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Organisers of the Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB have apologised to competitors after complaints some aid stations either ran out of water or had long queues on the “hot summer’s day”.
The running event – with distances ranging from 21km to 160km – copped criticism on social media.
But competitors and supporters spoken to by the Rotorua Daily Post said they hoped the feedback would be taken on board and the issue did not mar an otherwise amazing weekend in Rotorua.
Event organisers said a full debrief would be held and measures put in place to ensure issues did not happen again.
Runners in the long-distance event complained of issues accessing water at aid stations. Photo / 123rf
The two-day event started on Saturday and attracted more than 4500 starters and thousands more supporters. Athletes run either 21km, 50km, 102km or the 100-miler (160km) around Rotorua’s lakes, waterfalls and Whakarewarewa Forest.
Auckland runner Jody Boshoff posted on Sunday that she struggled to get water and was later told water had run out. She said she heard a runner pulled out as there was not any water towards the end of the race.
Her post generated more than 200 comments, with some sharing her disappointment and others complimenting the event for doing its best.
An Auckland competitor commented: ‘‘You have several thousand runners out there on a hot summer’s day, it is pretty obvious that they are all going to need water.
“Yet when I got to the first Green Lake aid station there was only one water dispenser. I queued up for it [because] I know how badly it’ll affect me if I get dehydrated ... ”
She believed one water dispenser was not good enough for several hundred runners needing water.
“And now I’ve heard that water had run out completely by the time other runners came thru [sic].”
The competitor, who spoke with the Rotorua Daily Post on the condition she was not named, said despite the issues she loved the event.
In her opinion: “It’s just such a shame [the event] didn’t supply enough water this time.”
Whangārei supporter Denise Limby told the Rotorua Daily Post she had done two 50km Tarawera ultra races before but an injury meant she attended this year to support a friend by running the last 7km of her 17-hour run with her. She said her friend commented it was hard to access water and some aid stations had run out and that people appeared “upset and unhappy”.
“That really impacts the middle and back of the fields. If you were self-sufficient you are fine but if you’re relying on an aid station after hours of running then that’s difficult,” Limby said.
Denise Limby loves coming to Rotorua for the Tarawera Ultra-Trail. Photo / Kelly Makiha
She said many runners liked to travel as light as possible but she suggested the event could stipulate all competitors should at least carry 1L of water.
She said the event was iconic and runners and supporters always raved about Rotorua.
“I tell everyone every chance I get … You can never run out of adventures in Rotorua. I’ve had a blast.””
The event, on social media, thanked people for their feedback.
“We recognise the problems raised and are well aware of some of the issues runners encountered.”
The comment said the event understood runners’ days “were impacted by this.
“We’ll be doing a full debrief and review to avoid situations like this in the future.”
It said the crew wanted to put on the best possible event and thanked the “amazing” and passionate volunteers who did their best to service all runners and keep them moving.
Approached for comment by the Rotorua Daily Post, an event spokesperson acknowledged in a statement some runners had issues accessing water.
Some athletes in the Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB complained that they struggled to get water during the race. Photo / Ben Fraser
“The team would like to apologise to those who were affected while taking part.
“Organisers are beginning the debrief from the event, which given the size and scale takes some time. At this stage, we are still gathering information, including a full understanding of activities at aid stations, with a full review to follow.”
The spokesperson said they were aware that for a time there was an issue with the water flow at an aid station, which led to longer-than-expected lines of runners and flow-on effects to other aid stations.
“Once that issue was rectified water flow returned to normal however, we know that this unfortunately had an impact on the day for some of our runners.”
The spokesperson said the team did not record reasons for competitors not finishing “except in the instances of a serious medical issue”.
The Rotorua Daily Post also asked if water ran out.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
