Tarawera Ultra-Trail TMiler

Event Overview

Course & Terrain

Key course features to know before comparing this race:

• A boat crossing of Lake Rotomahana
• Eight lakes, including Rotokakahi (Green Lake), Tikitapu (Blue Lake), Rotomahana, Rerewhakaaitu, Rotoiti and Okataina, beneath Mt Tarawera
• The waterfall on the Tarawera Falls track and the Buried Village archaeological site
• The Redwoods forest and steam beside the trail at Sulphur Point before the Village Green finish

The organizer describes the course as mostly singletrack and wide trails, with forestry roads and some sealed road. Runners ride a boat across Lake Rotomahana, pass through the archaeological site at Buried Village, follow the Tarawera Falls track and run the private Tarawera Forest, which is open only on race day. Matt Urbanski, the 2021 winner, found the trail twistier and more technical after Buried Village, and the run from Blue Lake to Redwoods brought relentless climbs and steep descents on stairs before the flat final 7 km past the steaming ground at Sulphur Point. The 2027 course is 163 km with 3,800 m of climbing. A high-visibility vest is required on Tarawera Road between the Blue/Green Lake car park and Buried Village.

Rotorua in February is usually warm. In February 2026, NIWA’s Rotorua Airport station averaged a high of 23.6°C (74°F) and a low of 13.3°C (56°F), 0.4°C above normal. The 4:00 AM start is in the dark, and all but the fastest runners go through a second night. Conditions vary a lot: the first 100-miler in 2018 ran through a warm tropical storm with flooded trails, storms forced a last-minute reroute in 2023, when winner Lucy Bartholomew said it got hot, and rain overnight and on race day in 2026 left the trails muddy.

Entry & Logistics

Why This Race Matters

Rotorua local Paul Charteris founded the Tarawera Ultramarathon in 2009 as an 85 km run from Rotorua to Kawerau. The 100-miler was added in 2018 for the event’s 10th anniversary, when Adrien Prigent and Sally McRae won through a tropical storm. After the 2022 cancellation, February 2027 brings its ninth edition. Jeff Browning and Camille Herron won in 2019. Zach Miller’s 14:41:41 in 2023 is the fastest time, and in 2025 Sam Harvey became the first New Zealander to win the men’s race. The event joined the UTMB World Series in 2023. TMiler finishers earn 4 Running Stones and a carved pounamu pendant, and the top three men and women qualify for UTMB.

Historical benchmark notes in the directory record (verify current records with the linked official sources):

• Men: Zach Miller, 14:41:41, 2023 (fastest time; 165.2 km course)
• Women: Lucy Bartholomew, 17:13:27, 2023 (fastest time; 165.2 km course)
• 2026 winners: Simon Cochrane, 16:26:17; Devon Yanko, 19:58:28

Preparing for a Race Like Tarawera Ultra-Trail TMiler

The fixed-distance race guide covers the format as a whole. These guides go deeper:

• Walking strategy for ultramarathons: When and how to walk by terrain, effort and cutoffs.
• Crew and aid-station strategy: Crew tables, aid stops, drop bags and runner preferences.
• Hydration and sodium for ultramarathons: Fluid, sodium, thirst, sweat rate and hyponatremia risk.
• Tapering for ultramarathons: Plan the taper and race week around your own recovery.

Best Fit

• First-time 100-milers who want generous aid, crew access and pacers in the final 45 km
• Runners collecting UTMB Running Stones or a Western States qualifier in the Southern Hemisphere summer
• Runners who prefer runnable forest and lakeside trail to steep alpine climbs

Planning Notes

• Train for terrain-specific fatigue. Technical trails and mountain courses demand downhill durability, hiking efficiency, and reliable night lighting.
• The directory does not mark this as having simpler logistics. Confirm qualification, terrain, support, registration, medical, and withdrawal requirements before planning around it.
• The qualifying result is due January 3, 2027; runners without one are moved to the T102
• Long gaps between aid stations: 15.5 km from Buried Village to Te Ariki Isthmus and 15.2 km from Okataina to Millar
• A 4:00 AM start and a night on course; the Outlet and Otamuri cutoffs fall at 11:45 PM and 2:50 AM
• Weather swings from heat to tropical rain, and the full thermal kit is mandatory either way

Event FAQs

Related Preparation

• Open the Fixed-Distance format guide
• Compare all race formats
• Use the timed-race pace calculator
• Plan checkpoint arrivals and cutoff buffers
• Print a pace band for your goal time
• Estimate race calories and plan fueling
• Build a crew and drop-bag plan
• Build a race-specific gear checklist