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Our Kokoda Challenge in PNG was held on the weekend of the 25th to 26th August in wet muddy conditions which provided an extra challenge for all of this years competitors. In 2007 we held the race in two different directions on the same day starting at the same time. Results are as follows:
Event – KOKODA HOSPITAL to OWERS' CORNER ARCHWAY
Start: Kokoda Memorial Hospital
Finish: Owers' Corner
Distance: 96 km
Date: 25-26th August 2007
Winner: Brendan Buka in a new record of 17 hours 20 minutesResults of the top 15 who finished inside the closure time of 36 hours:
Brendan Buka – 17:20
Gibson Komivi – 20:08
Luana Naga – 20:27
Cyprain Aire – 20:32
Cliff Taimbari – 20:36
Duggy Eroro – 20:46
Slimmy Sairo – 21:44
Siron Overari – 22:16
Lancelot Yauga – 22:17
Jude Waidor – 23:32
Andrew Yauga – 25:10
Leslie Tavara – 25:35
Joe Duhube – 27:41
Kageni Teem – 28:19
Benen Aruo – 29:29
Robin Johns – 31:12List of "International Competitors"
Anna Dunn – Australia
Daniel Cowley – Goroka
Grant Jephcott – Goroka
Geoff HoneyList of "Papua New Guinea Competitors":
Andrew Yauga
Bennen Aruo
Bobby Kavai
Brendan Buka – winner in a time of 17 hours 20 minutes
Charlie Boiri
Charlie Daholo
Cliffy Taimbari
Cyprian Aire
Cyprian Haera
Danny Melai
David Sega
Duggy Eroro
Gibson Komuvi – 2nd placegetter in a time of 20 hours 8 minutes
Grayford Enjeka
John Hunt Hiviki
John Korove
Jude Waide
Kageni Tim
Lancelot Yauga
Leslie Tavara
Luwana Nagas – 3rd placegetter in a time of 20 hours 27 minutes
Monty Feua
Olwin Overari
Robin Jons Mungeri
Slimmy Serio
Vincent IdauPhotograph: Winner 2007 Kokoda to Owers' Corner – No. 39 Brendan Buka – Sponsored by Kokoda Trekking in a time of 17 Hours 20 Minutes:
Please Note: Brendan also set a record in 2006 for the opposite direction so now is the title holder for both directions as the fastest man to have ever walked/run the Kokoda Track. His record from Owers' Corner to Kokoda is 17 Hours 49 Minutes.
Brendan_Buka_cheque___Medium_.jpgEvent – OWERS' CORNER ARCHWAY to KOKODA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL:
Start: Owers' Corner
Finish: Kokoda Memorial Hospital
Distance: 96 km
Date: 25-26th August 2007
Winner: Tom Hango in a time of 19 hours 9 minutesTom Hango: In 2005 he ran 3rd. In 2006 he came 6th after being bed ridden with Malaria two days before the event. This year 2007 he took out the first prize.
Results of those who finished inside the closure time of 36 hours + others who finished up to 15th position:
Tom Hango – 19:09
Lancelot Geroia – 22:21
Tony Haihi Kose – 22:56
Jeffrey Boropi – 22:59
Michael Le Roux – 23:37
Jenen Barai – injured at Kovelo brought into Kokoda by truck
Sioni Pehara – 28:44
Lawrence Umbu – 29:13
Lulu Pehara – 30:29
Rohan George – 30:59
Larry Lawson – 35:40
Megan Davidson – 36:50
John Lindsay – 43:04
Lorraine Lawson – 50:30
Winnie Pore – 50:30List of "International Competitors"
Damian Caniglia
John Lindsay
Larry Lawson
Lorraine Lawson
Megan Davidson
Michael Le Roux
Rohan GeorgeList of "Papua New Guinea Competitors"
Bani Buka
Clarenson Ovivi
Doriga Tureba
Jeffet Siro
Jeffrey Boropi
Jenen Barai
Jimmy Mit
John Togia
Jombi Geva
Kelsa Aboki
Lancelot Geroai – 2nd placegetter in a time of 22 Hours 21 Minutes
Lawrence Umbu
Lenny Enjeka
Lulu Pehara (1st PNG female to enter our race who later came home in 9th position)
Mathew Haba
Max Geua
Paul Ume
Tom Hango – winner in a time of 19 hours 9 minutes
Tony Kose – 3rd placegetter in a time of 22 hours 56 minutes
Wayne Urina
Winnie Pore
Sioni PeharaWinner 2007 Owers' Corner to Kokoda No 42 – Tom Hango – Sponsored by Kokoda Trekking in a time of 19 Hours 9 Minutes:
Tom_Hango.jpgPhotograph: Start of race at the Kokoda Memorial Hospital
Start_at_Kokoda_260807a__Medium_.jpgCommencement of race at Owers' Corner Archway:
Start_of_Race_Owers_Corner_to_Kokoda__Small_.jpgGroup Photograph taken at Owers' Corner of our International Competitors:
Overseas_Competitors_Owers_Cnr_to_Kokoda__Medium_.jpgKokoda Trekking KTL boys seen here at Kokoda shortly before the commencement of the race:
KTL_boys_at_Kokoda__Medium_.jpgMenari Checkpoint:
000_0053__Medium_.jpgNauro Village Checkpoint:
006_6__Medium_.JPG1st person into Nauro Village from Owers' Corner, Jennen Barai at 11:24am after commencing at Owers' Corner at 7am morning of the 25th August:
008_8__Medium_.JPGPhew – 17 hours & 20 min!!!
Congratulations to Brendan & Tom on their Kokoda Track Challenge victories and to all participants for both races, especially Anna, Lulu, Lorraine & Megan for having the strength and fortitude for entering the Challenge in the first place.
Congratulations also to Gail and staff of KTL for continuing to promote the Kokoda Track and PNG, it is a wonderful achievement.
Regards to all
Warren (Waza) – Trek 83
Thanks to Gail for running this outstanding event. Congratulations to Brendan and Tom for their great wins – how you blokes can cover the ground in the time you do is astonishing.
Congratulations also to every other participant – those who did not win. There can only be one winner in a race, but that should not detract from the exceptional efforts of the less gifted who stay the course to finish a tough event like this. The effort is the same – it's only the time on the clock that is different. Sometimes participants fail to achieve their potential due to lack of preparation or injury. For the most part however, genetics and/or age are the primary difference between winners and the rest of the field.
As a back of the pack runner myself (it took me 43 hours to complete the course), I know what it takes to be on the course hours after the fleet of foot are home and tucked up in bed. I am particularly in awe of Lorraine who finished in 50+ hours. I've never seen a person finish after such a time with such a positive attitude – well done Lorraine!
This is a great event, and I'm so pleased to have had the opportunity to participate. It is by far the toughest event I have done, and I have done many. Like most of the expatriates, I thought I had factored in a sufficient level of extra time for the difficulty I knew I would experience. I ran the Western States 100 Mile Run in America in 29.5 hours last year. That's 162 kms. I thought I would be able to complete the 96 kms of the Kokoda Track in a somewhat similar time, but I greatly underestimated the difficulty of the course.
Great event – give it a go!
John
Photograph: John Lindsay at Nauro Village Checkpoint 25th August, 2007:
031_31__Medium_.JPGWhat an experience! When Brendan, fresh as a daisy, came past me 10 hours into the race (he only had 7 more to go) I was in absolute awe of him – and all those that followed. The PNG runners were only a figment of my imagination by the time I got to the half-way point, Efogi1, 18 hours into the race. And I made the mistake of thinking it should take another 18 (plus a bit of course, seeing that the second 1/2 of a race is invariably a bit slower). No. It took me another 32 1/2 hours. Hard to believe, but true. Trying to figure it out became impossible during the race, and even now, I'm a bit confused as to what happened. Sleep deprivation, dehydration and mud had something to do with it. When I started seeing people in my hallucinations I thought it a good idea to have a sleep, and I stopped at Eora creek at 5pm on Sunday (only another 12 hours walk to the finish).
Out of the 50h30 minutes I spent about 5 hours sleeping (1 hour on Sunday morning from 6-7am, 23 hours into the race, just on the side of the track) and another 4 hours (from 7-11pm on Sunday night at Eora Creek, undercover and out of the rain), I also spent about an hour resting and eating at Efogi1 and about 3 hours at Eora creek. Looking at this now, it explains the crappy time, hey! What was I thinking? Race, Race, Race. No, have a good time, more like it…
The rest of the time as was plodding along, except for the last leg from Eora creek to Kokoda. After waking at 11pm on Sunday night – eating some more and getting my feet tended to – I left at 12am and I was flying to the end (well, taking the pace of the previous day, it was a vast improvement). Stopped to have a look at the monument at Isurava. Took me 9 1/2 hours to the end, which included a 2km sprint to the finish – of course using the term 'sprint' pretty loosely here. For me that is about 5 min/km. Felt strong, my legs held up great throughout the race – fitness wasn't the problem here. My PB marathon time is 3:59:12, so I'm not fast.
Thanks Gail and Russel for all your organising. And that deep fried chicken and chips at the prize giving went down a treat. And a huge thanks to all the KTL porters and guides who manned the checkpoints. Great job, and I love rice, rice, rice, and a few noodles with some fish or bully beef is good too. I got some hot drinks – difficult then to say if it was tea or coffee, as it had, I think, about 6 teaspoons of sugar in it. Tasted great at the time.
Winnie Pore was my official "bodyguard" and although I didn't see much of him on Saturday, but a bit more on Sunday, he stuck with me during the night sections, which was hard. Chris, from the Eora checkpoint, was great too, and he had his MP3 player – with a portable speaker that he carried in his arms (only once nearly lost his footing, Whow!) – to accompany us on the last leg. I think we woke all the locals and hikers on our way through the villages in the wee hours of Monday morning, as the music was blearing away. Great tunes, kept us going nice and quick. Wilson was another fantastic supporter – he was to man the 1900 checkpoint, but when his radio went down, he decided to move to Eora creek. That meant for us that we didn't see anyone for about 16 hours, and I was giving Winnie some Poweraide bars and peanuts and raisins and jelly beans and even some sports drink to keep him going – not convinced he needed it? Wilson was great, at Eora he helped me with my feet, gave me some shampoo to go for a "sho-er" in the creek, got my food organised and even let me use his jumper during the night – which was cold. As I had long missed the cutoff for the race, I didn't mind all the attention, and enjoyed the company.
What a great experience, and I enjoyed just about every minute of it – bar the bit where I realised that I was dreaming to ever think I could do it in 30-36 hours, and when I thought I was lost going down to Templeton's crossing 1, thinking I might end up at Myola. But even then, I just though: "I'll have a little rest, and then head back to the finish".
John, it was great to meet you and what a legend you are! Googled you and saw all the races you've done, splendid effort.
If there is one thing I've learnt from this experience it is that no Australian should miss the opportunity to walk the Kokoda track. What a wonderful experience – to see where the Aussies walked during the war is awesome. Get your boots on, let's go…
Lorraine
Lorraine heading down the first hill at the commencement of the Kokoda Challenge Race:
IMG_0727__Medium___Small_.jpgFinally finished my report on the Kokoda Challenge. It can be downloaded here.
Hope you enjoy it.
John
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