Spectacular debut for running festival

A photo finish in the elite mile, crowds five-deep in central Nelson, tales of enormous endurance in the hills, and the Black Seeds partying into the night.

They were part of a memorable debut for the Spectacle road and trail running festival over the weekend.

“It went exceptionally well,” said one of the organisers, Michael Cochrane. “The city really got behind it and there was highlight after highlight on Saturday.”

They ranged from the kids road races all the way to the the elite mile where British Olympic 1500m finalist Neil Gourley just pipped New Zealand Olympian Sam Tanner and Australian Olympian Georgia Griffith (who had a 30-second head start) on the line in front of the Church Steps.

Gourley and Tanner sizzled around two loops of the Selwyn Place, Church St, Hardy St and Hope St course in four minutes and three seconds.

Competitors in the festival’s 21km, 50km, 100km and 100-mile trail running courses also finished at the Church Steps after battling high temperatures and gruelling terrain. They included 82-year-old former MP and Nelson councillor Mike Ward who completed the 50km trail run in 17 hours and 30 minutes.

The 50km was won by ultra marathon runner Sam Harvey, who remarkably went on to finish second in the open mile race.

Twenty-eight competitors finished the 100-mile event, won by Kyle Malone from Wellington’s Scottish Athletics Club in 25 hours, 38 minutes. The final finisher was Elliot Cole after almost 43 hours on his feet, just minutes before the road closure was lifted.

Cochrane watched him finish and said it was “one of the biggest expressions of personal achievement” he had seen.

Cochrane said the feedback from participants in the road and trail races, organised by Tasman-based adventure racing legends Nathan and Jodie Fa’avae, had been extremely positive. More than 50 had already registered to return to the 2025 event which will be held on December 5.

After the racing a crowd estimated at 4000 gathered in Upper Trafalgar St to watch Wellington band the Black Seeds.

Cochrane said the band later commented on the good-natured vibes of the crowd as parents danced with their children.

He said putting on the free concert with a high-profile band had been a financial risk, but it had paid off.

For him and fellow organisers, former Olympic 1500m runner Julian Matthews and New Zealand cross-country representative Annika Pfitzinger, watching their concept come to life had been “pretty surreal”.

With more time to organise next year’s event, it would hopefully be bigger and better, he said.

By Warren Gamble, Nelson Mail