A year in review

Trail runners, and competitive people in general, have a chronic habit of always looking forward. Moving from one challenge straight to the next, rarely taking the time to properly look back on successes, and more often remembering the rough races than the good ones.

So with the calendar year behind us, I’m taking a moment to look back and give an honest review of my racing year.

As a whole, I’d give 2025 a solid 7/10. There were some great moments and some humbling defeats. The positives far outweighed the negatives, and having friends and family around for both the celebrations and the commiserations made a big difference. So here’s a look back at the results and experiences from 2025, in chronological order.

Tarawera 102km (February)

The year got off to a fantastic start. Our friends, the Hawks, were over and staying with us in Wellington, and we also had my teammate Macy and Nini staying in the lead-up to the race. That meant plenty of adventures, diving, and good times alongside training.

Michelle and I headed north to Rotorua and had a great time helping host the adidas TERREX team on their first visit to the area. The race itself went pretty seamlessly, and I’d rate it as one of the best races I’ve ever put together. A new course record and a win. Shared with my team, family, friends, and local community.

Post-race we did some fun touristy things like Wai Ariki Spa, ZORB NZ, and the Redwoods Treewalk. Good times all around.

Rating: 9.5/10 — leaving 0.5 for any improvements next time.

Lake Sonoma Trail Marathon (April)

Coming off the back of team camp and a fair amount of travel, I stopped in California to race this team event. It was fun hanging out with the team in the build-up, and a highlight was getting in a beautiful run along the Pacific Coast.

On race day I didn’t feel super strong and was somewhat dropped in the first half, but I finished well. I managed to take the win and came away with a nice bottle of wine.

Solid overall, but it felt like I probably should have had a bit more in me on the day.

Rating: 7/10

Ultra-Trail Australia 50km (May)

This was a short but very cool trip. Katoomba and the Blue Mountains were an amazing place to visit with Michelle, and it felt like a nice little holiday with a build-up race to Western States thrown in.

Despite training through, I felt really strong on race day. I was pushed hard by Miguel from ASICS, but managed to pull away in the second half and run consistently to the finish. A great feeling, and a really strong community around this event.

Rating: 8/10

Western States 100 miler (June)

I had a really solid training block in Cedar City, staying and training at the Hawks’ place. However, I developed an injury in my quad (sartorius muscle), and while I was mostly able to train how I wanted to, it was painful and played on my mind knowing I couldn’t train pain-free. That added an unnecessary layer of stress.

It was great to spend time with the team, have my parents come over from New Zealand, and have my Topsport Kayaking friends there to help support me. Michelle unfortunately had to stay home, as she was heavily pregnant.

In the race itself, I think I fought hard but didn’t quite feel like I had the edge I could have had. I can’t complain with 5th place, but I know there’s more there.

Rating: 7/10

UTMB 100 miler (September)

Let’s not go there… 💩.

A shorter lead-in time in the Chamonix Valley, leaving Michelle back in Wellington (very heavily pregnant), and then race day arrived with the worst stomach issues I’ve ever had.

DNF.

Rating: 3/10
(Not a zero as I commissserated with some great post-race times and partying with my parents, close friends, and teammates.)

GPT Stage Race – 100 miles (November)

These are still pretty fresh in the Substack archives. Hudson arrived in between UTMB and GPT, so this rating would probably have been higher if he’d been old enough to travel.

That said, I had a great time racing and it was cool to push myself outside my comfort zone.

Rating: 7.5/10

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Kepler Challenge 60km (December)

This one was special. The previous year was the first time I’d missed Kepler after a six-year streak, so returning to Te Anau and the trail community — joined by Michelle and Hudson for our first family trip — meant a lot.

I think my race performance reflected my current fitness, with lower training mileage than usual. The race record still eludes me, but that’s okay — there was some great racing out there.

Celebrating with everyone at the Moose Bar was a highlight, and I even managed not to get too carried away, so I felt great the next day.

Rating: 8/10

So that winds up 2025. Hopefully more great times and strong races in 2026. That goes for all of you as well. Enjoy that Xmas break and I wish you all a happy New Year.