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Post date: Aug 18, 2010 11:17:13 PM
posted Jun 7, 2010 10:43 AM by jmuskett@xtra.co.nz [ updated Jun 7, 2010 10:50 AM ]
Having attended the last three major 24 hour championships it has become obvious that New Zealand is falling behind its colonial cousins in producing ultra runners.
At this years World Championships in Brive the Australians proved that there success in the 2009 Commonwealth Championships wasn’t a flash in the pan when they returned home with A bronze Team medal in the women’s event with three women well over 200 k. Their men had a few problems but still finished in a creditable 10th place.
The Canadians also managed to put out a team of Men and Women, the men finishing 21st and their women 8th. With their best female runner covering 197.632k.
New Zealand’s challenge was carried by Val Muskett who this year covered 199.519k just missing the magical 200 k mark. And Matt Bixley who ran strongly for 221.365k.
Every year the numbers are increasing, 100 athletes in 2006 and 229 in 2010. As all the athletes are selected by their federations to represent their country it is logical the standards are also improving. Athletes are not running farther but more athletes are achieving world class distances. It is becoming more and more difficult to make the top 10.
This year Val’s 199.519 put her in 20th place where as in Canada 2007 she would have been 12th. More and more women are getting past the 200 k mark and men need to run over 220 K to be in the top third of the field.
With growing fields and improving standards why is it New Zealand is still relying on a 56 year old to carry the women’s flag?
This year Matt was tempted to “have a go’ and even though he would class himself as an off roader he went to Auckland and ran in the Sri Chinmoy 24 hour race becoming the New Zealand Champion and therefore qualifying to run in the worlds. He would be the first to say he is no great marathon runner and he is more at home finding his way around tussock and streams. But what he has is determination and a desire to wear the Silver Fern.
Having made the selection criteria he put his mind and body in to completing a training regime that was not as long as he thought but was testing and demanding. The results speak for themselves, he ran 20 k further than Auckland on a more difficult course through a very cold night.
Hopefully this year we have a few more men who are going to try to break in to international ultra running by achieving the selection criteria. But what about the women? What do you need to be to be a successful Ultra runner?
Like the men you need to be determined, organised and single minded, something I believe most women athletes are.
Do you need to be a brilliant marathon runner? No Val’s best ever marathon was 3:05 and now she is over the moon to do 3:20. A New Zealand rep at the Commonwealth Championships runs a 4 hour marathon, however she completed 191K.
If you are covering 70k a week in marathon training do you need to cover 5 times that to be able to make the 200 k mark in a race? No, every one finds their own training regime to suit them selves but Val’s biggest week for a World Championship will be 150 K. a distance that I guess many marathon runners do anyway. I believe Matt’s biggest week was 160k.
Is your training a slow slog day after day? No Val is the New Zealand over 55 road champ at 5k. She mixes long runs with tempo runs, speed work and hill work. She enters any race she can locally as she does not want to become bored and jaded.
Do you need to be organised? Yes, to get the best from your body you need to have a training programme that allows you to run when you are tired but not injure yourself.
Do you need to be determined? Yes, weather, head aches and visitors cannot get in the way of what you have got planned for that day.
Do you need to set yourself personal goals? Yes, you can do nothing about the opposition but you can strive to achieve what you believe you are capable of.
So what has ultra running got to offer an athlete?
The athlete has the time to come to terms with what they are capable of. A poor start or having to run wide at a bend doesn’t mean their training was all for nothing. They know they will go through good and bad patches, they know they will feel like throwing in the towel and calling it a day. But they don’t because they know what their body is capable of and they know that they have done the hard work and the competition is the reward. They know that after the event there is a camaraderie that can not be compared to any other athletic event.
Are the standards required for selection achievable? Yes if you do the work.
Athletics New Zealand Ultra Running Selection Standards
100km Cat A Cat B 24hr Hour Cat A Cat B
Men <7h.30 <8h.00 Men >/=220km >/= 200km
Women <9h.00 <9h.30 Women >/=200km >180km
1 To be selected as an individual, ultra runners need to achieve the Category A performance above. To be in a Team Category B performance.
2 The winners of the New Zealand Championships in the men’s and women’s events over 24hours and 100km will be automatic selections provided they achieve a Category B performance in the Championship race.
If you are interested in taking up the challenge please contact Val or NZUA through their website at http://www.ultrarunner.org.nz/
World champs Brrrrrrrrive 2010
posted May 30, 2010 7:11 PM by jmuskett@xtra.co.nz
Val and Matt Bixley are back in New Zealand after their run in Brive. Val struggled with the cold night and just missed her target of 200 k by 400 metres, she finished with a creditable 199.519K and 20th place.
Matt although struggling for the later part of the race ran a personel best of 221.365 K.
A full report will be added to Val's history.
08 March 2010
Otago runners Val Muskett and Matthew Bixley have been selected to represent New Zealand at the
Eighth IAU 24 hour world challenge in Brive France in mid May.
They are both members of the Hill City Club in Dunedin.
Muskett was selected on her performance at the Commonwealth 24 hour ultra distance championship in
Cumbria UK last September where she ran a distance of 201.431km. At the recent 100km championship
around Lake Taupo she finished second in her fastest time for 14 years of 9h 24m 24s.
Bixley won the New Zealand 24 hour championship in the Auckland Sri Chinmoy event last October
covering 201.200km.
It will be the first time that Bixley has represented New Zealand and the ninth for Muskett, who started her
international career in 1997. She has run five times at the world 100km champs and this will be her fourth
time at a 24 hour event.
The World Challenge will be held 13/14 May.
Murray McKinnon
Communications Advisor
Athletics New Zealand
0274 806086
Balclutha 21.5km RunBridge to Beach run
posted Mar 25, 2010 7:06 PM by jmuskett@xtra.co.nz
Val took part in the inaugural bridge to Beach run from Balclutha to Kaka Point. The course ran from Balclutha Rugby Club to Kaka Point Surf Club travelling for a third of the 21.5 km way on gravel roads. The last 2 km into picturesque Kaka point tested the stamina of the tiring runners with three steep climbs, before they swept down hill to the waiting crowd of happy spectators.
Cyclists covered the same course starting 30 minutes behind the runners; they rode safely and encouraged the runners as they past them. The course was well marshalled and safe.
A very pleasant prize giving was hosted by the Surf Club and cyclists and runners enjoyed a barbecue and drinks as the weather improved.