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Taupo capitalises on trail running interest
Taupo will host three half marathons over three months, with two new events being added to the town's already busy events calendar.
Two new off-road half marathons - one around Mount Tauhara and the other at Kinloch - have been announced, adding to Taupo's well-established half marathon which has been running for 15 years.
Event organiser Nick Reader has just announced the establishment of the Brooks Smith Sports Shoes Off Road Half Marathon, giving people a once-a-year chance to run or walk around Mount Tauhara.
The off-road event, which will be held on July 12, has been two years in the planning, with land access issues now sorted. Mr Reader said the course would take participants through farmland, pine forest trails and native bush on a track not normally available to the public.
Mr Reader was aiming for 500 competitors this year and believed the event would grow from there.
"I think it will capture people's imagination," he said.
The announcement of his off-road half marathon comes just a week after it was announced the Mizuno Off-Road Half Marathon would be held on September 5 to partner with the already popular Mizuno Taupo Half Marathon in August.
Wayne Reardon, who organises both Mizuno events, said his off-road marathon would take place at Kinloch in September. The decision to run an off-road event to partner the on-road one was the result of popular demand, he said.
The off-road half marathon will be run on stages of the new W2K track, which winds its way from Kinloch to Whakaipo Bay and will include the recently opened Headland Track loop.
Mr Reardon said off-road running was growing in popularity so the new Kinloch event linked in nicely with the regular half marathon which last year attracted more than 3000 runners and walkers. He was not too concerned about the town hosting two off-road half marathons.
"People can choose to do one or the other, or both. They're all pretty well spread out," he said.
Destination Lake Taupo events manager Warwick Hall also had no concerns about the three events but said he believed two off-road half marathons was probably enough.
"I'm careful to maintain a balance of events and not over-saturate. The Mizuno on-road is completely different to the off-road stuff."
The fact event organisers were running two off-road events within three months of each other reflected the growing popularity of off-road running, he said.
"We're riding the wave of popularity. There's a real surge of people wanting to do trail running - people are really getting into it."
Two new off-road half marathons - one around Mount Tauhara and the other at Kinloch - have been announced, adding to Taupo's well-established half marathon which has been running for 15 years.
Event organiser Nick Reader has just announced the establishment of the Brooks Smith Sports Shoes Off Road Half Marathon, giving people a once-a-year chance to run or walk around Mount Tauhara.
The off-road event, which will be held on July 12, has been two years in the planning, with land access issues now sorted. Mr Reader said the course would take participants through farmland, pine forest trails and native bush on a track not normally available to the public.
Mr Reader was aiming for 500 competitors this year and believed the event would grow from there.
"I think it will capture people's imagination," he said.
The announcement of his off-road half marathon comes just a week after it was announced the Mizuno Off-Road Half Marathon would be held on September 5 to partner with the already popular Mizuno Taupo Half Marathon in August.
Wayne Reardon, who organises both Mizuno events, said his off-road marathon would take place at Kinloch in September. The decision to run an off-road event to partner the on-road one was the result of popular demand, he said.
The off-road half marathon will be run on stages of the new W2K track, which winds its way from Kinloch to Whakaipo Bay and will include the recently opened Headland Track loop.
Mr Reardon said off-road running was growing in popularity so the new Kinloch event linked in nicely with the regular half marathon which last year attracted more than 3000 runners and walkers. He was not too concerned about the town hosting two off-road half marathons.
"People can choose to do one or the other, or both. They're all pretty well spread out," he said.
Destination Lake Taupo events manager Warwick Hall also had no concerns about the three events but said he believed two off-road half marathons was probably enough.
"I'm careful to maintain a balance of events and not over-saturate. The Mizuno on-road is completely different to the off-road stuff."
The fact event organisers were running two off-road events within three months of each other reflected the growing popularity of off-road running, he said.
"We're riding the wave of popularity. There's a real surge of people wanting to do trail running - people are really getting into it."
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