This is a nice big fish I’ve wanted to land for a while – the joining of the Northburn 100s to the Ultra168 Supporters Club. The Northburn 100s is directed by Terry Davies, who also has two other events in the Supporters club, The Ultra Easy in January and the forthcoming Mount Difficulty Ascent, part of the Oceania Skyrunning series.
So if you’re a big racer in the South Island (or North!), or an Aussie that loves to race across the ditch, sign up for the U168 Supporters Club to save $100s on racing over in New Zealand. Click on the image below for more information and to sign up:
Northburn has a special place in my heart as it was the scene of my first completed 100 miler. After a few failed attempts at GNW, I decided to find the toughest 100 miler I could, so in it’s inaugural year, I set off across the ditch in search of a good old fashioned suffer-fest and managed to draw out the process for 35 wondrous hours.
As an Ultra168 Supporter, you get 10% off your entry fee, which at full entry price is more money off the race than you pay to become a supporter… plus you get your free Ultra168 head gear too. Check out the video below of the Northburn 100s.
The Northburn 100 miler is three loops, starting from the Northburn vineyard and sheep station just outside Cromwell, one hour’s drive from Queenstown. This is a dry, hard, rocky course mostly run over high country 4WD tracks but also including some short sections of fence lines and sheep tracks.
The first 50km loop take you from 200m above sea level (Start/finish) up near the most central point in New Zealand at around 1660m (2400m vertical climb). The second ‘loop’ is another 50km loop with a climb of 3300m. The third and final loop is only 10kms longer but still with steep climbs distributed through it (3300m vertical climb). Total climb of over 9000m – this race is in UTMB territory!
Like all good races should, the Northburn 100s start at a vineyard, so plenty of hydration on offer and a great chance to sample the devine New Zealand pinot too. Get involved people!
Feature image credit: Paul Petch, Outdoor Photography