Mountain fever is almost upon the Eastern Bay of Plenty again with the 57th Kawerau King of the Mountain taking place on Saturday 27th October.
Entries are already flowing in for this year's iconic mountain climb with one entry coming in from Calgary, Canada raising a few eyebrows.
 Heading off on the climb(Photo: Stuart Smith, Kawerau South School; click to enlarge) |
As usual race day will start with the newly named Radio 1XX King of the Mountain School Relays in recognition for the outstanding and ongoing support from Glen Smith and the team at Radio 1XX. The school relays will kick off at 9.30am and take in the specially-designed course on Waterhouse Street Reserve finishing at the main chute on Firmin Field.
The Norske Skog Prince & Princess of the Mountain will start at 11am from Firmin Field. This incredibly popular race is always a sell out and is one of the few children's races that benefits from microchip timing technology and is free to enter. Training sessions have already begun and will continue every Tuesday until the 16th October, meeting at Firmin Field at 4.20pm. Entry into this race will NOT be accepted on the day and it is essential that all entries are made by 22nd October.
The Kawerau King of the Mountain Race will take to Putauaki (Mt. Edgecumbe) at 12pm (midday).
No clear favourites have staked their claim for the throne to date, but if the rumour mill is correct it appears last year's 2nd place and Eastern Bay running icon, Sjors Corporaal will not be appearing this year, which would leave last year's winner Shay Williamson as the clear favourite (although reports claim Williamson is struggling with injury). There are always some outside hopefuls to keep an eye on and the ever improving Kris Mortensen could be the surprise package in 2012.
The favourite entry for the Queen title so far is Helen Rountree from Hamilton. Rountree has just returned from Italy after competing for NZ at the World Mountain Running Cup Trophy and will be in top condition, although her relative inexperience with Putauaki could play into the hands of some of the local women who know exactly what to expect with this race. Maybe the former Queen Karen Hanlen could return after a year away.
With entries coming in from all over New Zealand any runner could take out the prestigious titles this year. With recent form counting for nothing, on the day it could be anyone's race.
For those that just want to challenge themselves and their mates against the mighty mountain it's time to get your mountain goat boots on and be ready for another excellent Kawerau King of the Mountain race, 27th October 2012.
Any person intending to train on the mountain must email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (between Monday & Friday). This is to ensure safety and to comply with the access agreement with Maori Investments Ltd. Without their support this iconic race would not be possible.
You can Enter Online (Early bird closes 13th Oct) through www.kaweraudc.govt.nz/newsandevents or www.kawerauharrierclub.co.nz where you will also find entry forms for the Norske Skog Prince & Princess of the Mountain race with all of last year's race results and information on this year's race.
You can also find the Mountain Race on Facebook where important updates and the latest info will be posted.
