Taupō's Sammie Maxwell rides her way to victory in the Whaka 100.
Taupō's Sammie Maxwell rides her way to victory in the Whaka 100.
Returning champ and Olympian Sammie Maxwell has taken back her title at Rotorua’s Whaka 100 Mountain Bike Marathon.
The three-day mountain bike event, the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, attracted more than 3000 riders to Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa Forest over the weekend, injecting an estimated $4.5 million into the local economy.
Participants could choose between six event categories, ranging from the fast and furious Whaka Eliminator to the challenging 172km Whaka Miler.
Sammie Maxwell from Taupō at the finishing line.
In the women’s Shimano 100km, Maxwell finished up at 05:46:44, 15 minutes ahead of Gwendalyn Gibson of California, USA, while Pricilla Thompson from Taupō took out third.
Maxwell, who came second to Josie Wilcox last year, said she rode conservatively but kept Gibson within reach. After stepping things up in the closing stages, she was delighted to top the field for the second year running.
“I love this race so much, but I wasn’t originally planning to do this race as I was on a break,” she said.
“I got some test results back … that showed I am in a really healthy position, so I begged my coach to let me ride because I love this event and wanted to be here.”
Sibling showdown for men’s title
In the men’s Shimano 100km event, it was a sibling showdown as Christchurch brothers Craig Oliver and Ben Oliver were neck-and-neck in the race to the finish line.
Craig Oliver crossed the finish line at 05:00:04, split-seconds ahead of his brother.
Over 100km of world-class singletrack, they battled it out wheel to wheel over the entire five hours. A tricky, slippery climb in the final 500m caused Ben to put a foot down, costing him the sprint to the finish.
“It was unbelievable, I didn’t think it could get any better than last year. I was all in today to win,” Craig Oliver said.
Sammie Maxwell and Craig Oliver took the 100km women's and men's Whaka 100 wins.
Ben Oliver, who placed second to Craig Oliver by a four-minute margin in 2023, said this year’s race “came down to the wire”.
“It was so cool seeing all the spectators out there around the course and the finish line here is epic – this is the place you want to perform around New Zealand – this is one of the best races.”
Matthew Wilson, from Cambridge, secured the bronze medal.
As well as gold for the Shimano 100km, Maxwell and Craig Oliver took the National Jersey for Marathon MTB National Championships.
How did Karl McKnight get on?
Eight years ago, Rotorua’s Karl McKnight copped a cricket ball to the head that nearly killed him, but eight years later he was zooming along Rotorua’s trails in the Whaka 100 elite men’s event.
The 57-year-old Red Stag Timber accountant told the Rotorua Daily Post on Sunday night he was rapt with his result from the day, coming home with a time of 08:02:28.
Karl McKnight is taking on the Whaka 100 this weekend.
While he had aimed to cross the finish line in under eight hours, considering the circumstances he was chuffed.
“I’m rapt, only just missed my A goal. Conditions were tough.”
He said the trails at the top, one in particular, were mucky after the 50km race and heavy rain overnight Saturday. He said they weren’t rideable in parts so competitors lost time hopping off their bikes to get through them. However, that was to be expected with the forecast and overall he couldn’t be happier.
“I’m cooked now,” he said.
His placing meant overall he came 223rd out of 398 riders, he was the 200th male out of 341 male riders and in the 50 to 59-year-old category, he came 34th out of 71.
McKnight was playing cricket in February 2016 when he was hit by a delivery to his head. He had brain surgery at Waikato Hospital and took months to recover.
Before Sunday’s race, he said: “After the accident happened there was a moment where I didn’t think I’d make it out of hospital alive, but here I am. It was tough but it’s given me a new perspective.”
A total of 3100 mountain bikers from across the globe took part in the event – a jump of 2000% since the inaugural Whaka 100, held in 2007.
Event spokesman Mike Cockin said this year thousands of spectators packed out race headquarters.
“The turnout has been fantastic. It’s great to see so many people supporting the friends, whānau or complete strangers, giving them that extra push to get the job done.”
Cockin said the addition of e-bike categories in recent years had proven popular – the Whaka 100 is the biggest event gathering of e-mountain bikers in the country.
Riders in the Whaka 100 rave about Rotorua's world-famous trails.
“It’s really opened the event to the cycling community who might otherwise think twice about throwing their hat in the ring. There’s a huge amount of skill that goes into mountain biking, and having these categories enables those participants to challenge themselves with a bit of help from a motor.”
This year 8% of riders opted to ride an e-bike, the majority (60%) aged between 40 and 59.
As well as the Shimano 100km, the Whaka Eliminator, and the 172km Whaka Miler, contestants had the choice of the 5km Kids’ Fun Ride, the That’s It 10km, Stan’s 25km and the New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty 50km.
“Our Whaka Kids 5km was a real highlight of the event, with elite riders joining and riding the course with them, signing medals and taking photos,” Cockin said.
The event’s youngest competitor was 5 and the oldest 81.
Whaka Eliminator
Riders raced shoulder-to-shoulder around a tight and twisting 300m course featuring man-made jumps, berms, and rollers.
The event also doubled as the Eliminator MTB National Championship.
Hamilton’s Josh Cavanagh raced to victory as his challengers in the strong final four line-up crashed out in the first tight corner.
“I did a lot of BMX racing when I was younger which is where a lot of my power has come from, and this was BMX racing on a mountain bike,” Cavanagh said.
“This is such a well-run event and really enjoyable. I am here with a bunch of my teammates and to compete against them is special.”
In the women’s category, Nelson athlete Rae Morrison topped the podium, holding off defending champion Sammie Maxwell.
“That was a sore kind of fun. Short and sharp and I gave it everything. I am used to racing enduro which takes several hours in the mountains and this was completely the opposite,” Morrison said.
A win for the local economy
Rotorua NZ chief executive Andrew Wilson said the city was “absolutely buzzing” at the weekend.
“We’ve been delighted to host the Whaka 100 Mountain Bike Marathon and welcome so many manuhiri [visitors] into our backyard.
“Rotorua is a world-class destination for mountain biking, and we’re proud to showcase that to the rest of the world.”
Whaka 100 event spokesman Mike Cockin.
Cockin said he was grateful to have the backing of the community in bringing the event to life.
“As always, it’s a team effort. We’re enormously grateful to our community of sponsors and volunteers who continue to raise the profile of the Whaka 100. And, of course, the participants, who never tire of a good challenge.”
Entries for next year’s Whaka 100, on October 24-26, 2025, open on November 6.
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.
