After running the Motatapu Icebreaker in 2006 Melanie Wenlock swore she would never do another on-road running race.
“I loved the Motatapu Icebreaker so much in 2006, I didn’t actually want to run any other races for a while. It was a bit like having post Motatapu Icebreaker blues!” Melanie started running when she came to Queenstown five years ago with the help of Adrian Bailey. “Adrian started a running group which went out every Sunday to amazing places around Queenstown. Funny though, as here was this Welshman showing me my own back yard!” Melanie remembers the build up to her first big event, the 2006 Motatapu Icebreaker. “Adrian is a real motivator and taught me the importance of building a base to avoid injuries. I remember running the Moonlight Track with Chris Dagg (winner 2005 & second 2006 Marathon Open Male), and being scared about how hard it would be.
Chris assured me that the Motatapu Icebreaker wasn’t as hard as what we were running. I thought ‘whatever - you are a professional runner preaching to an amateur,’ but Chris was right. “I ran the Motatapu Icebreaker 2006 in 4 hours 11 minutes, which shocked but pleased me as I thought it would be longer. It was a sensational event and I loved every second of it. I thought throughout the race my legs should start hurting now but it wasn’t until the last 4kms that they let me know I was tired. I thought, what would Adrian tell me? – “Run Faster”. I just loved it - I was on a high for so long. “I expected it to be hard, I thought it would be a 35km mountain climb, but it is not like that. There are some hills but it is an amazing track. The Motatapu Icebreaker was not like I expected in my mind, it was just fantastic. The 2006 race gave me my focus to keep running, there was no doubt after it that I was going to do it again.”
Melanie’s build up to her stunning 2007, 3:53:51 third place in the Open Woman category (and fifth woman overall) included a decrease in mileage as well as starting an iO programme. “In the build up to 2006 I was running 100km a week in training. For 2007 I did not train as much (due to study and work) and my mileage was down to around 60-70km a week, but I think having that 2006 base saw me through. I also started the iO programme, actually to help me sleep which it did, but I think it also helped with my training. “I was shocked with my time this year and was so blown away - I never really thought about where I placed because at the start I tried to pace myself with the veteran ladies but they were too fast, so I let them go. “After the race I was in a bit of a day dream and went home and did my hand washing, as you do (Eds note: guys, this means washing your delicate clothes by hand!), and then Adrian Bailey rang and said ‘where are you?’ He told me I had come third! I thought he was pulling a prank on me and it wasn’t until another friend rang to congratulate me that I gave him the benefit of the doubt! “Had I been at the prize giving this year I would have liked to have said thanks to the Iconic Adventures team for putting on an amazing event. The course is fantastic, the marshals are great and the race is well organised.” Mel says she has met a lot of people with different mind sets for competing in events. “One of my friends says what is the point of running an event if not for the glory, but my view is what is the point if you don’t enjoy it. This year I saw Karen Castiglione finish her first ever marathon at the 2007 event, and I could see in her what I felt, and that we shared the same experience, being so happy at what we achieved, and where it was achieved. “I know people get caught up in the excitement of doing it.
The views are sensational, they take your breath away, even while you are running you can’t not take in the beauty around you. “It would be great to have more people run it, I couldn’t run it enough. I would love to be able to run it more than just once a year, it is fantastic we do get to run through this scenic part of NZ, you just have to look around to get inspired.” Interestingly Mel thinks the bikers are no problems. “You think you would be mountain bike road kill, but I never saw them, and it just inspired me to run faster!” Even though Melanie is finishing legal papers while working full time she would love to come back for her third consecutive Motatapu Icebreaker marathon (and no she has not done another on-road race since 2006).
