Silverstream Spin 2022

This was so much fun I needed to write it ALL down!

37 runners turned up for the second edition of the Silverstream Spin. With some really up and down recent weather and a dodgy weather report this was a good number. On the day the Dunedin turned on a real dunnerstunner. Hot, and thanks to the previous 2 days of rain, humid! The tracks were in great condition with mud up to the knees and a couple of downed trees but also some dry ridges.

This year I (Steve) couldn’t run due to a torn meniscus in my knee (surgery this week) so I took the role of Dice Master/Run Director and really enjoyed watching every roll and seeing the pain and joy. It may sound perverse but I think my highlights were other people’s lows!

The only change from last year was we replaced the ‘life roll’ with the Wheel of Fortune. Once during the event you could reject the die and choose the Wheel. The added fun was a chance for a ‘Prize’ (spot prize and loop of your choice) or ‘Bust’ (loop 7 – 30km with 2100m vert). 3 times the prize was spun. Twice ‘bust’ was spun.

Good Luck

The luckiest (tinniest) runner for the second year in a row was Jamie Sinclair. He rolled a 2, then a 1, then a 3 but rejected that and went to the Wheel and spun a 1. He started his last lap well before anyone else so seemed certain to win. However, Alex Corbett came in 30min later and spun a 2. He sprinted his loop (Chalkies/Powder Hill) in under 50 minutes and came in 3 minutes before Jamie to take home the coveted trophy.

Patrick Manulat and Simon Budd were notable in rolling 1 three times in a row. Loop 1 is close to the Pigs Backyard Ultra lap with about 2km of flat extra. They didn’t come all the way from Invercargill just for a flat run so on the 3rd they rejected it and went to the Wheel. A spin of 6 gave them something to write home about.

The Wheel of Fortune was lovingly crafted by Chris out of Dave McLean’s bike that he broke, along with his collarbone, in the Lammermoor ranges last year. Dave turned up and refused to spin the Wheel as he say he’s had enough bad luck from that thing. Obviously that was a good decision as he completed 3 loops with all bones intact.

Luck was also on the side of Orlaith Heron. Also suffering from a torn meniscus she was going to avoid all the hills but rolled a 1, the flattest loop and only one she was able to do! After that she rolled a 3, went to the Wheel, spun a prize, claimed a new pair of GoodR sunglasses and promptly DNFed.

As Kenny Rogers has advised, “You’ve got to know when to roll them, know when to fold them”.

Isaac Tripp seemed to be relying too much on luck by turning up 3 hours late. No worries, he ran a 4, rolled another 4, rejected that and went to the Wheel for a 2, then came back and for his third roll he got a 1 to finish at 7pm. With a lot of hanging around chatting in between loops he made it look too easy!

Quenton Johnston was the first to roll a 7. He ran a 1, then a 3 then rolled another 3. He was looking for some variety so went to the Wheel and spun a 7. He set off happily but returned a couple of hours later having come to his senses and choosing to DNF. Steve Stewart and Andrew Tripp had teamed up and spun a 7 after rejecting a 6. They set off together but Andrew sped ahead. Unfortunately he took a couple of wrong turns and finished 90 minutes after Steve at 8:52pm! Andrew won the Lonely Die award for being the longest out on course – nearly 12 hours.

Bad Luck

By far the unluckiest of the day was Jamie Gardner. Jamie, Chris Taylor and Hamish Sutherland all rolled a 6 on their first loop and completed it together in nearly 5 hours. It was brutally hot and the sweat was flowing! On returning back Chris rolled a 1 and screamed in delight. Jamie and Hamish each rolled a 5 and looked slightly distraught – they both rejected it and went to the Wheel. The tension was palpable! Hamish spun first and got a Prize with a loop of his choice – he chose a 1 and a pair of sunglasses. Then Jamie spun and got a 6… “that’s not fair!!!” It was interesting watching him process not only his bad luck but the comparison with Chris and Hamish. Inequality sucks! Jamie recovered and went off and ran his second 6. On returning he rolled for his third loop and got a 5. After nearly 10 hours on his feet he wasn’t game to do another 24km so DNFed.

Life’s not fair, so why should running be?

There was a degree of karma when Hamish returned and for his third loop rolled a 5. He set off and his penance was even more compounded when he tried to listen to music to get through the Powder Ridge climb but discovered his daughter had played with his phone and the only music downloaded was her ballet music! He suffered through the same 5 songs on repeat until the top of the hill (6km with 500m vert) – then messaged his daughter to tell her they needed to have a talk! He was second last home coming in at 8:27pm.

The rain started about 5:30 but for the runners that was a relief and the rest of us enjoyed sheltering under the gazebos and sharing stories, food and beer. Soon after dusk the rain stopped and the bonfire started.

Thanks heaps to Brad Spiers for taking some awesome photos (the best of the pics below with lots more here) and our supporters for providing gear and spot prizes…