THE 2018 SURF2FIRTH BUSH MARATHON MOTHER NATURE WINS
When my mate Vaughan (orthopaedic surgeon and search and rescue team member) suggested during one of our regular Sunday morning runs up Mauao that we have a crack at the Surf2Firth bush marathon, I thought he meant we should put it in the schedule for 2019.
‘No, let’s do it in three weeks,’ Vaughan enthused. ‘I feel we should make the most of this opportunity!’
Persuaded by his argument, I told him I’d check with my beautiful wife Coral and let him know soon.
After successfully negotiating my race case with Coral, my excitement started to build. Coral was happy that I was running with Vaughan due to my average senses of direction and foot–eye coordination, and general lack of any bushcraft skills.
I looked the event up on the internet and found the relaxed approach to the whole race refreshing. There was no extensive mandatory gear list. We were told to bring a good jacket when rain was forecast and, at registration, we would be given a safety blanket to carry throughout the event.
The route description read: ‘The marathon begins at Hikuai School on the eastern side of the Coromandel Ranges. There is a gentle 6km run along a quiet gravel road to the end of Puketui Valley. Into the bush, there is a gut-busting 690-metre climb over 6 kilometres as the track heads up past the Paton Dam and Kaitarakihi Junction to the Hihi
