October 10, 2025 • 5 mins
Today an epic event hits the Taupo Great Lake Trail.
The Taupo Ultramarathon is a sold-out event that takes competitors all around the great lake trail, runners covering anything from 24km all the way up to 100km.
Aaron Carter is the organiser of the event, and he caught up with D'Arcy to talk about it.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Wildgrave from News Talk S'B now the.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Great event around the Towport to dates on the Great
Lake Trail. The Ultra Marathon sold out event. Competitors go
all around the Great Lake and trail. There are a
twenty four k individual race, a fifty k individual race,
a seventy k individual race, and one hundred k for
individuals and team Rebez Aaron Carter put the whole shebang together.
(00:35):
He joins us now to tell us more about the
Ultra Marathon.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Hey erin, Darcy, how are you very good from you?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Yeah, well, it's great to hear from you. I'm glad
you're still running and breathing. Although what you're up to now,
I mean, can we say a recidius defender when it
comes to organizing big runs like this because you're doing
the Towport Ultra Marathon now, I mean, you're not doing it,
although it wouldn't surprise me if you did. But this
is a this is a massive day around Topau's Great
(01:05):
Lake Trail.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Yeah, yeah it is.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Yeah, No, we're out there doing it again. It's year
year ten actually, so this one's been going for a
little while now getting pretty well established in the ultra
running community.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Summarize ultra marathons for it. I mean, I think I've
got an idea. In fact, I know, but what's the
best way of describing what this is?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Yeah, so it's an interesting one actually.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
So you know, like a marathon is forty two point
two k, and ultra is varying distances. The it's generally
regarded that the sort of intro level ultra is fifty K.
So we got one of those on, We got one
of those up for grabs, and then they go right up.
I mean, they sort of go from fifty k and
they don't stop. Our longest distance is one hundred k,
(01:49):
which is definitely a holy Grail distance, but then you
know people run one hundred miles.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
They they mate that.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
Just this whole area of ultra running has really exploded
over the last.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Or probably seven eight years. I reckon what's the attraction?
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Why do people do this?
Speaker 4 (02:07):
I think there's just this element of people who want
to notch it up.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
There's I think an interesting.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
Stat out of ours is that about forty five percent
of those the entire field, which has sold out at
just over thirteen hundred people, about forty five percent of
them are doing the fifty which says to me that
there's this kind of emerging segment of people that have
done a marathon they want to push.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
It a bit further. So fifty k is a legit.
Speaker 4 (02:35):
Like metal around the neck ultra, and there's another element
who just they just want to punish themselves for as
long as possible. They'll always be on the lookout for
the next big thing. And you've sort of got a
kind of crowd in the middle of that too. So
it's it is actually kind of quite a variable market
that are kind of doing these things these days.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
The conditions with ultra marathon, I'm presuming they're quite variable.
Do ultras get run on tarmac or is it predominantly
trail running, which is what you're doing. They'd rather be
out in the outside. Is there any determination around what
ultras should be made of or consist of.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
There really isn't.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
Actually, I would say that the majority of them are
off road and on trails, and this one in particular
that the Topo Ultra is on the Great Lake Trail,
which is like an amazing trail that's been built by
the legends here at bike Tope.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Or with mountain bikers in mind.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
But what tends to happen is these trails get built
and then people like myself go, oh, hello, there's an
event opportunity, and we throw runners on there. And so
they're really kind of they're really kind of built for everyone.
But this one's tough, like it's got. If you're doing
the one hundred kilometers, you're doing over two thousand meters
(03:56):
of elevation, So that's a lot. You can just kind
of imagine what it would look like if you just
put a big tape measure from the ground and it
went up two kilometers.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
In the Yeah, there's a lot of climbing.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
So over that one hundred k it's you know, people
are not just doing a massive distance, but they're also
doing huge amounts of climbing on some pretty some pretty
hard trail as well. So she's a pretty serious day out.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
I've just been sick in my mouth thinking about it.
One last thing, Aaron Carter, how long is it going
to take expectations one hundred k up to kilometers through
the mudden sup and whatever end you cover? What what are
we looking at time wise?
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Okay, So This is the crazy bit right here. Like
you imagine putting your sneakers on and going for a run.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
I don't know if you much of a runner. I'm not.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
I could probably knock out a five minute K one
five minute K and I'd be absolutely busting my gut.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
These guys.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
The winner will do five minute k's consistently throughout for
one hundred k so that is crazy. The winner last
year came in in just over eight hours and yeah,
you do the mess on there, and that's pretty much
pumping out five minute k's for one hundred kilometers.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
So that's at the pointy end of the field.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
And at the other end of the field we're probably
going to see people that are going to do nineteen
or twenty hours to finish this thing. So just a massive,
massive gap between the front and the back.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk set be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Wildgrave from News Talk S'B now the.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Great event around the Towport to dates on the Great
Lake Trail. The Ultra Marathon sold out event. Competitors go
all around the Great Lake and trail. There are a
twenty four k individual race, a fifty k individual race,
a seventy k individual race, and one hundred k for
individuals and team Rebez Aaron Carter put the whole shebang together.
(00:35):
He joins us now to tell us more about the
Ultra Marathon.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Hey erin, Darcy, how are you very good from you?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Yeah, well, it's great to hear from you. I'm glad
you're still running and breathing. Although what you're up to now,
I mean, can we say a recidius defender when it
comes to organizing big runs like this because you're doing
the Towport Ultra Marathon now, I mean, you're not doing it,
although it wouldn't surprise me if you did. But this
is a this is a massive day around Topau's Great
(01:05):
Lake Trail.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Yeah, yeah it is.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Yeah, No, we're out there doing it again. It's year
year ten actually, so this one's been going for a
little while now getting pretty well established in the ultra
running community.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Summarize ultra marathons for it. I mean, I think I've
got an idea. In fact, I know, but what's the
best way of describing what this is?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Yeah, so it's an interesting one actually.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
So you know, like a marathon is forty two point
two k, and ultra is varying distances. The it's generally
regarded that the sort of intro level ultra is fifty K.
So we got one of those on, We got one
of those up for grabs, and then they go right up.
I mean, they sort of go from fifty k and
they don't stop. Our longest distance is one hundred k,
(01:49):
which is definitely a holy Grail distance, but then you
know people run one hundred miles.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
They they mate that.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
Just this whole area of ultra running has really exploded
over the last.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Or probably seven eight years. I reckon what's the attraction?
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Why do people do this?
Speaker 4 (02:07):
I think there's just this element of people who want
to notch it up.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
There's I think an interesting.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
Stat out of ours is that about forty five percent
of those the entire field, which has sold out at
just over thirteen hundred people, about forty five percent of
them are doing the fifty which says to me that
there's this kind of emerging segment of people that have
done a marathon they want to push.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
It a bit further. So fifty k is a legit.
Speaker 4 (02:35):
Like metal around the neck ultra, and there's another element
who just they just want to punish themselves for as
long as possible. They'll always be on the lookout for
the next big thing. And you've sort of got a
kind of crowd in the middle of that too. So
it's it is actually kind of quite a variable market
that are kind of doing these things these days.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
The conditions with ultra marathon, I'm presuming they're quite variable.
Do ultras get run on tarmac or is it predominantly
trail running, which is what you're doing. They'd rather be
out in the outside. Is there any determination around what
ultras should be made of or consist of.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
There really isn't.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
Actually, I would say that the majority of them are
off road and on trails, and this one in particular
that the Topo Ultra is on the Great Lake Trail,
which is like an amazing trail that's been built by
the legends here at bike Tope.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Or with mountain bikers in mind.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
But what tends to happen is these trails get built
and then people like myself go, oh, hello, there's an
event opportunity, and we throw runners on there. And so
they're really kind of they're really kind of built for everyone.
But this one's tough, like it's got. If you're doing
the one hundred kilometers, you're doing over two thousand meters
(03:56):
of elevation, So that's a lot. You can just kind
of imagine what it would look like if you just
put a big tape measure from the ground and it
went up two kilometers.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
In the Yeah, there's a lot of climbing.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
So over that one hundred k it's you know, people
are not just doing a massive distance, but they're also
doing huge amounts of climbing on some pretty some pretty
hard trail as well. So she's a pretty serious day out.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
I've just been sick in my mouth thinking about it.
One last thing, Aaron Carter, how long is it going
to take expectations one hundred k up to kilometers through
the mudden sup and whatever end you cover? What what are
we looking at time wise?
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Okay, So This is the crazy bit right here. Like
you imagine putting your sneakers on and going for a run.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
I don't know if you much of a runner. I'm not.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
I could probably knock out a five minute K one
five minute K and I'd be absolutely busting my gut.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
These guys.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
The winner will do five minute k's consistently throughout for
one hundred k so that is crazy. The winner last
year came in in just over eight hours and yeah,
you do the mess on there, and that's pretty much
pumping out five minute k's for one hundred kilometers.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
So that's at the pointy end of the field.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
And at the other end of the field we're probably
going to see people that are going to do nineteen
or twenty hours to finish this thing. So just a massive,
massive gap between the front and the back.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk set be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!