🏃🏃‍♀️The Munter is BACK

Here's what’s in the drop bag this week:

🏃🏃‍♀️Mukamuka Munter Results

👆NZ Short Course Trail Champs Update

🎯Things You May Have Missed

😎Upcoming Events: Forest Run Fest

⛰️💊Mountain Skag of The Week

Note: Due to the length, some email browsers will hide some of the content - make sure you click ‘view entire email’ or click through to substack.

Rather than stall for another day this week, I stand here derobed in front of you, warts and all, having done even less work than normal😝.

We’ve got the Mukamuka Munter results, a bit of news and an excuse to bust out my Afflettuce NZ cap. Let’s call it the clam before the UTMB storm.

Now, let’s slide on over to the Results Desk, brought to you by Kinisi Running.

After 2 unofficial years in the wilderness, the Mukamuka Munter is officially BACK, BABY!😎

Over 100 runners were let loose on Saturday morning, heading down the Wainuionowhere Coast on Wellington’s finest micro-adventure.

Let’s see who was first to etch their name into this new chapter of Mukamuka Munter history.

🥇Hannah Fletcher - 3:13:50

🥈Zoe MacClure - 3:33:06

🥉Harriette Carr - 4:11:04

Hannah Fletcher dominated the women’s race, putting herself in the rarefied air of having won both the A100 and the Mukamuka Munter.

Throw in wins at the WAI2K and WUU2k, plus silver behind Ali Wilson at Jumbo in 2025 and the NZ Short Course Champs, and there aren’t many people in the Wellington region with a more impressive collection of results in recent years.

This is where a question for Hannah should be, but this idiot forgot to message her:

“Hannah’s quote”

Doh! It helps if you actually push send on the message.

Congratulations, Hannah. Another classy win.

🥇Chester Holt-Quick - 2:43:39

🥈Sam McCutcheon - 2:45:54

🥉Ryan Tait - 2:48:56

Chester Holy-Quick, Batman! ignored TLC’s advice and went chasing waterfalls, but even that wasn’t enough to stop him from being the first to sink his teeth into a victory sausage.

I’ll let Chester tell you all about it because not only are there no aid stations at the Munter, there aren’t any timing mats either, so I’ll refrain from filling in the blank this week.

“I really enjoyed this race. Don’t know if I was more star struck or apprehensive racing Sam McCutcheon on the start line. He’s a great guy with an impressive running pedigree. We set off around the coast at a good honest pace ~ 3’40s, definitely working, especially trying to keep things fast along the sand. We ran together for the full first half of the race and had a few minutes gap on 3rd (Ryan Tait).”

“A little ways up the Mukamuka I exchanged company of Sam for a couple of baby goats. I lost sign of Sam and thought maybe he’d tired out. But when I checked the map I realised I had gone left up the wrong stream/waterfall in the final approach to the saddle.”

“I backtracked and then as approached the top of the saddle caught the view of a runner. Expecting it to be Sam, but was actually Ryan and then realised “Oh I’m third now, okay!”. Ryan was running really well and flowing nicely down the technical Mt Matthews descent. Thanks to that I think he/we managed to bring Sam back into sight at the Orongoronga river (Sam didn’t actually realise I was behind him).”

“Was very cool that all three of us basically landed at the beginning of Big Bend track (~ 11km to go) at the same time. Ryan filled up his bottle in the river and I skipped ahead to draft off Sam. We ran together for about 4km, then with ~ 7km to go I had a sense that my climbing legs were a little fresher than his so raised the effort level a bit and send it home.”

“Exceeded my expectations, absolutely loved it. This type of event brings out the hard core from the trail community, such a good vibe. Shout out to Callum Mallet, volunteers, WREC’kd and the OG Chris Martin for this event. So good!

“The only potentially shortcoming of the standard munter is that it's all over quickly and you've only just got a semi!”

Running crushes, majestic goats, lost waterfalls and semis. All in under 3 hours🤔. No wonder this race is so popular.

On a side note, how good is it to see Sam McCutcheon back racing? One of our premier international runners of the last decade, back throwing down around town.

Now, it’s not all about the top 3.

The Munter means a lot to the wider Wellington running community, and few people know that better than Harriette Carr, who finished 3rd in the women’s race and 1st Super Vet.

This was Harriette’s 12th official Munter. Chuck in the unofficial events, and it was her 14th time getting munted.

Rather than asking someone who’s only just fallen for the Munter, I thought I’d hear from someone who’s been by its side through sickness and in health.

Here’s Harriette with a great brief history of the Munter.

“Shane Ross organised the first munters (2008- 2013) - modeled on the original Trampers Marathon that the local Tramping Clurbs used to run. He even had a trampers grade where you had to have a minimum weight in your pack (and finish with that weight). There was also an award for Bantams (under 60kgs) and Clydesdales (over 90kg I think).”

“Martini then resurrected (2016-2023). Interestingly, the ‘B’ Course (Whakanui loop) was run in 2008 and 2016 - the first years for both Shane and Martini so Callum has missed that curse.”

“This was my 12th official time doing the event, though I also did the unoffical events in 2024 and 2025 - so 14th in total.”

“In terms of Why? Because it is the best micro adventure around! It is like a three course meal - it dishes up a bit of everything - the 12km coastal section is the entree - you don’t want to ‘eat’ too much here as you need to save yourself for the main course and meaty bit - up the Mukamuka to Mt Matthews saddle and down to the Orongorongo - this is a degustation delight.”

“Finally there is the dessert where you get to test how much more you can stomach with nice single track, beautiful bush, with a side of mud, and small undulations, and then... the final road section - just to remind us why we all prefer trails to road.”

“Aside from the actual running, it is also a great social event with great sausages and banter, and a rich history. Shane, Chris and now Callum have all done a stirling job keeping it going.”

“On a separate note - it was weird to be 3rd female with such a slow time - but with females only being about 20% of the field, I think we still have some work to do to encourage more females into these self-supported type of events....”

You hear that, ladies? Harriette wants more of you out there knocking her off the podium next year.

So, that sounds like a thumbs-up from Harriette for the new crew. But what about the enigmatic and wildly handsome former Race Director, lead singer and Blackcap, Chris Martin?

“Yes was a lot of the same faces.
People love the course the wilderness and the vibe.”

“I’m stoked it’s back and the new team did great job especially with the medical situation they had to deal with.”

“Being a race director can be stressful but the buzz you get from getting all those people round course is worth it.”

“If you have a love for a route you want others to experience it.”

“My fave thing is seeing newbies go through the pain cave and come out other side.”

“Nothing beats niche community mountain races like TMR, JH, Undulator, Goat, Munter and the Kaweka Challenge back too.”

“There’s some machines out there too like the top few at Munter were class athletes.”

The impact Chris and his races have had on Wellington’s running scene is immeasurable, so it’s great to see that hard work hasn’t been washed away.

Now he gets to rock back and forth in his Race Director retirement, watching someone else slowly lose their mind.

Speaking of rocking back and forth, Callum Mallett.

The very man who found a way to drag the Munter back from the scrap heap.

Sending 100 runners into a wilderness environment would be enough to chew through most of your fingernails. Layer a medical emergency on top and I’d be surprised if Callum isn’t down to just some stumps.

Here’s Callum on how things went from the other side of the hi-vis vest.

“Yeah, I think so! There were definitely a few things that didn’t go exactly to plan, but as I’ve learn’t all was pretty typical of the Munter and these kind of races. Stoked with how the day came together in all, especially with the support and backing of the community. Much love to all the crew and huuge respect of the runners in the pointy end that went back out to help.”

“Certainly wasn’t reinventing anything much from the old. There were no aid stations (except fireball, and the romanian plum brandy), slightly ambiguous course markings, sausages, rivers, majestic goats etc. Plenty of stories of (mis)adventure. All up it really is the people that make up the spirit of the race!”

“The Mukamuka will always be a wilderness race.
There are obviously things I’d change for next time, perhaps just in the back end with logistics and comms, but I think the event proved that it is all still possible to run low-fi, club racing of this kind.”

“As for what’s next? The Mukamuka was essentially a proof of concept and the Aorangi Undulator is the next fixture loaded. I know a few ideas floating around peoples minds for the future of WREC’kd. Our Annual General Meeting is not far away, and although this might feel overly bureaucratic, I think this will be a pivotal moment for the collective as we look to what the future holds.”

Thanks for that, Callum.

I don’t know the full details of the medical event, only that someone needed to be stretchered out several kilometres from the finish, with the help of several runners (including some who went back after finishing). Fingers crossed there was a happy ending.

A great example of what makes being a Race Director such a stressful job, but also a bloody good example of the community stepping up when it mattered.

So, if you’ve made it this far and you’re still wondering if the Munter is truly back, let’s look at the evidence.

No aid stations, ambiguous markings, river crossings, sausages, majestic goats, misadventure and Fireball.

Yeah, nah. It sounds like they nailed it.

Congratulations to Callum, Chris, WRECK’d, the volunteers and everyone else who refused to let one of Wellington’s great trail-running rites of passage become just a memory.

Take a moment to appreciate what a massive undertaking it has been to get this far, and celebrate the fact that grassroots wilderness racing is still possible in the Wellington region.

Last week, you may recall, I covered the sad news that the Tussock Traverse and Ring of Fire are going on a “break”.

That left a rather sizeable hole in the race calendar, along with the small matter of us being down a Short Course Trail Champs and NZ team qualifier for South Africa.

I presumed it would go back to 3 Peaks + 1 after the great job they’ve done hosting it in recent years. Or I could see a world where it went to Crater Rim, only if they wanted it, of course.

So, I spent all week frantically refreshing the Athletics NZ News and Events page to keep up with the situation.

It seems they’re not quite ready to deliver the news, so I’ll jump the gun and cut over to the Afflettuce NZ News Desk to make the announcement:

I did not see that happening!

I always thought the Tussock Traverse was a bizarre choice for the Short Course Champs. Yes, it’s short. It had that bit going for it.

But literally everyone who wants to compete has to travel. It’s not close to any main centres, it’s been taken over by a relatively new organisation still finding its feet, and it has no history of drawing deep competitive fields.

That being said, when I first heard through the Curranzvine that the XTERRA Trail Marathon had landed the gig, I was also a bit baffled.

I ran the race in 2025 and had a great time, but…

• It’s still on the shorter side.

• It’s part of a wider event involving mountain bikes, so the trail marathon isn’t the sole focus.

• The terrain doesn’t have much crossover with what the runners will face in South Africa.

• It’s only a couple of weeks after Tarawera.

However, I’ve had a week to digest it, and I’m coming around to the idea.

• Race HQ is only 35 minutes from Wellington CBD.

• Barefoot Events, the team behind the Faultline Ultra, have been putting on events for years.

• The terrain might not look much like South Africa, but it has a great mix that will test the full array of skills.

The course has a fast start followed by a net uphill grind. A beastly climb through the bush requires some mud-surfing skills and your full attention on the course markings. Then there are some long, glorious descents before it finishes with 10ish km of undulating trail around QE Park, which will feel like a never-ending cross-country run at primary school.

The racing will be fast and frantic. It might not be a great replica of the World Champs course, but it will provide a good test of climbing, descending and flat redline speed.

It might not be the choice I would have made, BUT it’s a huge improvement. With the location, I’m sure we’ll see much deeper women’s and men’s fields than we would have at the Tussock Traverse and to me that is what matters most.

It’s in the calendar for 27 February, so circle the date if you’re looking to take home an NZ title. Or, if you’re like me, you just want to tell your grandchildren one day that you raced at the National Trail Running Champs… hopefully they don’t ask where I finished!

It looks like the event details are still being confirmed, so hold fire. I’ll bring you the full goss as it emerges.

It’s been awesome to see Sophie Woods all over the international media following her incredible FKT on the Via Alpina.

I haven’t had a chance to listen yet, but it looks like Dirt Church managed to jump the podcast queue and become one of the first to hear more from Sophie about her FKT.

Will queue it up for later in the week, but let me know what you think.

If you submitted your CV of hardcore to the Kaweka Challenge, check your spam folder if you haven’t heard back.

Spots were extremely limited, so they went ultra old school and drew names from a bucket hat among those who made the grade.

There is a waitlist, which sounds like a first-to-yell-shotgun situation.

In the week before the noise of UTMB takes over, it’s somewhat refreshing to see spots at the Kaweka Challenge so hotly contested and the Mukamuka Munter successfully relaunched.

Gotta have your zing with your zang.

Last week I made a boo boo and said you can still qualify for the NZ Backyard Satellite team for the world champs right up until October.

Surprise, I got it wrong. I don’t think anyone has got corrected that much since Dirt Church said that Auckland was the Mecca of trail running.

Turns out the qualifying period finished on August 15th. You would have had to run at the Clint Eastwood BYU in Straya over the weekend to make the team. Jordan Nukunuku ran 62 laps, but I’m unsure of his status as he lives over is Aussie, so it’s a bit of a Pavlova situation.

We will take a look at the NZ team and where they’ll be running in the next couple of weeks as we move closer to the final shindig.

The only thing I’ve had more emails about than last week’s BYU Satellite team boo boo is the NZ Vert Champs.

Yes, I’m aware that Crush the Cargill exists. No, I don’t think it should be the NZ Vert Champs.

Regardless, I’m heading down there in December to find out what the fark it’s all about, as I’m still not really sure what the event is.

Fingers crossed I can get niggle-free and start my speed work in preparation for crushing the Cargill.

We’re in full Forest Fiesta season!

Run the Forest blew up with over 4,000 runners a couple of weeks back in Rotochangchang, and this weekend Bottle Lake Forest will host 1,200 runners for the Forest Run Fest.

We all love a bit of winding, technical single track. But that feeling of soft, soft pine-needle carpet underfoot is orgasmic.

Let’s see just how long that feeling can last.

Looking at the start list, both Hannah Oldroyd and Hayden Zervos are back to defend their titles. Zervos is hunting the hat-trick, while Oldroyd is looking to make it 3 wins in 4 years.

Who’s got the best chance of knocking them over?

No idea. There are far too many names on that list for my intel machine.

Regardless, conditions are looking mint for Sunday and I’m expecting both CR times to be under threat.

This week’s hit comes from ….. ME!

It’s felt like forever since I’ve been up on top of somewhere new. But last weekend I got away for 3 days to Rangiwahia Hut on a family tramp on the edges of the Ruahine Forest Park. I had almost forgotten what it felt like to see ridgelines and spurs shooting off in all directions.

Tag @trailrunning.nz (NOTE THE “.”) and use #mountainskag. DM on Instagram or email trailrunningnz@gmail.com to enter (email is the most reliable).

Picking up what I’m putting down? Send it to a mate who you know will be into it too!

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P.S: UTMB Week starts next week with TDS on Tuesday I believe. So we will take a good look at all the Kiwi’s who are racing and some of the major story lines.