The 21km.
8.30AM SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER 2024 | THE TRAILS OF WHAKATU-NELSON
Why A Trail Half?
Swap the roads for winding single tracks and embrace the exhilarating unpredictability of the trails!
A trail half isn't just a half; it's an escapade across ever-changing terrain - leg-burning ascents, breathtaking panoramas, and wild descents.
The course.
The adventure begins winding alongside the Maitai River trail in anticipation of the first ascent to the legendary Fringed Hill - a climb marked by winding fire roads and heart-pounding inclines that demand nothing short of strategic pacing.
At the summit, take in the breathtaking views as you gasp for breath and prepare for a technical descent along Cummins Spur, slicing through lush native forests.
Emerging at the 'crossroads,' runners unite with New Zealand's storied past, tracing the path of the Dun Mountain Railway. Ascend once more, scaling the iconic Grampians ridge-line that looms over Nelson City before hurtling down a thrilling descent past Church Hill, to the finish line on Trafalgar Square West,
TOTAL ELEVATION:
Total Ascent: 1181m
Total Descent: 1210m
Max Elevation: 768m
TRAIL ACCESS:
If you’re running parts of the course for training please make sure you know which land is public land and which is private land and the requirements for accessing them before your run. Some sections of the course are on private land will need a permit in order to access it. In particular, parts of Sharlands Hill and Fringed Hill are Tasman Pine land and require a permit. Sections may also be closed at certain times so please check before you run.
THe important stuff.
What you get
We’ve partnered with some of our favourite local businesses to bring you some of the best race merch ever. Here’s what you’ll get:
Race number
Timing chip
Bag drop tags
Food and drinks at aid stations
Medical support
Race cap
Finishers medal
Race poster
Spot prize entry
Race pack filled with goodies from some of our favourite local businesses
A chance to watch some of the world’s best milers (the 1609m kind) race through the streets of Nelson
EntrIES
Key Dates:
June 30th: Early entry fee pricing ends
September 30th: Regular entry fee pricing ends
November 11th: Entries for nationwide Matthews Eyecare collections close
December 12th: Late/online entries close
Spaces are limited though so best to get your entry in now to secure your spot early!
Race Pack Collection
Those who enter before November 11th can collect their race pack from selected Matthews Eyecare stores throughout NZ between 2-6 December. Simply select which store you’d like to collect your race pack from when entering.
Those entering after November 11th can pick up their race pack from Matthews Eyecare Nelson during the designated time slot on Thursday 12 December, Friday 13 December and Saturday 14 December.
Race hub
The race hub is located at Trafalgar Square. This is where you can browse the race stalls, listen to live music, eat great food, and cheer everyone on with your friends and family.
Prizes
Medals: Every finisher will receive a beautiful wooden medal as you cross the finish line, you might even have an Olympian presenting it to you!
Top 3 finishers: The top 3 finishers in each race of each gender will be presented on stage with a prize.
Spot Prizes: We love a good spot prize almost as much as we love a good race pack, so we’ve partnered with some generous local businesses to bring you some epic spot prizes (think travel vouchers, all-inclusive spa days and more). Trust us, you’ll want to stick around after your race for this!
Photos
We have a talented team of photographers out on the course taking epic shots for the gram, or if you’re a little more old school - for the wall. A link to race photos can be found on the Results page after the race.
-
Pacers are not permitted for the 10km, 21km, and 50km.
-
There is no mandatory gear for the 21km, however we recommend you carry any gear and fluids you would normally carry for an event of this distance over this terrain.
Trekking poles are permitted for the 10km, 21km, 50km, 100km, and 100 mile races, subject to the following rules:
a. Trekking poles must be fully collapsible so they can either fit inside a running pack or be strapped to the outside of a running pack (and not protrude) when not in use.
b. Trekking poles must always be used in a safe manner so as not to affect the safety of others.Athletes must ensure their bib number is visible at all times on the outside of their clothing and on the front of their body over the abdomen or chest. It must not be worn on pants or legs. Athletes must not cover their bib number with any backpack strap or article of clothing (such as thermal top, waterproof jacket (including see-through jackets) or, if mandatory, a high visibility safety vest. Athletes must not fold, cut or change their bib number in any way. It must be worn as is, unfolded.
Timing chips must be worn on your shoes at all times. If changing shoes during the event, it is up to the athlete to transfer the timing chip to the new shoes.
Headphones are not recommended, but are permitted for all trail races subject to the following rules:
a. Athletes must ensure that using headphones will not impact their mobile phone battery to the extent that the mobile phone will not be able to be of use throughout the entire duration of the race.
b. Athletes must switch off headphones, or lower the volume and use headphones in one ear only, when running on single track so that they can hear communication from other athletes attempting to pass and on any public roads so that they can hear approaching traffic.
c. Athletes must switch off headphones at all aid stations so that instructions from event staff can be heard and followed.
d. Athletes who choose to use headphones must do so in a safe and sensible manner and at a volume which still allows the athlete to remain aware of their surroundings.Athletes must carry all Mandatory Gear specified for their Race Distance on the Race website (and must do so at all times during the Race).
Random gear checks will be performed during the Race. If the athlete is found not to be carrying a mandatory item/s, this could result in disqualification or time penalties.
Refusal to participate in a Mandatory Gear check will also result in disqualification. For on-course gear checks, any time penalty will be served at the location of the gear check so athletes will not be able to proceed on course until the time penalty is served. During this time, the athlete must arrange for the missing item(s) to be replaced or they will not be allowed to continue on course even after the time penalty has been served. Where an athlete is found to be missing any Mandatory Gear items in a subsequent gear check, the athlete may be disqualified. Where it is not feasible to serve a time penalty on course, the time penalty will be added to the athlete’s overall Race time. The time penalty will also be listed within the Race results spreadsheet.Athletes should pay particular attention to any communications received from the Organiser in Race week indicating which weather dependent Mandatory Gear items are required to ensure they are aware of changes to any gear requirements.
The rules.
-
Competitors must attend or read the compulsory race briefing for your race. Briefings will be posted on the website and sent out by email prior to race day. There will also be a race day briefing immediately prior to the start that will include current weather and trail conditions.
Athletes must follow the directions of event staff, medical team and course marshals at all times.
Competitors must adhere to the volunteer’s and marshal’s instructions at all times.
All Race starts are self-seeding. Faster athletes are to place themselves towards the front in the start chute and those looking to take their time to place themselves further back.
Athletes must not permit someone else to compete under their name, or compete under someone else’s name. Violation of this rule will result in the suspension of both parties from competing in the Race in future years.
Competitors must keep to the marked course and not leave the trail. Short cuts are prohibited (including on any switchbacks). If the athlete becomes lost, the athlete should return to the last course marking seen.
Competitors should keep to the left of the course if being passed by another competitor.
Competitors are in charge of knowing their own race course.
Athletes must follow all information signage, such as track closures, etc. Athletes should also observe all informational signage if training in the area prior to Race day. Certain parts of the course require special permission to gain access, all training must remain on publicly accessible areas and public land unless special permission has been granted prior.
The Race Director reserves the right to withdraw any competitor they feel is in distress and would not be capable of completing the event at any stage.
If competitors do not reach certain check points by the designated cut off times they will be removed from the course and unable to finish the race.
Athletes who withdraw from the Race (including those athletes required to withdraw under Rule 6) must do so at an aid station, unless assisted from the course by the Race medical team. To withdraw at an aid station, an athlete must notify event staff at the aid station and complete and sign the aid station withdrawal form.
Athletes requiring First Aid help on the course must use the phone numbers in their Participant Emergency Instructions (on the back of each athlete’s bib) to contact the event safety team who will arrange retrieval. Unauthorised persons (including Support Crews and/or Spectators) are not allowed to enter the course to collect athletes.
Athletes must not:
- litter on course, at any Race venue or in any surrounding areas;
- leave human faeces on the course or any track. Athletes who need to relieve themselves should either use a toilet, a wag bag or get well off the track and follow the ‘leave no trace’ principles;
- smoke or light any fire on course or at any Race venue; and
- take dogs on any part of the course (and, where the Race requires athletes to attend a National Park, anywhere in that National Park). Exceptions may apply for registered assistance/service dogs, please contact the Race organiser for details.Athletes must leave gates as they are found. If closed, an athlete may open a gate to pass through but it is each athlete’s responsibility to close the gate behind them.
Athletes must respect the rights, dignity and worth of every individual at the Race including other athletes, staff, marshals, volunteers and spectators. Athletes must at all times act responsibly and maintain high standards of behaviour and language and must not discriminate against or harass any person on any grounds but in particular based on sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, ability or performance.
Only athletes registered in The Spectacle are able to officially take part in The Spectacle.
Competitors should be kind and respectful to other competitors.
Please respect any private or public property adjacent to the race course both before and during the event (No sneaky toilet breaks on public or private land). Competitors must not, approach, or interfere with any stock.
Competitors must remove all of their rubbish. If seen littering you will be disqualified. If you carry it in, you must carry it out or discard it at designated areas at aid stations.
Staff and medical vehicles will be moving through the course during the race. Please be respectful of this and move out of the way as quickly as possible. Normal road rules apply throughout, please move to the left and let faster traffic pass on the right. Be courteous to all participants.
-
For the purposes of these Race Rules:
• Spectators are those athlete supporters who attend the Race to provide encouragement to their athlete and view the Race from areas that are publicly accessible. Spectators are not permitted to provide outside assistance in any distance of the Race. Spectators are permitted for all Race distances.
• Support Crew are those athlete supporters whose designated role on Race day is to provide outside assistance to their athlete at designated aid stations. Support Crew numbers are limited to the number of passengers in an athlete’s allocated Support Crew vehicle.
Support Crew are only permitted for the 50km, 100km and 100 mile Race distances.
Spectators and Support Crew are not permitted to pace participating athletes unless they are one of two designated pacers allowed for the 100km and 100 mile.
Spectators and Support Crew are not permitted to run on course with their 21km athlete at any time.
10km and 21km only: Outside assistance is not permitted. This includes at aid stations, water points or any other location during the Race. Assistance from event staff is permitted.
The Safety Info.
QUALIFYING STANDARDS
We do not have any mandatory qualification standards for the 21km, however it is up to the individual to ensure they have done the training to complete this event safely and within the 12hr cut off period.
AID STATIONS
Aid stations will be available on the course. You can find the aid station locations for the 21km here.
MANDATORY GEAR
There is no mandatory gear for the 21km, however we recommend you carry any gear and fluids you would normally carry for an event of this distance over this terrain.
COURSE
While the course will be marked, it is up to the competitor to know their race course. You can download the GPX file for the course here. The course is subject to slight variation. The accurate GPX files will be uploaded and sent to each participant in advance of the race for you to download onto your watch or phone.
Our Charities.
10% of the proceeds from The Spectacle will be split amongst our three wonderful charities.
Myeloma
New Zealand
NZ Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/
Chronic Fatigue Society
The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary