Trails and chit-chats: The 83yo training to conquer 50km event

It’s a sunny day in Hamilton and 83-year-old Eileen Odgers is in her happy place – laced up, backpack strapped on, surrounded by her friends and ready for another walk.

But don’t be mistaken, they are not headed out for a casual stroll along the Waikato River.

Odgers and her friends, in their 50s and 60s, are out training for this year’s 50km event at the Tarawera Ultra Trail in Rotorua.

"It's hard work because offroad events usually have lots of hills in them but for every uphill there's a downhill afterwards which makes it fun," Odgers told 1News.

But there’s plenty of positives to doing long-distance trail treading too.

“The trails are lovely – they’re soft underfoot,” Odgers explained. “It’s so much easier than pounding on concrete and hard pavement.

"And you've got the birds singing and you've got streams and it's just a whole different environment from being out on the road with noisy cars going by."

Odgers has been doing endurance events since completing her first marathon at 51 in 1992 in Auckland but – much like the wine she and her pals enjoy after a race – she’s only gotten better with age.

Her Hamilton home is full of trophies and accolades as well as a coatstand humbly tucked in behind the front door with a mountain of medals from all her events.

In fact, she’s the three-time reigning champion at the Rotorua Marathon for her 80-84 age group.

“I’ve got to do it again this year,” she grinned.

But before then, she’ll be taking on the Tarawera Ultra T50 next weekend, doing so with friends she’s made at the Hamilton Road Runners club where she’s been a long-time member.

They all agree she’s an inspiration for them and the club.

“I probably wouldn’t be doing as much as I do now because I enjoy doing it with Eileen,” friend Jane Roache said.

“I’m quite often behind Eileen because I’ve got sore knees but then I look up and I think, ‘if Eileen can do it, I can do it!’ She’s just always really positive. We all look up to her.”

Pip Jensen added that positivity isn’t just out on the courses either.

“She’s an athlete and age is nothing for her – we have to keep up,” she said.

“She’s always finding events for us. She’s very good at planning and she does all the planning for us.”

That planning now has them in the final stages for next week’s T50 – one of four long-distance events at the Tarawera Ultra Trail with the others being the T21 [21km], T102 [100km] and T-Miler [162km or 100 miles].

Heading into its 15th year, race director Mitch Murcott said they’re expecting their biggest turnout yet.

“That first year… there was probably no more than a couple of hundred people on the start line,” Murcott said.

“This year there will be over 4,000 people hitting the start lines.”

Murcott added while the event brings out top athletes, it also has plenty of space for more casual competitors.

“The event is nicknamed The Big Friendly – we get people doing their very first ultra trail race to those who have done 10 Tarawera events.”

It also brings in people like Eileen.

“It’s amazing to see what people can achieve with the right mindset so I think when athletes are out there on the course and they’re hurting and they see someone like Eileen doing her thing, it gives them a massive boost,” Murcott said.

Regardless of how Odgers goes this year, she and her friends know how they’ll be celebrating.

“We won’t do too much for a while but when we’re ready, we’ll have something to eat and a few drinks.”