New Zealand Trail Runs

The Tarawera Ultramarathon is being run (pun intended) by New Zealand Trail Runs. A 100% Kiwi owned and operated outfit specialising in trail running races and tours. I, (Paul Charteris) am chief trail-guru, I am passionate about getting outdoors, enjoying nature and keeping fit and healthy as a result of it.

I worked for five years in Davis, Northern California where I was introduced to the athletic way of life via the Mad Cows Triathlon Club. Despite being one of the slower athletes, I made many friends among the Cows and served for a year as club President. On an early morning bike ride in Auburn, CA Diana Hassel spied noticed a couple of lean dirty runners running up a nearby hill. "Wow, I bet those are Western States runners!" she exclaimed. Yeah, I said. I did not know what a Western States runner was, and I did not want to show my ignorance. The fact that Diana seemed to hold these characters in high regard meant something, she was an Ironman Age Group World Champion at the time. I filed "Western States" away in my brain for future use.

Two years later, I decided to start hiking those hills around Auburn as prep. for the upcoming Tri. season. Each Saturday morning I'd hit the trails and spend hours walking up and down hills. During this time I saw many trail runners who seemed to defy both age and gravity. Some of them had to be nearly twice my age and yet they were out there laughing and chatting as they ran up these same hills I was struggling to walk up. Six months later, I entered my first ever trail running race, the Double Dipsea, a 13 mile double traverse of (arguably) America's most famous trail. Following the race I could not walk properly for a week but something happened out there on the trail, a passion was born and I became addicted to trail running.

Along the way I have made many amazing friendships and had some truly amazing experiences out there on wilderness trails in the middle of nowhere. A couple of dozen pairs of trail shoes later and 30 pounds lighter I am happy to have completed in a number of trail runs (including a few ultramarathon-distance events) in California as well as the Copper Canyon Ultramarathon in Mexico. In June 2009 I was lucky enough to run Western States. You can read about what happened here

I am excited to run in many of New Zealand's finest races, in the past few months I have completed the Kawerau Half Marathon, the Lydiard Legend Marathon, the Kawerau King of the Mountain Run, Toi's Challenge, Heaphy FIVE-O, N-Duro Trail Runs and many others. See also the new Fitness Fusion Ohope Half Marathon, 10k and Doggie Dash.

All of my contact details can be found here.
- Paul Charteris

 

 

 

 

The race continued as I hammered up the trail, passing rocks and trees
as if they were standing still."

- Red Fisher, Wasatch '86