Main page of the Through-Hike with overview of the run route

Info: The audio in the videos is unfortunately time-delayed.

It’s been a few days now since I finished the trail along with a few others. Arriving was a real relief. It was downhill and I was just able to “run” the last few meters to Sterlig Point, the final point of Te Araroa. My legs did not allow another step. I had already set my mind in Te Kuiti, on the North Island, to implement my plan to run a marathon as the last leg of the trail. Suddenly it was not just an idea, but within reach.

While in Te Anau, I asked Logan to send my shoes and small backpack to Invercargill. Way too late, as I was planning to run to the finish just 6 days later and it can take a few days for packages to arrive in smaller towns in New Zealand.

My morning, on the last day, was spent waiting for my package to arrive at my hostel. When it hadn’t arrived by 11am, I started to think about a plan B. Running in my hiking shoes wasn’t really an option. Buying new shoes, on the other hand, would have been a waste I wouldn’t have been happy to take on.

Since my friends were hiking the last leg, I was planning to start running after lunch anyway, arriving in Bluff at about the same time as everyone else. The anxiety ended before lunch. I had already driven half the staff of the cafe crazy, who were very supportive by the way. I was preparing my lunch when my phone rang and the lady from the cafe announced that my shoes were there.

It didn’t take long to pack my things consisting of a couple of granola bars, two liters of water and some blister plasters. I pulled up to the road to find a ride and found a nice conversation with a teacher. She had been traveling the world with her husband and two children for three years. She took me about seven kilometers towards the beach, away from my actual destination, to the 42.195 km point before the finish. There we said goodbye and I got on my way.

Back to Invercargill it went along a road on asphalt. I tried to take it slow to give my muscles, which were strengthened by hiking, some time to get used to running. I quickly picked up speed and by the turn onto the gravel path towards Bluff at the latest, I was running at full speed. My legs felt fantastic, as if I had never done anything else. Since it was the first marathon in my life, I recorded a little video blog every few miles.

I slowed down a bit briefly to check in with myself and grab a bar. The last thing I want is to run out of energy. The first 10 kilometers went by in a blur. The legs were holding up well and I was on course to run a 4 hour marathon in terms of time. However, I was well aware that I would probably slow down a bit towards the end, especially since there was still a hill to overcome.

My second check-in was after more than 20 kilometers. I was still feeling very good. I was highly motivated to arrive under four hours. I carried two liters of water in my water bladder in my backpack. After a while I noticed that it was getting wet on my back. It had happened to me before that the tube had come loose from the bladder. This was not the case this time. However, I could not make out why I was losing water either. Later it turned out that it was probably because the water was shaken upwards due to me running and leaked out there.

Check-in number three, after more than 30 kilometers. I have never run that far in one piece. About 15 years ago, I once ran a duo marathon in which I took on the longer part of 24 kilometers. That was my longest distance so far. In the meantime I could clearly feel my thighs and my calves. They were very tense and partly hardened. But the last 10 kilometers I wanted to hold out in any case.

In the meantime, I kept bumping into other hikers that I knew. Every single one of them cheered me on in their own way. A motivational boost that I really needed at that point.

It was Josefien’s birthday. When I reached her, I slowed down briefly to congratulate her and give her my gift, a poem. She offered me massage with magnesium gel, but I refused due to my time pressure. At that moment, it was all or nothing. However, the 4 hour mark was hardly reachable. My legs slowly started to cramp more and more and to become hard. When I arrived at the Bluff town sign, my last colleague, Liam, ran into me. He seemed quite surprised to see me. I had only greeted him briefly and set off on to the last “real” trail, off the road, along the peninsula.

The uneven terrain and slight inclines forced me to walk only at a brisk pace. Running was only possible on flat sections. Gradually, the pain in my legs made me look for alternatives to the hill ahead of me. There is a path along the coast that seemed to become more and more attractive. I had even hallucinated about accidentally missing it at the turnoff. A fate to which I would have gladly surrendered. But unfortunately, this dream had not turned into reality. At the sign indicating the direction of the two paths, there is a bench. Promptly I rested a little and consumed my last bar. Stretching a bit seemed like a good idea before I surrender to my fate.

None of my efforts were enough to get me running again. I went up the hill as briskly as I could, took a quick photo at the top, and plunged back down the other side. My half run, half walk running style certainly looked to be shooting. I actually managed to pull myself together for the last 20 meters to Stirling Point, the end of Te Araroa, and ran to the finish after a brilliant 4:40hrs.

Cheered by friends who had arrived earlier, I am happy to have finally made it. The TA is thus finished and a new chapter in my journey can begin. I stayed a few more hours to welcome and applaud the friends I passed along the way who have been such a big part of my experience on the trail.

The hike is more than just a physical challenge. It is, above all, a journey that has allowed me to grow personally. A journey that would not have been the same without the many fellow travelers and other acquaintances. The trail has created true friendships that I will carry in my heart for the rest of my life.

Stats

Official website of Te Araroa