the finishes into a relatively short time. The weather was spectacular, and everyone had a grand time. The finish was in the parking lot of the ski area and coke and French fries were available.
Lisa and I got a ride down to pick up our rental camper van for our post-race tour of the South Island. After a quick cleanup we headed over to Queenstown to catch the TSS Earnslaw for our trip to the awards dinner at Walter Peak Station. The Earnslaw is the only remaining coal fired steam ship in the southern hemisphere. Exceptionally cool from the engineering perspective, the engine room is open to the top deck enabling a view of the twin, triple expansion steam engines and transmissions the run the screws.
The trip over to Wallace Station took about one hour and libations were flowing. Staff at the Station were outside to wave to us as we docked and great us as we disembarked. A nice touch. The awards dinner was similar to the welcome dinner with lots of bread, meat, seafood, and desserts. There was no holding back.
The awards were conducted in an amphitheater on the premises and were a little rowdy. Everyone had a grand time. The boat ride back to Queenstown allowed for relaxing and preparations for a well-deserved rest.
Summary:
This is a beautiful race in a great country. I would say that this is not a beginner’s event but if you have some experience this is definitely a stage race to look into. The logistics of coming to New Zealand are a little tricky but experienced travelers will have no problems. As with many new races there will be growing pains and I am sure that Southern Lakes Ultra will continue to improve.
Ultra Stage Racing 