After this year's epic Whaka 100 weekend, we've made the tough decision to discontinue the Whaka Miler event distance. This move comes in light of the many logistical challenges and limited participation, which have rendered the current format unsustainable.
100 Mile rider Kat Bulk shares her event experience...
I haven’t been this nervous before a race for a long time. I care about it a lot. I've trained hard. I love to ride my bike, but something about riding it well, in a ridiculous race distance, REALLY matters to me. I wonder if I can do it. The gnawing doubt and the gaping chasm of the great unknown thrills me and terrifies me by turn. Rotorua, October 24th 2023: Over 3,000 riders, 4,500 spectators, and 200 volunteers came together in Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa Forest over Labour weekend (October 20-22) for the Southern Hemisphere’s largest mountain biking event – the Isuzu Utes Whaka 100 MTB Marathon.
Our Hydration Sponsor, Skratch Labs share a rapid fire lesson on sweat, hydration and how to manage it - useful for whether you're training inside or out, or on race day. Read the list and watch the video below.
Whether you're a seasoned veteran or a first timer taking on the one of the Whaka 100 eMTB options epowered by Bosch you'll know that looking after your battery and choosing when to use your boost is an important part of maximising your fun. Whaka 100 MTB Marathon Named Mountain Bike New Zealand’s 'Event of the Year' for 2022-23
We are thrilled to announce that the Whaka 100 MTB Marathon has been honoured with the title of 'Event of the Year' by Mountain Biking New Zealand (MTBNZ) for the 2022-23 season. This recognition is a testament to the exceptional level of dedication and excellence demonstrated by the Nduro Events team and all those involved in making the Whaka 100 a standout event in the New Zealand mountain biking community. The middle of winter is here, which means Zwift, frosty mornings, headtorches, and
mud. With just under five months until Whaka, now is the time to ensure your winter foundations are established so that you can stay strong, healthy, and dedicated to your Whaka goals. Here are 8 top tips to keep your progress ticking along during the middle of winter: We’re excited to announce that Shimano New Zealand will be joining the Isuzu Utes Whaka 100 as naming sponsor for the 100km marathon event. To celebrate, we're giving away a set of Shimano XT Brakes. Read on to find out more.
The Isuzu Utes Whaka 100 Mountain Bike Marathon, presented by Rotorua NZ, and Cycling New Zealand are excited to announce that the Whaka 100 has secured hosting rights for the UCI Eliminator and Marathon MTB National championship titles for 2023 - 2025.
After a challenging year in 2021 with the event being postponed and then cancelled due to COVID-19, the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest marathon mountain bike event is back in its traditional slot of Labour Weekend and is stronger than ever, with over 2,600 riders, representing 14 nations registered across the six event options.
Every day tools for your next rideNo one wants to be walking out of the forest in their bike shoes. Don’t overlook these essential tools when going out for a ride, and be the hero in your riding group if a mechanical were to occur 🦸
The foundation of the Whaka100 was built on love for the forest. Respecting the land we walk, run and bike on is at our core focus, and we aim to be doing our very best as users and caregivers of this special space. 🍃
You can be rest assured that you are coming to an event that’s working hard to reduce the impact on the forest and New Zealand. Here’s a glimpse of what we are doing this year to be as sustainable as possible: So you want to volunteer but not sure where to start? Firstly, everyone is welcome and as long as you can bring a smile and some hype you will be a great member of the team. Secondly, there is a role for everyone! Whether you are wanting something chill, or you want to be in the heart of the action - we probably have a role for you.
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. HERE ARE OUR EVENT HYDRATION TIPS.Hydration is one of the big threats when it comes to killing your ride vibes, and you may not even know it. Taking a sip when you are thirsty or notice the sweat means you’re already behind on keeping your body replenished. So here are top tips for staying on top of your drink.
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 Tyres are your only (intentional) contact with the trail so it’s important you get them right!
For some, tyres might seem like a simple thing - choose your tyre, make sure you have enough psi, no punctures, and away you go. If you start looking deeper however, there can seem like an endless number of things to take into account... Summer is here, and for many people, that means it’s time to get outside — whether you’re going for a XC loop, a trail ride or just out cruising on the trails. However, it’s important to know how to balance the summer heat with your mountain bike training.
This week, we’ve been catching up with our Whaka 100 hydration partner NUUN, to bring you their top tips and tricks to avoid getting too hot and developing heat exhaustion whilst out riding. In this week’s partner spotlight we want to share with you our awesome Whaka 100km partner - PermaPine.
Located in the heart of the largest plantation forest in the Southern Hemisphere (which all the Whaka 100 participants know and love), PermaPine plays a large part in your Whaka100 journey - many stages of which you might not even know about! Ever fancied finding some other awesome mountain bikers to ride with? What about joining an organised mountain bike group? In this week’s rider series we spoke to Megan Costello who has done just that!
Recently we’ve been doing a lot of research into ebiking, the benefits of ebiking, and speaking to our ebiking participants themselves. In this week’s rider stories we’ve been speaking to Heather Lodge who, not only rides an ebike, but also has four members of her family entering this year’s Whaka 100!
First up, how awesome is it that Heather has four members from one household all taking part in the Whaka 100?! Here at the Whaka 100 we’re all about getting as many people at all stages, all ages and all abilities to take part. In Heather’s case, her household has Les (100 Miler), Jacob (50km), Heather (25km) and youngest Zach (Kids 5km). Of course, not forgetting Ryan who is coming to the event as the family cheerleader (or will be there to capture the Rosebank Creek excitement)! |
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