WELLINGTON, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- About 5,000 runners around the world hit the picturesque mountain trails around Rotorua on Saturday and Sunday in the 2023 Tarawera Ultramarathon by UTMB (TUM), the largest trail running event New Zealand has ever hosted.
Zach Miller from the United States won the men's 100 Miler (165km) with a time of 14 hours 41 minutes and 41 seconds, while Lucy Bartholomew from Australia was crowned the women's champion in 17:13:27.
The Wellington-based athlete Daniel Jones won the TUM102 title in 7:27:55, the quickest anyone has ever raced over the 102km distance at the Tarawera Ultramarathon. New Zealand female runner Nancy Jiang won her maiden Tarawera Ultramarathon title with a time of 9:26:08.
Course records tumbled in the 50km, with New Zealand's David Haunschmidt winning the men's race in 3:33:03, and American Allie McLaughlin was crowned in the women's TUM50 race in 3:43:38.
New Zealand's Mike Robinson won the men's TUM21 in 1:25:45, and New Zealander Juliette Soule claimed the women's title in 1:40:59.
The ultramarathon kicked off at 4 a.m. local time on Saturday for those taking part in the 100-mile race. Athletes were given 36 hours at most to complete the course, which includes running along multiple lakes, through lush native bush, the towering Whakarewarewa Forest, steam alongside the trail at Sulphur Point and finishing at the Village Green by the lakeside in Rotorua.
All other distances, either 102km, 50km, or 21km, also started on Saturday morning. These courses also feature lakes, redwoods, sulfur flats and the lakeside Rotorua finish.
Rotorua, one of the North Island's top visitor destinations, is well-known for its fascinating Maori culture, the lushest native New Zealand forests, hot springs and mud pools.
This year, the event welcomed runners from outside of New Zealand for the first time since 2020, with international competitors making up 40 percent of the field. ■
