Spectacular Nelson’s New Running Festival

What happens when you combine an elite road mile through a city centre with ultramarathon runners tackling 100 miles of rugged mountain trails? The Spectacle, the New Zealand city of Nelson’s ambitious new running festival, aims to find out.

This coming weekend, Olympians like Aussies Stewart McSweyn, Sarah Billings and Georgia Griffith; British champion Neil Gourley; Irish compatriots Brian Fay and Sophie O'Sullivan; and Kiwi hero Sam Tanner will tear through Nelson’s CBD in pursuit of road mile glory. Though he's not an Olympian, US 2024 Trial of Miles champion Vincent Ciattei, with his 3:50.56 PR, could upset any of them.

At the same time, ultra runners — both everyday folks and elites such as 50km UTMB winner Caitlin Fielder, four-time Guinness World Record holder Emma Timmis and 2023 backyard ultra world record holder Sam Harvey – will be deep in the surrounding wilderness, navigating technical trails and steep climbs in races ranging from 10 kilometres to 100 miles.

The event is the creation of three passionate runners: Annika Pfitzinger, a New Zealand cross country representative and the daughter of Olympians Pete and Christine Pfitzinger, Julian Matthews, a Rio 2016 Olympian specialising in the 1500m, and Michael Cochrane, a “mid-pack ultramarathon plodder” (his words, not ours) who’s returned to Nelson after living for many years in Australia.

“Michael came back to Nelson, his hometown, after seeing all these great trail races in Australia,” Annika, who goes by Anni, explains. “And I was like, why don’t we have anything as big as the races that you guys have over there?” Meanwhile, Julian had been dreaming of bringing an elite international road mile to Nelson’s streets. The two ideas merged, and The Spectacle was born.

The event’s name emerged from an unexpected source and is a little punny. Julian is a third-generation owner in the family business Matthews Eyecare, where Michael works alongside him as chief executive. “Someone suggested ‘The Spectacle’ for an optometry expo,” Julian says. “It didn’t work for that, but Michael thought it would be perfect for our running festival.” The name fits: this is an event designed to be watched as much as run, and Nelson’s environment is surely spectacular.

The road mile will loop through Nelson’s historic heart. It involves two loops of an 800-metre circuit that finishes below the steps of Christ Church Cathedral, where the city’s European-style square provides a perfect spectator hub.

The format of the mile is particularly fun and unusual. It’s based on Honolulu’s Merrie Mile, and the women will start with a handicap of around 30 seconds, with the men in pursuit – setting up what should be a thrilling finish. US Olympian Nikki Hiltz won this year’s Merrie Mile in a photo finish; Gourley finished third among the men (seventh overall) and will no doubt be looking to improve on that result in Nelson.

There are also 5km road events open to the community, including three relays for junior, open and corporate categories.

But it’s the trail events that showcase Nelson’s natural assets. Located at the top of the South Island, the Nelson region is famous for its sunny climate. Sitting on the edge of Tasman Bay, it’s bordered by three national parks: Abel Tasman, Kahurangi, and Nelson Lakes. The weather is generally mild year-round, with warm summers and gentle winters. Though Anni and Julian point out they’ve had an unusually wet spring.

“In Nelson, you only have to go 800 metres from the CBD and you’re on this huge trail network,” Julian says. While The Spectacle’s courses don’t run out from the city centre (they start from the Waahi Taakaro golf course, which is about a 10-minute drive away), all of them except the 10km will see their runners return to the city – dusty, dishevelled and triumphant.

“We just wanted to get as many eyes on the runners and the amazing things that they’re doing as possible. We figured, hey, Saturday night in the CBD should help with that,” Anni says.

The courses take in diverse terrain, traversing native forests before emerging onto Dun Mountain’s distinctive mineral belt. “It goes from lush forest to nothing – just red rocks,” Julian explains. “It’s quite amazing how quick that changes.” From the ridgeline, runners are rewarded with sweeping views of Tasman Bay. And the trails all touch New Zealand’s first railway line, originally a horse-drawn tramway built for a copper mine. The mine ultimately failed, but it left behind a nicely graded running track.

As mentioned, the shortest option is 10 kilometres; beyond that there are 21km, 50km, 100km and 100-mile options. Even the 21-kilometre course is “really brutal”, according to Anni. “The first half is pretty much all uphill.” For the longer distances, runners descend into the civilization of Nelson’s suburbs and can briefly see their sideline supporters before they head even deeper into the wilderness.

The 100-mile ultra runners have a cutoff of 43 hours to complete their journey, starting at 5pm Friday and finishing by noon Sunday. “Some of the hardest terrain is actually at night,” Anni notes. While the cut-off times are generous by design, even experienced ultra runners will be tested by the technical trails and significant vertical gain. Given this is the first year, neither Anni nor Julian would hazard a guess on how long it might take the winners in the 100-miler to reach the finish line.

Nelson’s potential as a running destination is clear to Julian, who, like Anni, has raced around the world. “Whenever I came home, it was just an absolute joy. You really start to appreciate what was right here on your doorstep.” The region has already established itself globally for mountain biking; The Spectacle’s organisers hope to achieve something similar for running.

The timing – December – was carefully chosen. It allows international athletes to add Nelson to their schedule after Hawaii’s Merrie Mile, while avoiding the fire danger that can affect trails deeper into summer. The organisers also hope some of Aotearoa’s top runners based in the United States might be lured home to participate on their way to Christmas holidays with family.

For a first-year event, The Spectacle is ambitious in both scale and scope. The organisers are targeting 2,000 participants across all events, from casual joggers in the business relay to elite milers and hardy ultra runners. Adding to the festival atmosphere, popular New Zealand band The Black Seeds will perform a free concert on the cathedral steps – with race participants getting prime position in front of the stage.

The event also builds on rich local running heritage. Olympian Julian is a true-blue Nelsonian, and Anni’s mum used to race the Molenberg Mile there back in the 1980s. Beyond that, Nelson is home to Rod Dixon, Olympic medallist and winner of the 1983 New York City Marathon. He’s been one of many to offer experience and advice to the fledgling event. Now The Spectacle hopes to write a new chapter in the region’s running story.

“Nelson is a destination city – you’re not going to pass through as a tourist,” Julian notes. (Getting to Nelson involves a detour from the most common South Island circuits.) “The goal is to really put Nelson on the map.” There’s already talk of incorporating mountain biking in future years, potentially expanding into a week-long festival of outdoor sports.

For now, though, the focus is on successfully combining road and trail, elite and amateur, mile and ultra into one spectacular weekend of running.