Rain, shine or howling gales, runner Janet Baird is out training for her first time entering the iconic Mauao King & Queen of the Mountain event on Sunday, April 27.

“I used to run in my 20s, 30s and 40s, then I stopped in my 50s,” said the 66-year-old.

Recently, she joined the beginners group at Mount Maunganui Runners and Walkers Club, which challenges members to run to the top of the Mount.

Camaraderie

“That was a couple of years ago and it meant getting back into running after a decade of no running. I felt very heavy legged at first, but the group is all ages and so motivating and fun. I think the camaraderie is a big part of it for me.”

The Pāpāmoa Beach resident won this year’s Mauao King & Queen of the Mountain prize draw of a new pair of Merrell Morphlite Trail running shoes by purchasing an earlybird ticket for the event

As part of her training, Baird said she increased her weekly hill runs from two to three. “That’s the great thing about this event; it’s made me do extra training each week.

“The challenge is totally with myself. I have a finish time in mind, but I’m keeping that under my hat,” she said.

The main race is about a 4km run along the beach to the summit of Mauao, then descending along the beach to Leisure Island/Moturiki Island. There is also a 2.5km junior race that runs part-way up Mauao.

Joining Baird on the starting line is last year’s winner, Michael Sutton – an elite competitor who began running school cross-country events when he was about 6, and joined Athletics Tauranga when he was 12.

Under 19 minutes

“This time last year, I was racing all over Europe in the Swiss Alps on the Matterhorn and at Chamonix at the base of Mont Blanc,” said the 30-year-old. “In the world mountain running rankings, I made it to ninth.”

Sutton is happy to be back home in Pāpāmoa, enjoying the more relaxed vibe of the local event. “The Mount does feel tiny now,” he said. “It helps knowing you can run 1900 metres of vertical elevation. I’ve run up a 60% gradient; by comparison, Mount Maunganui has an 18% gradient.”

Last year’s winner of the iconic Mauao King & Queen of the Mountain event, Michael Sutton. Photo / Supplied

His goal is to beat last year’s winning time of 19m 37s. “To get under 19 minutes would be nice, but it’s just great to be running on home soil.”

This year will be the 78th running of the Mauao King & Queen of the Mountain.

“This is a family-friendly event for everyone, not just the elite,” said Andrea Neal, of Athletics Tauranga.

“We love seeing all levels of runners getting involved. In fact, this year is the first time we’ve included a new, fun social walk to the top and back.

“There will be a large range of spot prizes and we’re donating $10 from each walk entry to the Tauranga Foodbank as a way to give back to the community.”

For more information about the event and to enter, go to www.sporty.co.nz/athleticstauranga