A sample of how the week unfolds....

Thursday 20 September – Fun Run
You and your team need to be here no later than this date.
This is the 5km fun run where everyone is encouraged to dress
up and have fun!
There will be a full briefing of the week’s program before the fun
run kicks off. Briefing will take place at 5pm and Race packs will
be available after the Fun Run.

Friday 21 September – Rest Day
This is a free day – take the opportunity to discover more of
Rarotonga.

Saturday 22 September – Main Event
Race Day – The 32km race will start from the Punanganui Cultural
Market in Avarua at 5:30am and the 10km race will start in Muri at
7:30am.
For those staying at the Edgewater Resort, a complimentary
coach will be ready to depart for the Start Line at 4.30am.
Race Numbers and Final Registration checks will be conducted
from the Corporate Marquee prior to the race.
Refreshments & light snacks will be supplied in the corporate
tent for all runners & supporters after race.
The Round Rarotonga Road will start at 5.30am.

Sunday 23 September – Prize Giving Dinner
This is a day of rest in the Cook Islands with limited activities
available. We recommend that everyone attend a Sunday church
service where you can enjoy the distinctive traditional hymns of
the Cook Islands.
The Official Prize Giving Ceremony and Dinner will kick off at
6.30pm. See Registration forms for Official Categories.

Monday 24 September – Hash House Harriers Birthday Run
The local Hash House Harriers scheduled birthday run will get
underway at 5.30pm. There will be a theme – the louder the
better – Everyone can join in!

Tuesday 25 September - Round The Rock Relay
The relay will start at 4pm with each team having 5 or
10 members each. Again this is a fun event and all teams are
encouraged to adopt a theme. There will also be Sausage sizzle
BBQ and non alcoholic drinks will be served after the event.

Wednesday 26 September - Nutters Cross Island Run
This run starts at 4.30pm from the site of the Royal Takitumu
Hilton Resort and heads over mountain ridges, across rugged
valleys and riverbeds down to the Avatiu Coastline. This run is
not for the fainthearted and with the record still unbeaten at 45
minutes, promises to be an exciting challenge. If you think you
can beat it, give it a go. All participants are asked to be at the
Market by 4pm – A complimentary bus will transport everyone to
the Start Line.

Rarotonga Race Review 2010

by Darren Henry

The wonderful week of running in Rarotonga began with a fun run on Thursday afternoon, with many of the runners assembling at the Edgewater Resort & Spa at 4:30pm.  What started off as a casual run soon turned into a quick dash up Hospital Hill and back to the resort.  In balmy conditions, the leaders were back by the pool in just over 20mins.  Race packs were then available for the competitors, which completed the registration process.

 Friday was a planned day of rest, with most of the runners fine tuning their bodies for the main race, while others used the time to hire a scooter and explore the island of Rarotonga.

The main race, the Round Rarotonga Road Race (for runners and walkers), began at 5.30am on Saturday with times ranging from 2:15 to just over 6 hours.  Starting the race in the dark was certainly unique, but what made it truly memorable was the few friendly dogs willing to come along for the run!  As the sun began to rise, we were welcomed on more than one occasion by the local roosters spurring us onto the finish line, still some 20km away.

The 2010 Round Rarotonga Road Race was a resounding success once again with over 100 keen runners selecting to circle the entire island of Rarotonga, and a further 70 runners setting off at the more civilised hour of 7.30am from Muri to run or walk 10km to the Punanga Nui finish.

First man home was Greg Gustafson. This used to be a regular occurrence in the 1990s but the last time Greg ran (and won) the RRRR was in 1997.  Second home and first local was Roland Neurerer, the current food & beverage manager at the Edgewater. 

The pair ran alongside each other for most of the race but a sprint finish (after 31km!) saw Greg home in 2hrs 15min 32sec with Roland 7 seconds later.  First woman was Vanessa Palmer, also the first local woman and sixth overall.  The first walker was Jos McDonald.

This year’s race saw competitors from New Zealand, Australia, the USA and a lone one from the UK as well as many locals of course.

The Round Rarotonga Road Race is the Cook Islands longest running international sporting event; this is its 33rd year.

Sunday was a complete day of relaxation, with most of the island’s shops & attractions closed for the religious day.  Most runners used this time to visit a local church and fully experience the Christian culture that is found in the Cook Islands.

The Hash House Harriers have been running around on Rarotonga since 1980 and they usually hold their annual birthday celebrations to coincide with the Round Raro.  Monday’s Hash House Birthday Bash was another fun event, not so much focussed on the running side, rather finding the quickest way to get to the finish and enjoy the bbq and local hospitality and festivities.

Tuesday’s round the rock relay attracted a lot of school teams this year as well as the regular runners all teaming up to run varying distances to cover the full 31km of the ring road of Rarotonga.

The final event in Rarotonga’s week of running is the Nutters coast-to-coast run, definitely not for the faint-hearted!

The route starts at Vaimaanga on the south side of the island and heads up and over the cross-island track and down the Avatiu valley to Avatiu harbour on the northern coast.

The island had received some rain over the previous couple of days, so this run was going to get slippery!  Nevertheless, just under fifty runners and walkers joined in (the walkers started an hour or so earlier to make sure they finished in daylight).

Greg Gustafson, winner of the RRRR, was also the first nutter home in just under 55 minutes but 8-year-old Liam Teura also made it across and 16-year-old Jacob Pynenburg finished in eighth spot.

The week of running is Rarotonga was absolutely sensational… not only are the competitors truly welcomed by the locals, but the experience of running in such a picturesque location was certainly the most memorable.  Rarotonga is the perfect location to not only enjoy the fun of running, but it is also the most perfect of holiday destinations, to be truly enjoyed by the entire family

Text courtesy of the Cook Islands News:  

Former world champion runner Greg Gustafson out-sprinted fellow local runner Roland Neururer on Saturday to take out the 31km Round Rarotonga Road Race – 13 years after he last won the event.

The duo ran toe-to-toe from the start of the race at 5.30am until the very end of the course when a huge sprint battle was seen as the pair rounded into the Punanga Nui market.
Neururer seemed to have the edge as he led the sprint but out of nowhere, Gustafson found renewed energy taking off like a rocket to cross the line first in a time of 2.15.32 followed a painful seven seconds later by Neururer.

Neururer’s time was his personal best for the race.

Ever the sportsman, Neururer bore no grudge against Gustafson who congratulated the local half marathon runner saying, “Roland had a fantastic race and he deserved to win.”
In fact, it had crossed Gustafson’s mind during the mad final sprint that he and Neururer should cross the line together – but he didn’t have the chance to ask Neururer during those last frenzied seconds of racing.

“It was a fantastic race,” gasped Neururer as he ripped into a spiel about his race.
“It was so great to have someone like Greg push you and he pushed me the whole way.”
Gustafson, who is from America and once owned a local fishing charter, is also the current record holder (45 minutes) of the Nutters coast to coast cross island race which to be staged on Wednesday.

He will be taking on the challenge again.

The first part of the race saw UK runner Dexter Haywood with a 400m lead on a chasing pack of four runners which included Neururer, Gustafson, returning Kiwi runner Steve McDonald and Scott Howley.

As the runners headed west Dexter continued to increase his lead on the chasing pack but by Titikaveka, Neururer lead the charge in pulling in Dexter until the chasing pack took the lead.
And by the time the front runners reached Matavera primary school – Neururer and Gustafson had clearly established themselves as the race leader.

Third place getter Scott Musgrave of the USA was also a former winner of the race back in 2001 and set a great time of 2.18.07.

Without her usual road race rival, Vanessa Palmer had little challenge in the women’s division of the race coming home sixth overall and first woman in at the time of 2.29.06 – two minutes behind partner Rhys Woodger who had a fantastic race to place fifth overall.

Second placed woman was Sarah Anderson with a time of 2.42.20 while Harriet Carr ran under the Cook Islands banner to be third woman home in a time of 2.47.12.

Palmer’s usual rival Kelly Pick didn’t race the 31km due to a niggling shin injury that has prevented her from running for five weeks.

But she just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to run and joined the 10km from Muri.
She blitzed the course in a sizzling 43 minutes and seven seconds followed two minutes later by husband and beach volleyball player Brendon Heath.

Twelve-year-old Charles Wicks was the first junior runner across the line in the 10km race crossing the line together with Rob Buick for a share time of 56.33.

Wynton Richards (10) was the youngest runners in the 10km race while 14-year-old Beatrice Rongo was the youngest runner in the 31km race around the island finishing in a credible time of 3.37.39.