2007 Results

2007 Cape Brett Results.pdf

2007 Ultimate Direction Results.pdf

2007 Race Report

Helly Hansen Cape Brett Challenge
37km of Spectacular Adventure Running
21 April 2007

On a picture perfect day in April around 250 runners faced the starting line in the tiny outer Bay of Islands ' community of Rawhiti, for an adventure run through some of New Zealand 's most spectacular coastal scenery. The event which is only in its third year, has quickly developed a reputation as a run to be respected, with over 1700 vertical metres of climbing - some of it fearsomely steep. The 2007 results showed the reputation is well deserved!

For practical reasons the event is actually composed of two runs; the Ultimate Direction Whangamumu Wonder, a “doable” 15km run through Whangamumu Harbour as well as the full 37km Helly Hansen Cape Brett Challenge.

Both runs start in Rawhiti and the powhiri at the start is a warning of the need to pray for strength in the hours ahead! Runners initially head South, away from the Cape on a short road section, before taking the track to Whangamumu with its historic whaling station ruins and isolated, spectacular Te Toroa Bay. The track to Whangamumu is generally well graded, but from there becomes steeper and narrower, before climbing back to the main Cape Brett track along the ridge line. The 15km course runners and walkers head back from here to Rawhiti via the daunting Pukehuia (345m) but the Helly Hansen Cape Brett Challenge runners hang a right to head North to Rakaumangamanga and the lighthouse at the Cape. To get there though they need to traverse the seven distinctive peaks that mark the peninsula's dragon-like spine. The spines are said to represent the seven waka which formed part of the migration fleet that carried early indigenous peoples from the legendary island of Hawaiiki to Aotearoa New Zealand around 1000 years ago.

The area is rich in history. When James Cook arrived here, this was one of the most populated regions in the country. There are many sacred sites and pa along the peninsula and on the off shore islands. It is also the point from which the Northland iwi of Ngapuhi departed for what is now regarded as one of the most blood-thirsty examples of inter-tribal warfare ever seen in New Zealand . The old people tell of 60 waka being at anchor in one of these bays in the early days. This is where they left from to embark upon the voyages down the East Coast of the North Island and into Rotorua, which were known as the Musket Wars.

Veteran Colin Earwaker of Rotorua added another notch to his belt in a very successful season, with a clear cut win in 4 hours 33 mins over Andrew Hughes and another well performed vet Guy Cory-Wright. Earwaker put the pressure on from the start, leading a breakaway group of four containing Hughes to an early lead and then basically through shear strength and good off-road technique ran away from them. Cory-Wright ran a different race, conserving his strength early and working his way up through the field as the race progressed from 20 th at the start of the track to Whangamumu to 4 th at the turnaround at the lighthouse and finally 3rd at the finish.

Sonya Clark of Auckland continued the tradition of women finishing well in the event with an overall 7 th place in 5 hours 24 minutes ahead of Emma McCosh and Mandy Mills. Clark ran a similar race to Earwaker and really ran away from her competitors. McCosh and Mills though had tough battle, with Mills leading McCosh to the lighthouse, but being passed on the way home.

Former Russian Olympic runner Serge Kokorine smashed the record on the popular 15km Ultimate Direction Whangamumu Wonder course to finish ahead of fellow vet Graham Watts in 1 hour 36 mins. Kokorine was simply too strong for the opposition and powered his way to his impressive win, always in control. The third runner home was Oksana Isavnina, Kokorine's wife, who held out Bridget Leonard of Auckland into second place. The womens race was initially closer with Leonard (top 10 women's finish in this years Coast to Coast) and Blair keeping Isavnina in sight over the early stages before yielding ground over the later steeper sections of the course. The first four women home broke the existing women's record.

The 2006 event saw a very high level of attrition, but the word had clearly got out for 2007 and only 6 runners failed to complete the courses – two being evacuated with injuries from the course at Te Toroa Bay and the remainder coming home by boat from Deep Water Cove.

Placings for the event were as follows:

Helly Hansen Cape Brett Challenge 37km

Ultimate Direction Cape Brett Challenge 15km