12 April 2025
13 April is the backup date
Tararua Mountain race 20 per cent chance of sun,
10 per cent chance of no wind,
100 per cent chance of blood, sweat and tears.
Race the historic tramping route The Southern Crossing,
with the support of LandSAR
“Flat on my back, looking at the sky. My quads cramping more than that time I had my workmates' genuine homemade vindaloo.”
— Bradley Houghton
"Thank God we're at the top. I'm knackered."
He looked at me and said, "Oh, we haven’t started going up yet."
— Chris
“When I heard that the Tararua Mountain Race was returning, I think I peed a little.”
— Bradley Houghton
"I was just on such a high that I managed to complete this mission. It was beyond anything I’ve done in terms of hardness. I was taken by the Tararuas."
— Chris
Three race options
⛰️Southern Crossing - Running from Kaitoke, Upper Hutt Hardcore to Otaki Forks.
36KM 2300M
🏃🏃♀️Field Dash - An out-and-back to Field Hut from Otaki Forks.
13KM 770M
💪Kelly Glass Kime Climb - An out-and-back to Kime Hut from Otaki Forks.
24KM 1300M
"Hail. I couldn’t move my hands. My mate said, 'If we don’t keep moving, we’ll freeze.' And I just thought, I’m in the company of nutters here."
— Chris
“Bumping into some old friends and meeting some new ones was a great start to the day. As we drove down to the Car Park of Glory, the nerves started to ramp up.”
— Bradley Houghton
It's much harder than the Southern Alps. More roots
- Alastair McDowell
"That was my first schooling as far as the Tararua gnarliness goes. I've had a few schoolings since then, but you grow wise after a while. It’s the old Tararua formula—you estimate it, then add about half a day."
- Tim
