Kelly was one of 890 people who competed in the Tor des Geants, a non-stop trail run covering the entire region of Aosta, Italy, on September 9-15.
He finished in 91st place.
‘‘It was an incredible experience — to do one of the biggest ultra [events] on earth,’’ he said, just hours after returning home.
The field attracts seasoned and professional athletes from around the world, something Kelly was proud to be part of.
‘‘It’s not just a bunch of wannabes,’’ he said.
With that in mind, Kelly trained for eight months leading up to the race.
His aim was to not only improve his ability to run long distances, but also build up the stamina to compete at elevation.
‘‘To me, the most important thing was the elevation, so I would try to do between 4000 to 8000 vertical metres every week for eight months. That’s a lot of time in the dark by yourself, especially in winter.’’
He used the Old Man Range and Cairnmuirs as a training ground during the week and Queenstown and Wanaka at weekends, averaging about 120km a week.
Kelly also faced the challenge of acclimatising to the Italian heat.
‘‘My biggest weakness is heat so I was extremely aware I was going from training in midwinter in Central Otago to a heat wave in Europe,’’ he said.
‘‘The first two days were ridiculous. It was maybe 35dgC so that caused me a lot of problems, but I managed to get through.’’
Elevation, as it turned out, was a lesser challenge.
‘‘The elevation just seemed to happen. I knew it was there, there was nothing I could do about it. Every step was a step home.’’
His average speed was 3km an hour.
He said while that might not seem quick, that incorporated rest times, sleep and intense terrain where poles were required, including mountain passes and ranges.
Competitors were also challenged with running on uneven and ‘‘hard as rock’’, solid granite Roman roads.
For much of the race, competitors were supported by locals who lined the streets to celebrate.
‘‘The atmosphere was like nothing I could imagine.
‘‘Imagine staunch All Blacks supporters, but it was all related to running. It was really quite cool — they didn’t care if you were the first or the last, just the fact you were out there doing it. I was amazed.’’
Kelly, who has been competing in ultra running events for about nine years, first signed up to the Tor des Geants last year.
‘‘But, I got scared and pulled out and then got in again this year,’’ he said.
His re-entry this year not only involved completion of the race, but a spot on the podium as the first runner from Oceania to cross the finish line.
That result meant standing next to the event’s most elite for a photo opportunity.
‘‘It’s a bit like a local paddock racer somehow getting into a Formula One stage, but I will take it,’’ he said.
Tor des Geants
Translates to Tour of Giants
, Crosses 34 municipalities, 25 mountain passes, 30 alpine lakes and two national parks
, Elevation of 24,000m (almost three times the height of Mt Everest)
, Non-stop race
, Covers entire Aosta region
, Fastest time this year was 74hr by Franco Colle, of Italy
