There was no beer and sausages - Part Fourteen

There was no beer or sausages – Part Fourteen

Yesterday I completed the Jumbo-Holdsworth Trail Race. This is a 24km mountain run that I have completed eight or nine times previously. After having run the route in an anticlockwise direction in all the previous events, I decided to complete the race clockwise this year. The route is a short one k up the river valley before you turn left and ascend for about 7k to Powell Hut, you then continue to ascend to the summit of Mt Holdsworth at 1470m. There are a few k along the undulating ridge to Jumbo at 1405m. Then follows a descent to Jumbo Hut. There is a very steep descent down the Rain Gauge track to Atiwhakatu Hut, and then a gentle 7k down the river valley on a graded track. It all makes for an interesting Saturday morning.

 

 

For a variety of reasons it was not a good day. The weather was ideal for running in the hills, not too hot, minimal wind, low cloud cover, and an occasional bit of drizzle to keep you cool. The body never really got going, mid way through the event I concluded I was not going to run a great time, so I eased off and treated it as a training run for the Tararua Mountain Race in five weeks’ time. I took forty minutes longer than I should, however I felt could easily run another ten or so k at a similar pace when I finished. Going along the ridge over the tops the cloud parted to give views into the upper Waiohine Valley. This is impressive rugged bush country, it is what being in the hills is all about. It makes you feel great to be alive. The photos on this post are all taken from the net, the image of the cloud shot was similar to the cloud that hung from the top of the ridge and went deep into the Atiwhakatu Valley.

 

 

The organisers of this event do a really good job, the event has a very nice feel, it is organised by people who do it for the good the mountain running community, it is not a corporate money making event. They always put on a good feed, with a barbecue at the end. A great way to refuel the body. I had bought additional beer and sausages for the finish.

For the later section of the event I felt like was going to be sick. Any food I put into my stomach from the barbecue was going to grace the grass shortly afterwards. I realised that I should eat something, so I consumed two oranges. I had brought sausages – lamb merquez from Park Avenue Quality Meats and an IPA The Vandal from Panhead Brewery in Upper Hutt. These were not consumed and went home untouched.

So there was no beer or sausages. However in the circumstances this was the best for all concerned. I do know that at the next event, the Tararua Mountain Race, in five weeks’ time that beer and sausages will be present and they will be gratefully consumed at the end of a hard day in the hills.

For other parts of this series, click here.

It is not all beer and sausages - Part Ten

It is not all beer and sausages – Part Ten

Over the summer break the running and sausages diet was to the fore. I ate plenty of enjoyable snarlers and with a few training runs I was putting the sausages and running diet to the test.

As part of the preparation for the Tararua Mountain Race in March I completed the Jumbo Holdsworth in the weekend. This is a 24km run with a few serious hills to add to the experience. The run through the bush to Atiwhakatu Hut was ok, but I never felt comfortable. The 900m of vertical climb up the steep ascent to Jumbo was a case of going into a lower gear and keeping on chugging up the slope. I didn’t push it as hard as I could as I had a good conversation about off road running events with a woman from Auckland who was in the Tararuas for the first time. Although I don’t go fast I did manage to pass a few people on the ascent. As I reached the summit of Jumbo I knew it was going to be a tough day.

It was a stinking hot Wairarapa day and temperature in the valleys reached over thirty degrees. Along the ridge from Jumbo to Mt Holdsworth it was very warm, well over twenty degrees. A very occasional gentle zephyr wafted through, however this was too infrequent for my liking and did little to lower the temperature. I had to move at a slower pace due the heat, and by the time I reached the Holdsworth trig I knew that I would be doing a slower time than I did last year so I didn’t push it on the way back to the finish. I completed half an hour slower than last year but was pleased to have finished and was looking forward to the picnic at the end.

 

My running mates were very supportive after I finished and one asked if I had boiled a billy and had a brew at some stage on the course. A few of us are using this as part of the training for the TMR in seven weeks’ time and a woman who I gave a ride to the event thought she was underdone for the 100km Tarawera Ultra so she entered late and finished the course well in front of me. It is all good fun and a nice way to spend a Saturday morning.

 

 

At the end of the event we had a picnic in the much sort out shade. I brought some Acme Pork and Veal Bratwurst from Moore Wilsons. They are gluten free, use free range meat and have no preservatives. These were eaten cold and savoured after a hard run in the hills. These are a lightly coloured sausage with more veal than pork in the mix. These sausages are finely ground and mixed with some chunks of fat that are visible in the sausage. There are subdued flavours of nutmeg and garlic. After a long run they went down positively with the group. The Acme and Co meat company runs out of the popular Prefab Cafe in Jessie St.

 

 

The organisers also put on a barbecue where they served meat patties and beef sausages from Whariti Meats in Woodville. This is a finely ground sausage where beef is the primary flavour. They are very good standard beef banger.

 

 

The food was washed down with a refreshing beer, an organic Mike’s Full Nelson IPA. This Taranaki beer was great on a very hot day. It has a dark amber colour and was crisp and refreshing after many hours on the feet.

 

 

With seven weeks to go until the TMR I am hoping for a day that it is not as hot as it was in weekend. The time spent on the exposed tops is considerably longer in the TMR and although on a good day the views are magnificent from the ridges of the Tararuas, with no wind or cloud, and a scorching sun, it makes running hard work. The running and sausages diet has another seven weeks to take full effect.

 

For other parts of this series, here is an index.

It is not all beer and sausages - Part Five

It is not all beer and sausages – Part Five

Yesterday I ran in the Jumbo-Holdsworth race. This is a 23km mountain run with a nice run along a river valley, some serious climbing as you head from Atiwhakatu Hut to the peak at Jumbo, along the ridge from Jumbo to Mt Holdsworth and then downhill to the finish. I knew my legs were tired and not is great shape so I took it easy along the valley. I felt alright as I climbed 900 vertical metres to the summit of Jumbo. I even passed a few people on the ascent. Between Jumbo and Holdsworth there are three climbs and it was only on the second climb along the ridge that my legs started to say, "Hey mate, we feel stuffed." However, being able to see the trig that marks Mt Holdsworth, you tell your legs to keep on going and soon you arrive. I arrived at the end with a slower time than when I last completed the race, but my second quickest time for the seven times I have run the event. I was happy to have finished.

Below is an old photo of the ridge between Jumbo and Mt Holdsworth. I took this when I was tramping with my sons quite a few years ago. The Mt Holdsworth trig is indicated by the arrow.

 

 

So when you reach the finish, what is the reward? The answer is the same as the last time: beer and sausages. There is a BBQ put on for all contestants and I brought two lots of sausages to share with friends. The old faithful Park Ave Quality Meats, kabanosy, see link, and a new sausage I had purchased from the Kelburn shop of Cameron Harrison Butchers, the Black Rock pork sausage. The butcher in the shop told me it was made by Cameron Harrison using a recipe from an Auckland butcher. This sausage had won awards, he told me. When I asked what they were, he did not know. Sadly this was a continuation of previous conversations I have had with the staff who work for Cameron Harrison. They have poor product knowledge, and Cameron Harrison really needs to do something about it if they want their staff to do justice to the quality sausages and other meats they sell.

 

The finish chute

 

The Black Rock pork sausage is pure pork. It tastes good, and when I cooked (and sampled) them the night before, the sweetness of the pork was the paramount flavour. It is a medium grind and tastes good between the teeth - you know you are eating a quality pork sausage. I will buy this sausage again.

 

Black Rock pork sausages

 

The runners who ate the sausages thought the kabonosy was the best, they liked the smokiness. This flavour remains when the sausages are cold. The Black Rock pork sausages were also appreciated. The flavour of the pork is not as marked when cold so these sausages are best eaten while warm. You can see I left the fine china and silver cutlery at home. A plastic bag and fingers make for great eating.

 

Kabonosy

 

I talked with the winner of the race, he runs for the same club as I do.  They then announced the race was about to begin, line up! He headed for the front row, while I jostled with other runners for one of the back marker spots. I offered the winner a sausage at the end of the race and strangely he declined. He obviously does not appreciate the merits of the innovative and ground breaking sausages and running regime that I have been experimenting with. It really works and I would encourage all runners to come on board and see how much you can improve.

 

 

We also rehydrated with a Hancock’s & Co. Grand Pale Ale. This is a medium sweet beer with a full round flavour. It has nice well balanced after taste on the palate. An ideal rehydration drink, made more enjoyable by the pleasant picnic like surroundings.

 

 

So with a relaxing picnic on a glorious summer’s day we concluded the event. There was talk about the next event, the Tararua Mountain Race in six weeks’ time. By then the pain will have subsided, the legs will not be sore and the bruises will have healed. Like maniacs who go back for more, we will line up and spend our Saturday running through the bush again.

 

For links to other parts of this series.

Black Rock pork sausage; Cost per kilo $19.99