Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Grassroots Radicals- Aidstation 28
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Grassroots Radicals- Aidstation 28
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit dirtchurchradio.substack.com
Kia ora e te whānau. We get the band back together after ages for this week’s AidStation Podcast. Fresh from Kunyani, Northburn 100, and kicking about at Riverhead Relaps, Ali, Andrew, and Matt discuss their love of the Grassroots event and the challenges and opportunities for amazing experiences that lie within. This week, we've got some bonus audio that Matt recorded at the Relaps Backyard. First, you hear from RD Shaun Collins about the event's history, changes, triumphs, challenges, and where the backyard goes. We’ll speak to Helen Waterworth and Chris Newsome from His&Hers events regarding their brand new ultramarathon, the Northland 100, taking place in Whangarei in July. You’ll hear from returning champion Meg Collins about her new backyard PB and the puzzle of running whilst studying medicine. Finally, Matt speaks to Alex MacDonald, an 18-year-old woman making a name for herself commentating in what has largely been a very middle-aged and male profession. Dirt Church Radio - Best Enjoyed Running
Northland 100 Ultramarathon
DCR IN THE WILD
Matt and Ali will be at Ultra Trail Australia from 15-18th of May
Our mates at Squadrun have come up with a special four week training trial for listeners of DCR. Now as you’ll know from listening to DCR over the years, Squadrun is the baby of Kerry Suter and Ali Pottinger, and they have coached thousands of runners to success at a bunch of events we love and cherish and if you’ve been to any trail races on either side of the Tasman you’ll have seen the squadrun colours being represented strongly. So, if you want to give it a crack, here’s the link.
Missed out on episodes of the Dirt Church Radio podcast? Listen on your favourite app. There are more than 300 episodes.
Check us out on YouTube!
This week, what with all the talk of grassroots racing, we thought we’d rip back into the archives to give you Matt’s insights into running a registered-not-for-profit race for 10 years
The Revolution Probably Won’t Be Televised.
Lessons from 10 years of DIY Race Directing Hallertau Riverhead Rampage
Being a Race Director is like being a parent. You will never be more tired, feel more broke, and run less. The pay-off of seeing people push themselves past what they think is possible is one of indescribable satisfaction and fulfilment. Putting on your own race is a cool thing to do, and is relatively simple (not easy). Here are a few lessons I’ve learnt over the last 10 years.
Riverhead Forest was considered a poor second to the Waitakere Ranges when I first moved here. A working pine forest with no epic views to speak of and clay that is baked hard in summer and slippery as all-get-out in winter. Despite tonnes of amazing trails, there was no organised trail network to speak of, save for the stellar work done by the Waitemata Motorcycle Club. Total Sport had long made Riverhead one of the stops on its winter Xterra series, but that was always run from Barlow Road, and only flirted with the trails on the east side of the forest which was closer to Riverhead.
At the time, putting on an event was far from my mind. There were family obligations, work, and trails to run- as it’s far more fun running in an event than running an event. My life carried on for a few years with the thought that “gee, it would be good to put on an event that showed how epic the forest was”, but at the end of the day, it felt all a bit too much hard work.
Certainly not the 412, but another little-race-that-could, the Northburn 100.
This all changed in late 2013 when our friend Amy, decided that Riverhead School’s lack of gymnasium equipment was something that needed addressing.
One thing led to another and Amy spoke to Rebecca, who approached me with her usual mix of enthusiasm and surety in the justness of her cause “Matt R, we should put on a half marathon in the forest to raise money for Amy’s balance beam”. I suggested that this was nothing that we would have the time or energy for, and honestly darling, who would come? I closed off my well-reasoned argument with a definitive, yet empathic “No”. A couple of weeks later we started planning what would be the first Hallertau Riverhead Rampage.
View all episodes
By DCR AidStationThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit dirtchurchradio.substack.com
Kia ora e te whānau. We get the band back together after ages for this week’s AidStation Podcast. Fresh from Kunyani, Northburn 100, and kicking about at Riverhead Relaps, Ali, Andrew, and Matt discuss their love of the Grassroots event and the challenges and opportunities for amazing experiences that lie within. This week, we've got some bonus audio that Matt recorded at the Relaps Backyard. First, you hear from RD Shaun Collins about the event's history, changes, triumphs, challenges, and where the backyard goes. We’ll speak to Helen Waterworth and Chris Newsome from His&Hers events regarding their brand new ultramarathon, the Northland 100, taking place in Whangarei in July. You’ll hear from returning champion Meg Collins about her new backyard PB and the puzzle of running whilst studying medicine. Finally, Matt speaks to Alex MacDonald, an 18-year-old woman making a name for herself commentating in what has largely been a very middle-aged and male profession. Dirt Church Radio - Best Enjoyed Running
Northland 100 Ultramarathon
DCR IN THE WILD
Matt and Ali will be at Ultra Trail Australia from 15-18th of May
Our mates at Squadrun have come up with a special four week training trial for listeners of DCR. Now as you’ll know from listening to DCR over the years, Squadrun is the baby of Kerry Suter and Ali Pottinger, and they have coached thousands of runners to success at a bunch of events we love and cherish and if you’ve been to any trail races on either side of the Tasman you’ll have seen the squadrun colours being represented strongly. So, if you want to give it a crack, here’s the link.
Missed out on episodes of the Dirt Church Radio podcast? Listen on your favourite app. There are more than 300 episodes.
Check us out on YouTube!
This week, what with all the talk of grassroots racing, we thought we’d rip back into the archives to give you Matt’s insights into running a registered-not-for-profit race for 10 years
The Revolution Probably Won’t Be Televised.
Lessons from 10 years of DIY Race Directing Hallertau Riverhead Rampage
Being a Race Director is like being a parent. You will never be more tired, feel more broke, and run less. The pay-off of seeing people push themselves past what they think is possible is one of indescribable satisfaction and fulfilment. Putting on your own race is a cool thing to do, and is relatively simple (not easy). Here are a few lessons I’ve learnt over the last 10 years.
Riverhead Forest was considered a poor second to the Waitakere Ranges when I first moved here. A working pine forest with no epic views to speak of and clay that is baked hard in summer and slippery as all-get-out in winter. Despite tonnes of amazing trails, there was no organised trail network to speak of, save for the stellar work done by the Waitemata Motorcycle Club. Total Sport had long made Riverhead one of the stops on its winter Xterra series, but that was always run from Barlow Road, and only flirted with the trails on the east side of the forest which was closer to Riverhead.
At the time, putting on an event was far from my mind. There were family obligations, work, and trails to run- as it’s far more fun running in an event than running an event. My life carried on for a few years with the thought that “gee, it would be good to put on an event that showed how epic the forest was”, but at the end of the day, it felt all a bit too much hard work.
Certainly not the 412, but another little-race-that-could, the Northburn 100.
This all changed in late 2013 when our friend Amy, decided that Riverhead School’s lack of gymnasium equipment was something that needed addressing.
One thing led to another and Amy spoke to Rebecca, who approached me with her usual mix of enthusiasm and surety in the justness of her cause “Matt R, we should put on a half marathon in the forest to raise money for Amy’s balance beam”. I suggested that this was nothing that we would have the time or energy for, and honestly darling, who would come? I closed off my well-reasoned argument with a definitive, yet empathic “No”. A couple of weeks later we started planning what would be the first Hallertau Riverhead Rampage.