We’ve always said that the Whaka 100 has such a passionate community that it feels like we’re its guardians rather than owners. This shared passion for community is how we got talking to Holland Beckett Law, our newest partner for this October’s event.

Official National Marathon Championship added to mountain bike calendar
​The rising popularity of long-distance mountain bike events around the globe, has led to Cycling New Zealand today confirming that the Marathon National Championship will be added to the calendar this year.
The Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships will be staged as part of the marquee 100km race at the Isuzu Whaka 100 in Rotorua on 23 October. Altogether over 3000 riders expected to take part across the various events over the weekend.

What’s that dot on the horizon? It’s the Whaka 100, and it’s approaching sure and steady. Regardless of what distance you’re in, you’ll likely have chosen something that will test your riding skills and fitness. It’s time to get prepared, learn, and train.

Written by Jason Reid 
Last year, (2020) after completing the Whaka 100 whilst lying on the ground, still cramping, I was asked what I thought.

My answer was, "I'll never f***ing do that again!". Two days later I signed up to do the Whaka Miler. 

​Kia ora,

The Whaka 100 has been cancelled.

The Rotorua Lakes Council, on behalf of the Forest Recreation Committee, who had provided us their approval on the morning of Monday 24 January, retracted this approval at 2.27pm today.

We are painfully aware of the impact on you, your travel, accommodation, and all the work you’ve put in ahead of the event. We know many of you are here already. We are devastated, and it leaves Whaka 100’s future uncertain.

Your event was poised to go ahead, well within the red guidelines which have been set out by the Government to allow events to run in the COVID-19 conditions we are currently in. Our protocols met and exceeded what was mandated.

We’ve been monitoring the risks daily, and still perceive it to be low for our community, participants and staff.

Ultimately, we acknowledge and respect the decision of mana whenua and forest owners. Being able to access the forest is a privilege that we greatly appreciate.

We’re in the process of working out what we can do for participants, considering we received notice on the first day of rider registration. 

We kindly ask for your patience. We know you will have questions. We will be in touch with you as soon as we have more information. 

Tim & Belinda
& the Whaka 100 team

We know training for the Whaka 100 can be tough - whatever distance you're doing. So we've got some epic advice from our nutrition partner CLIF to help you with training, recovery and even event day performance.

The more you train, the more important your pre- and post-workout nutrition and hydration becomes. With bigger demands on your body, you require more nutrients and fluids for peak performance and fast recovery. This also prevents hunger during your activity, sudden energy drops, and excessive weight loss from sweating.

So now you know what to do and not to do, in theory - what does that actually look like for your Whaka 100 training and event day?

An event as tough as this one needs an equally tough partner. The Whaka 100 is stoked to welcome Isuzu Utes New Zealand to the MTB endurance event’s family of partners.

Joining as presenting partner for 2021, Isuzu Utes New Zealand will move up to becoming full naming rights partner in 2022 the largest mass-participant MTB event in the Southern Hemisphere.

Resilience, mental strength and motivation! Our final interview in our Team CP series we have Clair Scott - President of the Rotorua Mountain Bike Club.
​
Clair is tackling the Whaka 100 for the first time and is a newcomer to endurance training, endurance sports and not just riding for the beer and cinnamon scroll.

In this recap, Team CP catch up with Clair as she takes us through her top tips for starting training, why she’s doing the Whaka 100 and what all this has to do with the Redwood’s First Response team.

Is 2021 your first Whaka100 race? Or maybe you've been here before but you're increasing your distance.

We know there can be lots of different emotions that go with the Whaka100 - excitement, stoked-ness (yes that's a word) and sometimes a few nerves. Wherever you are on this scale, we know you'll find these tips super helpful!

Gav, head wheel builder from Wheelworks, has put together his top tips and tricks for how to prepare for your Whaka100. With 8 or 9 Whaka100 rides under his belt and as one of the OG New Zealand riders, we know you'll find lots of great advice whatever distance you're riding.  

In our next episode of the Whaka Rider Series, we’ve teamed up with Reon Nolan, motivational speaker and elite cyclist, and official Whaka 100 Training Partner - Team CP, to help you get the most out of your race preparation. 

In this recap, Team CP catch up with Reon Nolan - someone who knows how to deal with tough times and come through the other side stronger. It's a must watch!​

The Whaka 100 is only the awesome event it is because of it’s riders and athletes. Sure, it covers some of New Zealand's world-famous, grin-inducing trails, but without riders there would be no atmosphere, hype or high-fives.

We’re excited to be profiling a number of this year’s riders and athletes, starting with Rotorua local, Jess Manchester. With a number of championships under her belt, Jess has entered the Perma Pine 100km event as a challenge to get herself back into racing after focusing on her career.

So what’s the motivation? “I've always raced in the Whaka 50km” Jess explains “I've done that probably three times”. She then attended the event on the other side of the tape, working for the team behind the Whaka 100, Nduro Events. “I was helping run the course, and loved all that, but it's good to get back in the game."

Watch the full video above.

The Southern Hemisphere’s largest mountain biking event held in Rotorua, the Emerson’s Whaka100, sold out it’s major event distances over the weekend.

More than 1,700 riders from elite olympians to weekend warriors are set to compete across the Camelbak 25km, New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty 50km, Perma Pine 100km and the inaugural 160km DCA Architects Miler events.

​This sets a new record for the Whaka100 and is further proof mountain biking is going from strength to strength in New Zealand. It’s become so popular that the event organisers negotiated additional spaces with local stakeholders and authorities, set up a waitlist, and have created on-site camping facilities to alleviate a lack of visitor accommodation in the Rotorua area.