Tread lightly

Few other events have you as up close an intimate with nature as a trail ultra run. You hear the birds singing in the trees, smell the moist ground, feel the thunder of the falls and (if you are lucky) see the trout jumping in the lakes.

Since this event passes through one of the most beautiful locations in the world (in my own humble opinion), I am very conscious of the impact any of my activities might have in our wilderness areas. By its very nature (both in activity and location) trail running attract people with a high level of environmental awareness. As a Race Directors we always tell people not to litter the trails, of course all trail runners already know the drill and would abhor any thought of throwing a gel packet on the trail or tossing a powerbar wrapper into a ponga. I have participated in (maybe 30+ trail run races) and have only witnessed one instance of deliberate littering.

Having covered the entire course just after race day, I am happy to report that almost no rubbish (only four pieces) were found over the entire 80km. Well done for being tidy Kiwis!

Looking after our natural areas is a shared commitment by the Race Management and Participants.

Here's what we can do


1. Buying local. we'll try and source as much produce as possible from local Bay of Plenty growers (this includes the yummy blueberries at the finish-line).

2. Buses. We will have buses available from the finish line back to Rotorua late in the evening.

3. Carpooling. We encourage you to carpool wherever possible. From a practical point of view it saves you gas money and means fewer potential cars on dusty roads like the Tarawera Forest.

4. Reduce, Re-use and Recycle
Reduce: We will minimise the amount of disposable materials used.
Reuse: Wen will encourage you to to drink from water bottles rather than disposable cups (but cups will be available).

Recycle? When waste generation cannot be avoided, we'll try and make sure choose products are locally recyclable.

Oh the green! Fern growing alongside the trail.

Here's what you can do

1. Never run past a manageable piece of litter. Pick it up, stuff it in your pockets, backpack, hydration pack etc. Only make exceptions if the offending object is unreasonably huge or ugly. An example of both of the latter would be the dead cow I found adjacent to the river trail near Urique in Mexico.

2. Pick one day a year where you will run the trails with the express purpose of cleaning it. Just like Sam - the world-famous Eco-Runner. I think the first weekend day after Earth Day would be a great candidate for Clean The Trails Day.

3. Try a Zero Impact Trail Run. This might require a bit of practice. If you do not live close to a trail you may need to bike to the trailhead. Take no calories so you do not create litter, get your litter from public sources (not bought from a store). If you do take in calories, think about buying calories in bulk with less packaging (like those big huge Hammergel jugs).

4. Study up on endangered species or ecosystems that your favorite trails traverse. The magnificent Kokako lives near me in ancient strands of Podocarp Forest. There are about 700 pairs of Kokako left in the world. This species and many other bird species are either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered in New Zealand. I was very fortunate to see a Kokako in Te Urewera Mainland Island.

5. Running or biking to the start of the track, no harm ever came from getting a little extra workout.

6. Of course, stay on the trail. Do not cut corners or attempt to make your own trails. There are some places on the Eastern Okataina Walkway that have extremely rare (nearly extinct) plant species right next to the trail.

Any other suggestions out there for running greener?

Please feel free to get in touch if you are looking for any training tips, travel plans or just want to talk about a great run you have just had.

Cheers, PC