Mud, Grit and Purple Dinosaurs: CurraNZ at a Wild Tarawera Ultra 2026

This was our fourth year at Tarawera Ultra and, after three editions of sun‑baked, fast trails, 2026 flipped the script. The heat was gone, the mud arrived, times blew out and DNFs spiked as runners slid, slipped and scrambled their way around the course.

 Yet even with dirt and loam caked onto shoes and shins, people smiled, laughed and kept the finish‑line cheers going late into the night.

We were lucky to have our US ambassador Hillary Allen join us on Thursday for a Q&A (pictured below, finishing the T50 and below right).

Hillary’s comeback story is remarkable: after a life‑threatening fall from a ridge during a race, there were serious doubts she would ever run again. Eight years on, she has represented the USA at the Trail and Mountain World Championships, racing two events and helping her team to a silver medal. It was a privilege to host her in the CurraNZ tent and hear her share her journey and hard‑won wisdom. Tarawera was Hillary’s season opener and she battled through the mud to finish 11th woman.

A few race shout‑outs are definitely in order. In the T50, Sam Rout stepped onto the podium in 3rd after finishing 8th last year when he was fighting off a nasty virus – brilliant to see him close to the sharp end. Over the 100‑miler, James Bland, a Kiwi based in Australia, ground his way to 9th place in brutal conditions. Not far behind were Brad White (12th), Andy Crosland (17th) and Kieran van Bunnik (23rd), all putting in gutsy performances when the going got truly ugly. Cathy Donnet also took on the Miler and came home as first woman in the 60–64 age group.

In the T102, our UK‑born, now‑Australia‑based ambassador Jo Zakrzewski fought hard all day and finished 2nd in her category and top GB female.

This year we updated our pre‑ and post‑race CurraNZ dosing guidance, and the feedback was outstanding. Runners consistently told us they felt they bounced back faster and handled the back‑to‑back days and heavy legs better than expected. As the science evolves, we’ll keep refining and sharing our best‑practice protocols so you can get the most out of CurraNZ for training, racing and recovery.

We’re incredibly grateful to all our ambassadors who lined up as part of the “purple army,” racing in CurraNZ purple dinosaurs and giving it everything in some of the toughest Tarawera conditions we’ve seen. It was also a joy to welcome new faces and reconnect with returning ambassadors – including Cam Bulot, back for his third year with us.

Finally, a huge thank‑you to everyone who stopped by the tent to chat. We heard so many stories about how CurraNZ has helped with running, recovery and broader health, and those conversations are why we keep showing up. We’re already looking forward to seeing you at Tarawera next year – and crossing our fingers that sunscreen, not a mask and snorkel, is the must‑have accessory on the start line.