Trailblazer brings life to Waitakere event

The Hillary Trail, which connects a network of existing tracks in the Waitakere Ranges, was opened in 2010. Photo / Natalie Slade

Organising event in March another first for Shaun Collins on track out west

Shaun Collins is the right man to bring the first Hillary Trail Ultra to life.

He was the first person to run the legendary trail and first to complete it, doing the double supported in 2011 in 29hr 29min. He has completed the run five times; the most is 12 times by Michael Rodliffe.

"I'm still stoked with my effort back in 2011," said Collins, who is now the event organiser at Lactic Turkey Events. "It was in the pissing rain on the shortest day of the year, well before all the renovations and upgrades to the track. My two goals this year are to do another faster double, and then towards the end of the year a triple."

There is always someone looking to take it further but before that many more ultra-runners will have a chance to form a special bond with the world-famous Hillary Trail on March 29, in the inaugural Hillary Trail Ultra.

"I am so happy to finally gain approval for this event," said Collins.

"Since running the trail myself just before it opened, it has held a special bond with me personally and I've always wanted to share it with a wider group of people that an event allows - now's the time to share the Hillary Trail with the trail-running world."

Collins said, wryly, that it had been an ultra-marathon in the permit process, with the issue of kauri die-back the main sticking point, but he has worked with the Auckland Council to develop a risk-mitigation plan that should provide full compliance with the 17 footpaths along the course.

"This, together with some photopoint monitoring and sample testing along the route, should help address concerns and bring awareness to this threat on our native kauri."

The Auckland Council gave approval for the event to go ahead as a one-year trial with some stringent conditions and monitoring, and a limit in event participant numbers - 100 people for the 80km, 200 for the 34km and 200 for the 16km.

The three course options - 80km from Arataki, 34km from Piha and 16km from Bethells, with all finishing at Muriwai - make the run achievable for runners of a range of abilities.

"I recently took an Australian trailrunner on a part of the trail and he said that this trail was one of the most technical trails he has run on," said Collins. "This was with reference to the first half, which only the 80km runners will cover.

"The second half is much less technical and hence the introduction of the smaller courses, which offer a stepping stone for people to progress each year up to the big one."

The Hillary Trail, which was opened officially on January 11, 2010, is named after pre-eminent mountaineer and explorer Sir Edmund Hillary.

The event is owned by the Hillary Trail Run Charitable Trust with all profits made going back into the Waitakere Ranges, preferably through youth projects. It has the blessing of Sarah and Peter Hillary, Sir Edmund's children. "Peter said to me that his father would love the idea of having an event on the trail and he is very excited to see how it goes," said Collins.

"Sarah recently completed her first Hillary Trail in a great time of 14hr 35min, and hence has volunteered to be a tail-end Charlie rather than race herself."

Hillary Trail Ultra

When: March 29
Where: Hillary Trail, Waitakere Ranges Regional Park
Event options: 80km (full ultra) from Arataki to Muriwai
34km Piha to Muriwai
16km Bethells to Muriwai

For more information visit: www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz to
find out more about the Hillary Trail.