South Island Ultra Marathon

Age Restrictions:

All competitors in the 54km and 100km events are to be 18 years or older. All competitors in the 24km event must be 16 years or older. All competitors in the 6km event must be 10 years or older.

Bag Drop:

• Bag drops to be left at registration, the day before the event by 3:00pm. These can then be sorted and taken to the Aid Stations specified by you. Drop Bag locations will be at :
• Kumara 31km
• Old Christchurch Road 46km
• Sunny Bight 78km
• Hurunui Jacks 87km
• There will be no Bag drops for 24km runners.
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• The Drop Bags MUST be sealed and clearly marked with:
• * Name
• * Event
• * Race Number
• * Location for drop back to be taken too
• * E.g: Joe Bloggs, 100km, Number 101, Location Sunny Bight
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• Make sure that the bag is sealed and that nothing is loose and will fall out, as we will have a large number of these at the Aid Stations. No paper bags or plastic bags tied in a know will be accepted. Please do not put frozen items in the bags as these could melt into others.
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• No bags drops can be guaranteed to be at feed stations, if asked to be dropped the morning of the event.

Bus to the Start:

If you require a bus ticket to the start you can purchase this for $25.00

• * A Bus will run from the Beachfront Hotel Hokitika to Greymouth, for the start of the 100km
• * A Bus will run from the Beachfront Hotel Hokitika to Old Christchurch Road, for the start of the 54km
• * A Bus will run from the Beachfront Hotel Hokitika to Hans Bay, for the start of the 24km
• * A Bus will run from the Beachfront Hotel Hokitika to Kaniere Township, for the start of the 6km
  
  

Private vehicles going to the start of the 54km, we recommend taking the bus, as there is very limited spots to park on the side of the road and there is no car park at the start. Competitors will walk 400m to the start and spectators won't be able to see you start, given the darkness and location. We recommend participants to take the bus.
At the 24km there is plenty of parking for cars. If you are dropping anyone off at Hans Bay you will not be able to leave the start area for 15 minutes after the start of the 24km. This allows the runners to be off the road before cars follow.
Bus tickets can be purchased online when entering, if your partner wants to see you start then they will have to make their own way to the start, as the bus is only available for competitors.

Toilet Requirements - Poo Bags:

What you take into the run you must bring back out, this includes fesses. There are porta-loos and toilets throughout the run and a map of these will be provided and can be downloaded at www.westcoastwildernesstrail.co.nz
If you need to go to the toilet before you can get to a toilet on the route, you will need a poo bag (best you calculate how often you believe you will need to go during the event and have sufficient bags. We’d hate for some our native birds to be chocking on your finest or the waterways getting polluted.
Thank you for this and we recommend you check out the following link for some great helpful tips https://www.wildwalks.co.nz/Wild-Walks/Walks-FAQ-s/Advice-and-Information/Human-Waste-Disposal.aspx

Spectators:

With the 100km start there will be locations around Greymouth that you will be able to view competitors. There are other spots along the trail to the Taramakau Bridge. Please be careful when stopping or crossing the State Highway if you are encouraging competitors.

After the Taramakau River the next best place would be Kumara Main Street before they go back into the Bush and are out briefly at Loopline Road at the Reservoirs, then not until the Old Christchurch Road for 200 metres, then Lake Kaniere.

We request that spectators do not go up Milltown Road towards Cowboy Paradise as the runners will be running on the shingle road and there are a number of blind corners throughout this section of the run.

Spectators at the start of the 24km at Hans Bay "Lake Kaneire", If you are dropping anyone off at Hans Bay you will not be able to leave the start area for 15 minutes after the start of the 24km. This allows the runners to be off the road before cars follow.

Then the best spot will be at the Finish on the beach front at Hokitika.

Be Prepared:

As an Ultra Marathoner you are to be prepared for the event. This means you must have trained and be physically fit enough to complete the event within the cut off times. If you have had any health issues that you think may restrict you completing the event within the time frames, we request that you seek medical advice prior to attempting the event.
If you have or have had symptoms of Covid-19 we request that you be tested for this prior to taking part and only taking part if you have a negative result for the Virus.
You will be running on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand which has a high rainfall. The event is run in early May when weather conditions are stable, but the weather can change on the coast within a matter of minutes.
100km runners will start at sea level and run to 362 metres above sea level before descending back to sea level at the finish. You will experience changes in temperatures especially when running in the dark. Conditions will change, and we request that you have quality gear and keep this dry, compulsory gear is listed is as below.
Total Elevation 546m based on a bike ride and 720m from competitors of the 100km run.

Compulsory Gear for all - 100km and 54km competitors and recommended gear for 24km: Race Brief is also compulsory for all 100km and 54km competitors.

• Headlamps (with spare batteries)
• Long sleeve top wool/polypropylene
• Thermal Hat (Beanie not Buff)
• Thermal gloves
• Waterproof jacket (seam-sealed with hood)
• Survival Blanket and/or Bag
• Reflective gear, back and front, for those running in the dark. Sunrises at 7.33am and sets at 5:25pm (After Hurunui Jacks with approx 14km to go you have 4km on the road, you must be able to be seen) - 100km & 54km competitors receive two reflective slapbands in their pack
• Whistle
• Mobile Phone – charged in a waterproof container with Race Directors number in the phone 027 2267769
• Please note - 54km competitors, with the 54km starting at 8:00am it is recommended that a headlamp be taken with you, but not compulsory. If you are going to be longer than 9 hours you will need a headlamp.