The 2026 Tussock Traverse | DCR AidStation 048

The Tussock Traverse and/or the Ring of Fire is an event that you must do. 100%. We can’t really jazz it up more than that. If you like a unique mountain-running adventure that is both a grassroots event and offers the most incredible scenery, and world-class trails. After a tough couple of years, 2026 saw the event organisers putting it all on the line again. Ali and Matt run through the weekend and all the experiences therein, including a two-part tale of one of the greatest sporting battles of the last two decades.  excellent stuff.Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.​--- --- --- Episode Links The Tussock TraverseSign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.Dirt Church Radio on InstagramDirt Church Radio on FacebookFurther Faster New ZealandEnjoy!Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whānau. Paula Griffin is among the many professional athletes we’ve spoken to over the years who have pivoted from their original sport to trail running. Paula Griffin is the first professional netballer we’ve had on the podcast, so that’s really something. Paula speaks to Ali Pottinger about her life in professional netball (including becoming a Silver Fern), her pivot to MMA (of course), and then, after a circuitous route through motherhood and partnership, onto the trails, where she found her passion for this wonderful sport and inspiration to support other mums who love trail running. This is an incredible conversation between two incredible women that you won't want to miss.  Dirt Church Radio—Best Enjoyed Running.--- --- --- Episode Links Paula Griffin InstagramMums Who Trail InstagramMums Who Trail HomeMuriwai Sea SlugsSign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.Dirt Church Radio on InstagramDirt Church Radio on FacebookFurther Faster New ZealandEnjoy!Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

I don’t know, man. What’s in a name after all? We’re lucky enough that Matt’s youngest daughter isn’t called Skipper or Queenie (both names he went in hard for). Trying to decipher the lore behind a trail name is hard enough, right? This week on the AidStation, Matt and Ali talk about everything. From monetizing gravel  *spoiler alert* Don’t do it! Salomon, we’re looking at you, to the end of the world, headlamps, hot bois, hot girls, trail crushes, and when is it too soon (or too late) to call a course change?? The AidStation podcast. Get in that chair, and let us make you a sandwich. Excellent Stuff.Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.​--- --- --- Episode Links Sign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.Dirt Church Radio on InstagramDirt Church Radio on FacebookFurther Faster New ZealandEnjoy!Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whānau. In our sport, we often hear stories of when people found trail running. Seldom do we hear of moments where trail running found us. Jack Harris was, as he tells it, going through a bit of a hard time, and one day decided to go for a hike along the Routeburn Track. By happy circumstance, that hike coincided with the running of the annual Routeburn trail run.  It would be neater, if not less fulfilling, to fall back on some trope like “the rest is history”. And whilst it’s true that history is happening to us every day, what follows in Jack’s case is an 8-year journey from mid-pack to podium. Jack started 2025 with a 6th place at Tarawera 50km and ended the year as the Athletics New Zealand Long Course Trail Champion. There are heaps of other good twists along the way, including stitches, a flying doctor cameo, and an early appearance of one Ali Pottinger. Matt had the most brilliant time speaking with Jack about process, progress, and the surprising benefits of sometimes keeping your world small .  Dirt Church Radio—Best Enjoyed Running.--- --- --- Episode Links Jack Harris InstagramLa SportivaSign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.Dirt Church Radio on InstagramDirt Church Radio on FacebookFurther Faster New ZealandEnjoy!Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

On this week’s AidStation, we have a most excellent conversation about the LoopHer relay in Riverhead, a 3, 6, or 12-hour female-only relay. We talk about the upcoming Tussock Traverse and Ring of Fire, and our unreasonable excitement to be involved. We discuss the chase for the Western States Endurance Run and whether the field should be deeper. Is there a place for a Sportiv-style event? Or should we leave it exactly how it is? We talk about how much is too much to tell your coach, and Matt shares an epic tale of woe that spanned 32 hours, time in the police cells, a lost dog, a hallucinated dog, and a medical DNF. Finally, it takes a lot to goad Matt to the point of wanting to pop off at something, but taking Ian McKaye’s name in vain will get you there every time. Excellent Stuff.Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.​--- --- --- Episode Links Sign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.Dirt Church Radio on InstagramDirt Church Radio on FacebookFurther Faster New ZealandEnjoy!Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whānau. This episode has been a long time coming. DCR has been wanting to get down to the mighty Old Ghost Ultra for years, and this year, Ali P made it happen. The stoke is evident in her retelling of the event. If that isn’t enough, we’ve got interviews with Race Founder and 2026 participant Phil Rossiter, Mr. Original Ben Kepes, Third-place runner Sarah Kearns, and iRunFar founder Mr. Bryon Powell. Brilliant Stuff.   Dirt Church Radio—Best Enjoyed Running.--- --- --- Episode Links Old Ghost UltraPhil Rossiter DCRBen and Yonni Kepes DCRBryon Powell DCR 154Bryon Powell DCR 325Sign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.irunfarDirt Church Radio on InstagramDirt Church Radio on FacebookFurther Faster New ZealandEnjoy!Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whānau. Holy Hecka, what a weekend with the filth, fury, and triumph of Tarawera Ultra Trail New Zealand by UTMB. Join Ali Pottinger and Matt Rayment for a wonderful conversation with some of the leading lights in our sport for our annual live show—amazing insights from Ruth Croft, Beth McKenzie, Dan Jones, Petter Engdhal, Sam Harvey, Hannah McCrae, Liam Mierow, and Emily Hawgood. We run down the results, dive into the DNF rates, stumble through our long weekends on the mic, and share what we took from this experience and the best things we saw. This couldn’t be a show recorded partly on Valentine’s Day without a romantic interlude, and a massive throw of the dice on one gentleman’s part, and Matt finds out that he still may have it (although what it is is questionable). As a massive bonus, we are also bringing you the 2026 Women in Trail Q&A, hosted by Ali, featuring Lydia O’ Donnell, Jen Wong, and Paula Griffin.  Dirt Church Radio—Best Enjoyed Running.--- --- --- Episode Links Tarawera Ultra Trail New Zealand by UTMBSign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.Dirt Church Radio on InstagramDirt Church Radio on FacebookFurther Faster New ZealandEnjoy!Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

On this week’s AidStation, we have the distinct pleasure of speaking with Race Director Tom Heath about the exciting new event on the calendar, Ultra Wanaka. Ali and Matt also speak to the most powerful returning champion, L. Bartholomew of Diamond Creek, Victoria, about her go-to Rotorua trails, Race week self-care, and the update on her Dad, Ash, after his recent stroke. Matt has been accused of many things, being discursive, even downright circumstantial, but one thing he has never been in the 8 years of DCR is speechless. Thanks, Lucy. Really.   Excellent Stuff.Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.​--- --- --- Episode Links Lucy Bartholomew InstagramAsh Bartholomew DCR 247Ultra Wanaka HomeSign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.Dirt Church Radio on InstagramDirt Church Radio on FacebookFurther Faster New ZealandEnjoy!Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

Kia ora e te whānau. What a way to kick off 2026 with this awesome conversation with Goat Tongariro winner Jackson Cole. Jackson spoke with Matt from his base in Missoula, Montana. We touched on the usual topics like training and racing. Still, the conversation primarily centered on Jackson’s history and ethos—from Wellington to Colorado and beyond —rooted in adventure, the joy of experience, and a love for wild mountain terrain. He spoke about valuing the simplicity of running over gadget obsession, preferring to listen to his body and embrace what the day brings, and his love of a well-earned off-season, something foreign to many Southern Hemisphere runners.We all stand on the shoulders of giants, and, interestingly, for a relatively younger athlete, Jackson takes a postmodern approach to running media, rejecting the absolute truth of the ultrasphere and social media whilst being a professional athlete. Jackson’s love of classic New Zealand books on running—he referenced Rod Dixon and Dick Quax during our conversation, and the former’s famous quote of wanting to drink beer and train like an animal—alongside the more recent (but still relatively old by today’s standards) of Anton Krupicka and Kilian Jornet running up the Grand Teton, was a refreshing and inspiring viewpoint. We dare you to listen to this and not be stoked. Dirt Church Radio—Best Enjoyed Running.--- --- --- Episode Links Jackson Cole StravaJackson Cole InstagramLa SportivaSign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.The Squadrun 4-Week Training Trial for DCR Listeners!Dirt Church Radio on InstagramDirt Church Radio on FacebookFurther Faster New ZealandEnjoy!Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake

On this week’s AidStation, we bring you an excellent chat Ali P had with Michael Sutton at The Goat Tongariro. Michael, if you will remember, has represented New Zealand multiple times at the World Mountain Running Championships, and has recently launched The Kea Mountain Running Series to bring the shorter, harder, vertier stuff to the people. You may also be familiar with Michael from his excellent conversation on episode 349 with Matt. Ali also catches up with 261 Fearless’ Kate Southern on the start line for her first Goat adventure.  In excellent news, we celebrate Andrew McDowall’s selection for the 2026 24-hour IAU Asia Oceania Championships, and pose the question, “How can we help these athletes with the high financial burden of representing their country?” All this, Panic Math, and more on the AidStation .  Excellent Stuff.Dirt Church Radio – Best Enjoyed Running.​--- --- --- Episode Links The Kea Mountain SeriesMichael Sutton on DCR episode 349Sign up for the DCR AidStation newsletter.Dirt Church Radio on InstagramDirt Church Radio on FacebookFurther Faster New ZealandEnjoy!Music by Andrew McDowall, Digicake