Runners signing up for The Spectacle

Nelson’s inaugural running event, The Spectacle, is on track to have the best international field of athletes for its Elite Mile race that New Zealand has ever seen, and one of its founders says it will live up to the name of the event.

The Spectacle takes place 13-15 December, with at least 2,000 competitors and “maybe close to 3,000” who will take part in a range of races, from school relays on the streets of Nelson through to the 100 Mile which climbs hundreds of metres through the hills behind the city.

Michael Cochrane says the Elite Mile on the streets of Nelson already has entries from several top athletes from around the globe who have run sub-four-minute miles, including New Zealand’s Sam Tanner who was the youngest Kiwi ever to achieve the feat.

“That mile race is a real spectacle – that’s why we wanted to name the event The Spectacle. When someone is running a sub-four-minute mile, it’s really something to behold when you are a spectator on the street.”

Numerous schools have registered for the mile relays and businesses are entering teams, so real estate companies will battle it out and teams of lawyers will be pitted against each other.

Michael says the trail events which are on “quite gnarly” terrain in places like Dun Mountain, are attracting good entries, with about 50 runners entered in the 100 Mile so far.

That takes runners up to the Te Araroa Trail and over Dun Mountain and Little Twin, before many kilometres later finishing in the heart of the city. If that’s too much, there’s the 100 km race, or 10 km.

It was running those trails that ignited the idea of a running festival in Nelson, and as a trail runner with ultramarathons under his belt, Michael has run a few trails in the area.

“The trails we have here are exceptional; they’re world class. So, why don’t we have a world-class event here?”

Olympian middle-distance runner and fellow Nelsonian, Julian Matthews, said ‘why not add a mile event as well?’ They teamed up with world cross-country runner Annika Pfitzinger, also from Nelson, and got local adventure-racing champion Nathan Fa’avae on board to manage the event.

This is the festival’s birth and Michael would like to see it become an annual event that grows over time, bringing thousands of people into the centre of Nelson.

As chief executive of Matthews Eyecare, he says he knows how hard it is for retailers in the city and events such as The Spectacle are needed.

As well as the 2,000 or more competitors, the event is expected to attract about 5,000 spectators for the street events and finish lines.

“We know Nelson CBD needs more events and reasons for people to come to Nelson. As retailers, we want something that can replace Wearable Arts in the future. And there’s a running boom. You just need to be out on the trails or Rocks Rd on a Saturday and there’s more and more people running.”

This year he headed to the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc in the French Alps, an ultramarathon race that was first held in 2003 and is now regarded as the most competitive trail ultramarathon in the world. It attracted 25,000 competitors this year and Simon says it started out as a little club run.

“Now it’s the biggest event in the sport. Our hope for The Spectacle is more and more people will want to come and run these trails.”

Go here for more information.