Ring of Fire 72k Ultra Women’s Field is Hot!

Ring of Fire takes place in the Tongariro National Park, a dual World Heritage Area.

The inaugural Ruapehu Ring of Fire starting in the early hours of tomorrow morning is set to test some of the nation’s top women endurance runners. The lure of a gold band limited edition medal for finishing in under 12 and a half hours (averaging 10 minutes and 25 seconds per km for the distance) will be a big incentive.

Forty one brave women will tackle the full 72km course with the win anyone’s for the taking. There’s no clear favourite which is what makes it so exciting.

A few names stand out, Erin Vaughan and Kelly Sutherland both hailing from New Plymouth, will be no strangers to mountainous terrain. Luana Cox from Papamoa has been training hard and has a great history of endurance events. Claire Akin-Smith is a competent mover on technical terrain. Kate Annan from Auckland is a strong runner and we wouldn’t be surprised to see her rounding out the top 5.

To everyone who is running tomorrow we wish you the very best and look forward to celebrating with you at the finish line!

Top