Brit blitzes round the mountain
Charlie Sharpe didn’t even know what the record was for Taranaki’s Around the Mountain race but he annihilated it, finishing more than two hours ahead of his nearest competitors.
Sharpe, 28, from Warrington in Cheshire, England, completed the
100 mile section in 14 hours and 55 minutes, breaking the previous record of 15 hours, 58 minutes set by Wellington’s Brendon Keenan in
2011.
Sharpe said he was pleased with the win, but for him it was more about the time.
‘‘I was quite pleased with that for the course and the conditions,’’ he said.
‘‘I don’t really mind too much about the position. If I came last and finished in 13 hours I’d be more happy with that. I’d just rather do a fast time.’’
It was his first time running the race but he is no stranger to extreme running – he’s done a good
25 100-milers.
‘‘I like the simplicity of running. You can just get your shoes on and go, anywhere you are. You just need some ground really, don’t you?’’
He enjoyed the friendliness of the event but said he may not be back for a while.
‘‘I don’t tend to do the long ones more than once. I probably won’t look to do it at least not next year, but maybe in the future.’’
He ran in 15 countries last year and is going on to race in Australia.
‘‘I’m from the UK so it’s quite easy to fly into a lot of European countries. It’s a great way to see the world and the race organisers tend to generally pick the nice areas to show them off.’’
But there’s hope for us mere mortals yet – when he first picked up the sport in 2010 he was nowhere near the level he is now.
‘‘I literally ran for about four minutes before I had to walk again when I first tried.’’
But for those wanting to follow in his footsteps, he has some advice: don’t be halfhearted about it.
‘‘Anyone who’s looking to get a bit fitter or has seen the race and is interested, you’ve got to kind of book the race and then commit to it, rather than train for it and see how you go, because you probably won’t.’’
Race organiser Selwyn Brown said the event remained popular every year.
‘‘It’s been a challenging year because the weather hasn’t been kind to us,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve never worn gumboots at an event before setting up.
‘‘People love the event and it’s an iconic Taranaki event, and people come from all around the North Island to do it still.’’
New Plymouth’s David Wells won the Solo50 event in six hours and 46 minutes, and the Ravensdown Hawera Hounds won the running relay for the 11th year in a row, in a time of eight hours and 59 minutes. Hot Toddies #2 won the business house running in 10 hours and 46 minutes. The ‘Over the Hillbillies’ team came first in the walking section in 20 hours and 35 minutes, with Opunake’s ‘Hairazor -Hair Today,Gone Tomorrow’ winning the business house walking in 20 hours three minutes. The Oaonui Flames from Opunake won the composite category in 14 hours 14 minutes, while Greymouth Petroleum won the business house composite in 15 hours and 13 minutes. Auckland’s Sole Mates won the school challenge in twelve hours two minutes.