Wednesday, 24 January 2024

Ready to tackle next challenge of Trainwreck trail

    1. Southland
    2. The Ensign

    Amanda Morris, of Kaiwera, reaches the finish line of the 10km e-bike trail at the Glenham...
    Amanda Morris, of Kaiwera, reaches the finish line of the 10km e-bike trail at the Glenham Trainwreck event on Saturday. PHOTOS: SANDY EGGLESTON
    The Glenham Trainwreck Trail was held on Saturday on farmland and roads near the former Glenham School. The Ensign reporter Sandy Eggleston was there with her camera to capture the action.

    The Glenham Trainwreck 10km e-bike trail was a little more challenging than she had expected, Amanda Morris says.

    The Kaiwera woman completed the trail during the 12th running of the event.

    Andrea Lebreton, of Invercargill, runs down the last stretch of shingle road before the end of...
    Andrea Lebreton, of Invercargill, runs down the last stretch of shingle road before the end of the 10km run.
    The fundraiser for the Glenham Community Centre featured a variety of track lengths for cyclists, walkers and runners of different physical abilities.

    Ms Morris said she was surprised at the difficulty of some of the terrain she covered.

    "There’s some steep hills in it."

    Anitra Callon, of Timaru, climbs up the steep hill near the end of the 15km bike trail.
    Anitra Callon, of Timaru, climbs up the steep hill near the end of the 15km bike trail.
    For all that, she and her sister-in-law, Melissa Cummings, of Riversdale, would try the 20km distance next time.

    "We’d go up a grade.

    "It felt kind of challenging, but it wasn’t long enough."

    Hunter McMullen, 12, of Glenham, jogs his way up the steep hill on his way to the finish line.
    Hunter McMullen, 12, of Glenham, jogs his way up the steep hill on his way to the finish line.
    On one of the hill climbs, Ms Morris fell off as her bike ground to a halt.

    "The e-bike lost its power.

    "I got back on the horse and carried on with a grubby leg."

    Carl Gutschlag and daughter Abby, of Balfour, take part in the 10km walk.
    Carl Gutschlag and daughter Abby, of Balfour, take part in the 10km walk.
    E-biking was not only good exercise, but very social, she said.

    "You can have a chat as you’re biking along."

    She and Ms Cummings were planning on taking part in the MLT Moonshine event next month.

    Trainwreck trail committee chairman Alec Smith said 296 people took part in the event.

    Noah Bruinsma, 10, of Kapuka South, is running out of puff as he bikes up the last hill before...
    Noah Bruinsma, 10, of Kapuka South, is running out of puff as he bikes up the last hill before the finish line on Saturday.
    "We were pleased with the amount of people there and the feedback."

    A good range of people took part, including those who had been in the event in previous years and newcomers, he said.

    Running the trail involved as many as 50 volunteers.

    "It’s a real community effort and something we are very proud of."