Student News
November 2011
NZCC student represents New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games Trail Championships
 In September
2011, NZCC student James Kuegler represented New Zealand at the
Commonwealth Games Trail Championships in Wales. James performed
fantastically and took 14th place in the Ultra-Trail Race after
completing the grueling course in just under four hours.
Here’s James’ story:
“Before I left New Zealand, I made sure I was armed with the right
supplements to help me recover from the demands of long haul travel. I
was able to get a good amount of sleep on the flights and didn't really
feel jet-lagged at all.
I travelled to the event centre in the seaside holiday town of
Llandudno in north Wales and was struck by the number senior citizens
and mobility scooters!
With my Kiwi team mate Vajin Armstrong, and our Australian
counterparts, we headed for the Newborough Forest on Anglesey to check
out the 10.5km course that we’d be running five laps of.
My initial thought was that the course was fairly benign, although
on closer inspection this clearly wasn’t the case! A two kilometer soft
sand section to the end of the peninsular and back would become
increasingly challenging as it became cut up during the race. And the
hard packed sand track through the forest would also dry out and become
challenging. A 50m ascent 7.5km into the lap might by easy on a recce,
but maybe not by lap five. There was no technicality about the course,
which was disheartening for me, but New Zealand trail running tends to
be rougher than the rest of the world.
The first event – the 24 Hour Race on Friday 23 September 2011 –
saw a strong Kiwi team of Wayne Botha, Matt Bixley, Brian McCorkindale,
Alex Mackenzie, and Val Muskett. By bedtime all of them were tracking
well. I decided to get up in the small hours to see the heart of the
event and experience the raw human emotion of running for 24 hours. It
didn't disappoint: a few of the athletes were 'relatively' jovial,
though most were showing obvious signs of discomfort. It was a
successful day for the Kiwi contingent with both Brian and Val recording
age-group world records, and the guys claiming bronze in the men’s team
event.
Angus Bell and Tina Harris ran on Saturday’s Mountain Race at
Llanberis. I decided not to go, as I needed to rest the day before my
event, the Ultra-Trail Race. Angus finished 25th and Tina finished 22nd.
We managed to convince Anus to get back up and run again on Sunday
so that we would have a third runner, and thus be eligible for a team
medal. This was a huge ask, and I am very thankful to Angus for stepping
up. We knew that he wouldn't be at his best but anticipated that our
combined times could still give us a chance. I must admit I was a touch
apprehensive about being beaten by a less than fresh Angus.
All the pre race talk was about how the African runners were
probably going to go out fast, tear the course to bits on the first
couple of laps, and probably pull out with cramps and such like.
Standing on the start line was a proud moment, and hopefully the
first of many opportunities to represent my country. The pace was very
conservative at the start, so I found myself in the familiar position of
leading out, although I knew this would be short lived. I was happy to
run alongside the Kenyan runner for the first couple of kilometers and
have my moment of recognition.
I was surprised by the huge variation in shoe selection. A number
of the runners had opted for road racing flats. I decided to run in my
Inov-8 X-Talon 212's and by the  first traverse of the beach I was glad
for the flexibility and traction, and happy with my decision.
Sure enough a number of runners tried and failed to tear the race
to pieces from the start. The top five runners at the end of the first
lap all failed to finish the race.
By the third lap, I too was beginning to struggle. I was running
solo, about thirty seconds behind a pack of runners and starting to feel
like death warmed up. Self doubt was creeping in, and I was starting to
question myself. "Did I go out to
hard at the start? Would I be blacklisted if I didn't perform or finish?
Would trail-running be blacklisted if Vajin and I didn't perform? Why
was I putting my body through this?" By forcing myself to sip
away on an alternating supply of water, progressively sweeter Endura,
and MuleBar Kicks, I managed to silence the ego, keep the demons at bay,
and continue to run at a good pace.
I eventually stopped the clock at 3:54:33 to finish in 14th
position of the Ultra-Trail Race. I am extremely happy with my
performance, and pleased with where I am in comparison to the other
runners in the Commonwealth. It is another step in the right direction.
Vajin finished 8th in 3:43:13, and Angus pulled out at the end of
the 4th lap when it was clear that we were outside of medal contention.
I am hoping to run Total Sport's West Coaster at the end of
November. Beyond that there will be a big focus on cycling and kayaking
with the Coast to Coast being my next major target.”
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