Routeburn Rage

This email came around on the Christchurch Tramping Club mailing list:

Southland Tramping Club
PO Box 41
Invercargill

The Routeburn Classic Adventure Run has been granted a four year concession and will be held in the second week in May each year. This year it will be held on Saturday the 13th of May with the 14th being used in the case poor weather forces postponement from the original date.

Runners like walkers enjoy this amazing track and this is their one chance during the year to run it. The running community is very excited and grateful for. We would like to hear from any walkers or clubs that would like to be involved in the marshalling of the event. This would give your club members the chance to get on the track while having your food, hut fees subsidised by the management for the event. Please contact me if there are any members interested. It is always a lot of fun and we would enjoy having those who truly enjoy the outdoors and keen to share their enthusiasm with the runners.

Sincerely,
Evan McWhirter
EMAIL: evan@goodtimesevents.net
WEB: www.goodtimesevents.net
PHONE: 027 420 4313

I've got to admit I'm not personally interested in these runs myself, but I recognise that a lot of people are (good mate Trevor Scott is going down to marshall on this one). But I also know there are people who would be happier if DoC didn't permit them.

A friend of Honora's, and mine, Simon Johnson opposed the initial concession for the run over the Routeburn. On his website, Soft DoC, Simon has documented the rather loose procedure DoC followed in issuing the concession for the first running of this race. I can't fault his case, even if I still don't have an opinion one way or another on the merits of the run.

However, even though Simon wasn't able to convince DoC not to issue the concession, he still gained far more than those who brought rancour and division to the Christchurch Tramping Club in their attempt to end its support for the Avalanche Peak Challenge.

Sadly that rancour and unpleasantness is still being played out in the CTC two years later.

I guess, unlike Simon, some people are not just in it for the love of tramping.