Willesden Farms
Kaituna Valley | 24th May 2026
Event #1 in the series. Just 30 minutes from Christchurch, Willesden Farms at Kaituna Valley delivers a spectacular Banks Peninsula trail experience shaped by ancient volcanic landscapes, rolling ridgelines, and hidden pockets of native bush. Starting low in the valley, the course climbs steadily through trees and open hill country before bursting onto exposed ridges with sweeping views across Kaitorete Spit, down the coast towards Timaru and over to the Canterbury foothills. Technical in places, flowing in others, and constantly changing, this venue offers a true test of strength and skill — and the perfect stage to launch the series.
All entry fee’s are visible on the Entry Info page.
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Course Options and Details | Schedule | Compulsory Gear | Aid Stations | Prizes and Place getters | Event village location | Food | Course maps
Course Options and Details
Expect: hills, mud, rocks and fun.
*Weather may affect the exact course. See terms and conditions.
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Distance: 6.1km
Elevation: 330m
After 600m of flats you’ll head straight up the forest track and it is steep! Traversing along the hillside on a rocky trail you will have a chance to look back down the valley and over the ocean. Sidling across the steep tussock then back onto a track, over to the main Spur. Descending down a fun Zigzag track to the valley floor and back to the start.
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Distance: 10.7km
Elevation: 620m
After 600m of flats you’ll head straight up the forest track and it is steep! You’ll climb to a higher point up the spur than the Sprint course and then sidle along before dropping down into Kanuka forest then veering straight up a steep climb. After some hard work you’ll reach the top saddle and see huge views over to Mount Hutt and the Ocean. You will turn back here , head down the spur before joining the sprint course. Descending down a fun Zigzag track to the valley floor and back to the start.
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Distance: 19.4km
Elevation: 890m
After 600m of flats you’ll head straight up the forest track and it is steep! You’ll climb to a higher point up the spur than the Sprint course and then sidle along before dropping down into Kanuka forest then veering straight up a steep climb. After some hard work you’ll reach the top saddle and see huge views over to Mount Hutt and the Ocean. Over and across to the top of the next valley eventually dipping into some native bush and a few small creek crossings. Back up, single track and sidling before descending down a fun long spur to Ataahua and back along the base to the start. Epic.
Schedule
7:30am – Race check-in & number collection opens
(No on-the-day entries)
8:45am – Race check-in closes (Endurance Epic & Midi Mountains)
8:50am – Mandatory course briefing (Endurance Epic & Midi Mountains)
9:00am – Race start (Endurance Epic & Midi Mountains)
9:45am – Race check-in closes (Slope Sprint)
9:50am – Mandatory course briefing (Slope Sprint)
10:00am – Race start (Slope Sprint)
3:00pm – Last finishers expected
3:30pm – Event village closes
Important: All competitors must check in and collect their race number before starting.
Compulsory Gear
All gear listed is the minimum requirement to be carried. You can not start the race without it. You must check the weather forecast, dress appropriately.
We may reduce your minimum gear requirements if the weather on the day allows. The pre-race email will notify you of this.
It is winter, it can be very cold and wet! All locations have potential to have snow, rain and temperatures close to zero. We want to run this event in most conditions so please wear the right gear!
All spare clothing must be in a dry bag or plastic snap-lock bag to keep your gear dry until required. If you are warm we can all have fun! When choosing thermal clothing it must be THERMAL e.g. Merino or Polypropylene - NOT sport dry fit clothing e.g. ‘skins’.
Participants may be subject to random gear checks.
Failure to carry compulsory gear may result in disqualification.
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All participants must carry the following:
Waterproof jacket — fully waterproof, seam-sealed, with hood
Mobile phone — fully charged and switched on
Any personal medication (must be recorded in your entry form)
Recommended Equipment:
The following items are strongly recommended:
500mls of water/electrolyte drink
Emergency survival foil blanket/bag
Lightweight gloves and beanie
Thermal mid-layer top
Energy snacks (e.g. PURE gels, lollies, bars)
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All participants must carry the following:
Waterproof jacket — fully waterproof, seam-sealed, with hood
Thermal base layer top (wool or synthetic)
Thermal beanie or hat
Mobile phone — fully charged and switched on
Any personal medication (must be recorded in your entry form)
Energy/nutrition — e.g. lollies or PURE energy gels. Sufficient for your expected duration (typically 1–3 hours)
Minimum 500ml of water or sports drink (capacity to carry up to 1000ml recommended)
Recommended Equipment:
The following items are strongly recommended, particularly in cold, wet, or windy conditions:
Emergency survival foil blanket/bag
Thermal gloves
Additional warm layer
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All participants must carry the following:
Emergency survival bag (foil bivvy/bag — blankets are not acceptable)
Waterproof jacket — fully waterproof, seam-sealed, with hood
Thermal base layer top (wool or synthetic)
Thermal mid-layer top (warmer than a base layer)
Thermal beanie or hat
Mobile phone — fully charged and switched on
Any personal medication (must be recorded in your entry form)
Energy/nutrition — e.g. lollies or PURE energy gels. Sufficient for your expected duration (typically 2–5 hours)
Minimum 1 litre of water or sports drink (recommended to start full)
Recommended Equipment:
The following items are strongly recommended:
Small personal first aid kit
Waterproof overtrousers — seam-sealed
Thermal gloves
Additional warm layer
Aid Stations
Aid Stations are only available for the Midi and Epic course. Actual location may differ if course is changed due to weather. (You will receive an email the day before or at very least at race briefing). There will be drink available at the finish line for all competitors.
At each aid station there will be:
PURE Sport Nutrition Electrolyte Drink
Plain Water
No cups - To help reduce waste and our environmental footprint, we do not provide disposable cups at aid stations. Please carry your own bottle, cup, or hydration system to refill on course. We recommend this cup, or this flask.
Midi Mountains: 1x Aid stations
Location:
6.1km - Junction with Epic Course
Epic Endurance: 1x Aid stations
11.6km - Junction with Midi Course
Prizes & placegetters
Each event is participation focused with no prizegiving on the day of the events.
Spot prizes will be awarded at random to competitors on event days as they cross the finish line. Runners who complete all four trail running events will compete for series prizes, awarded to the top three male and female finishers within each age group and distance. All are welcome to celebrate the end of the season with a Series prizegiving in late August (date and location TBC).
Event village location*
229 Kaituna Valley Road, Ataahua
*A friendly reminder that the locations are private land. You may only visit this location on race day.
Food
Our fundraising group will be providing food for sale on the day.
Please support this group. Cash is the method of payment.
COurse maps
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A friendly reminder that all locations are private and can only visited on event day.
Please note: GPS tracks can be slightly inaccurate to real life. Course markings must be followed on the day of the event instead of a saved GPX on your GPS device.
