Rocky Point Run

Registration
Please read and note the waiver conditions. All entries are conditional upon the waiver conditions being accepted.
Registration closes 8pm Thursday- 5th Nov-2026 and no late entries will be possible after that time .
Withdrawals, cancellations and refunds will be possible (via the Barefoot Sport- site) right up to the race start times.
Full refunds will be provided until 30-Sep-2026, after that date 80% will be refundable until 31-Oct From 31-Oct, 50% of any payments made will be refunded.

Race Course and Gear
The 5km course begins in Westport and ends at Carters Beach, along the Kawatiri Coastal Trail. The prizegiving will be held at Carters Beach. 5km participants will need to arrange their own transport back into Westport.
The 12.5km course is the Kawatiri Coastal Trail. Most people will be comfortable running or walking this in road shoes and carrying their essential gear in either a waist pack or small backpack.
The 22.5km course begins with a short run down Virgin Flat Road (400-500m) before joining the Kawatiri Coastal Trail.
The 32km course commences at Constant Bay in Charleston, running up Princes Street, turning left into Rotten Row and joining the Kawatiri Coastal Trail.
All competitors in the running events should be capable of completing a 5k distance in under one hour. 12.5km walkers should be capable of completing a 5k distance in 90 minutes or less. Any slower than these times will put pressure on you to complete the distance inside the allowed cut off time.

Race Packs
Race Packs may be collected from Trail HQ, 175 Palmerston Street, Westport 7825 from 4pm to 9pm Friday 13th November. Competitors are required to pick up their race packs prior to the compulsory race briefings on Saturday 14th November at the Carters Beach Hall.
If you are unable to pick your race pack up on the Friday, please contact race organisers to make alternative arrangements: rockypointtrailrun@gmail.com

Drop Bags
All competitors will need numbered drop-bag (either collected as part of their race pack or self supplied). Please take this with you to the start-line and before the race starts, place any gear you have inside the drop-bag, secure it by tying the drawstrings and place it in the drop-bag trailer (located near the start line). These will be transported back to the finish line – and will be waiting for you as you exit the finish chute.
Please don’t put food, liquids, valuable or fragile items into the drop-bags – a spill or knock might ruin your day (or someone else’s!) and we cannot accept any responsibility for lost or damaged items.

Compulsory Equipment
There is no compulsory equipment list for any of our events – other than an official race number.
We encourage all competitors to consider likely weather conditions and to dress and, if necessary, carry appropriate clothing.

Aid stations and Support
Aid stations are, at most, 6km apart. Half strength Tailwind, water and paper cups will be available at these points.
Tail-end Charlie and marshals will be scattered across the course and are no more than 3km, from any point on the course, to road access.

Race Briefing and Transport
(for all but the 5km event)
The race briefing will be held at 7:00am sharp, Saturday 14 Nov at the Carters Beach Hall, Marine Parade Carters Beach Attendance is compulsory for all competitors Attendees will be marked off and those that do not attend will be disqualified.
Following the race briefing, competitors will board the buses for transport to their even starts. Please ensure your race number is visible to the marshals before boarding
5km fun run/walk
The race briefing will be held at 8.25am, Saturday 14 Nov the Buller Bridge car park area.

Race Start Times
The 5km starts at 8:30am, for all other events, once the buses are unloaded and everyone is ready to go – we’ll start. We estimate all events, apart from the 5km, will be underway by 8:00am
All start and finish times will be recorded as runners move over the timing mats.

Cut Off Times
The cut-off times for all events is 2:00pm. Any competitors still on course after that time will not receive a finishing time and all remaining race marshals and safety personnel will be withdrawn from the course at that time.

Participants in the 32km and 22.5km events will have until 11:00am to reach Tauranga Bay. Runners that don’t meet this cut-off time will be transported to Carters Beach.
For safety reasons, if you are on the course after 2:00pm, you may be stopped by a race marshal and asked to wait with them until transport back to the finish line is available.

Course Description.

The trail itself is a well-groomed cycle trail – mostly 2+ metres wide, but please be aware that there are some sections of erosion along the Nile Mile Beach section of the KCT.
The 32km event starts at Constant Bay, Charleston and heads up Princes St for 300m, before turning left into Rotten Row and onto the KCT.

The 22.5km event runs about 500m down Virgin Flat Road and then joins the trail on the right hand side of the road.

The 12.5km events start at the Tauranga Bay domain on the Kawatiri Coastal Trail (KCT)

Leaving the Tauranga Bay Domain, competitors will follow the KCT north to the Tauranga Bay Seal Colony carpark.
Marshalls will then direct you onto the next section through to Lighthouse Road.
From there, you will follow the KCT through to the Omau Domain, across SH 67 to the old Holcim haul road.
At the bottom of the Holcim Hill, you will cross SH67 again, back onto the KCT and through to the Carters Beach Domain 22.5km runners & 12.5km Runners and Walkers will finish here
The 5km event will start at the Buller Bridge car park in Westport. Runners and walkers will cross the bridge then connect with the Kawatiri Coastal Trail where they will follow the trail until they reach the Carters Beach Reserve and their finish line.

Marshals and Race Referees
These are volunteers and will be wearing high-vis vests. There will always be two at any point where we’ve identified that competitors may need assistance or direction.
Please treat volunteers with respect (they’ve sacrificed their own time to be here and the event is impossible to stage without their support). Follow their directions and if they believe you are in distress, their instruction to you will be either take a break or withdraw from the race.

Road and Bridge Crossings
SH67 will be crossed at Omau and the bottom of Holcim Hill (approx. 7.5km and 5.5km from the finish line). This road will not be closed for the event, however a 30km speed restriction will be in place. Marshals will man the crossings and may request you to stop until the road is clear. Please obey their instructions.
Okari Road, Lighthouse Road, Omau Domain, Golf Links Road and Schadick Avenue crossings
These will also be controlled by marshals and you may be required to stop at these points until the road is clear.
Nile River and Little Totara Suspension Bridges (32km runners only)
These swing bridges are certified for a maximum of 10 people at a time and no running is permitted on them. Marshals will control competitor bridge crossings.
Okari Suspension Bridge (32km and 22.5km runners only)
This swing bridge is certified for a maximum of 10 people at a time and no running is permitted on it. Marshals will control competitor bridge crossings.
Martins Creek Suspension Bridge (5km run/walkers only)
This swing bridge is certified for a maximum of 10 people at a time and no running is permitted on it. Marshals will control competitor bridge crossings.

Withdrawing from the Race
If for any reason, you are unable to continue, please either advise a marshal, or advise an official at the finish line. As there are multiple points to exit the course, not knowing who has withdrawn can cause a headache for both our timing and safety systems.

Medical Assistance
Medical assistance will be available at the finish line and many of our marshals will also be qualified first responders and first-aid qualified.
If you feel unwell at any point, please let a marshal know and they can either administer aid or call for more experienced support.
If you find yourself alone and too far from the last or next marshal, find yourself somewhere to sit, use your emergency gear and alert the next runner that you need assistance.
“Tail End Charlies” will also follow the last runner/walker. They will also be first responders and carry a comprehensive first aid kit.
If you find someone in distress or injured on the course please stay with them. Do not attempt to race forward, or back, looking for assistance. Wait for the next runner, or tail-end Charlie to arrive and then look to raise the alarm. If you have a cellphone and reception, call 111 if you judge the distress or injury to be serious. Please note that there are some short sections of trail that have no cell phone coverage – if someone is in distress stay with them and ask another competitor to raise the alarm once they have reached an area with reception.

Race Etiquette
While the KCT will be sign-posted as “closed” for the day, there is a chance cyclists or other trail users may ignore the signs and access the trail. Be aware that you may encounter on-coming cyclists and be prepared to either stop or move off the trail.
While running, we urge all competitors to “stay left” on the trail. If you encounter a slower runner and wish to pass, check the way ahead is clear then call “passing” before over-taking.
Competitors are advised that no earphones or external speakers are allowed to be worn, there are a number of points where marshals may need to issue instructions and it is vital that you are able to hear these – or any calls from other runners.
If you sense another competitor is in distress or in need of assistance, please take the time to ask how they are feeling. If you’re not convinced they’re OK, stick with them or note their number and advise the next marshal of your concerns.
We are privileged to run on this beautiful track. Please help keep it pristine by policing your own rubbish and picking up any you encounter. There will be a skip at the finishing area for waste disposal.
If you’re “caught short” during the race, please get yourself well away from the track and show some consideration for other runners and neighbouring property owners. Port-A-Loos will be available at the start line at Pamu Farm and at Tauranga Bay and there are toilets at the Carters Beach domain. There will also be a Port-A-Loo stationed at the Buller Bridge car park for the 5km run.

Hydration
Water in paper cups will be available at:
• End of Hands Road
• Virgin Flat Road intersection
• Okari Road Crossing (Okari Causeway)
• Tauranga Bay
• The Omau Domain
• The old Holcim carpark.
• Carters Beach Finish Line

Car parking at Carters Beach
Parking is available at the south end of the Carters Beach Hall. Please follow directions from the carpark staff and be mindful when exiting the car park of approaching runners.

Medals, Results, Prize Giving, Tracking, Spot Prizes, Certificates, Photos and Results
All event finishers will receive a finisher’s medal as they cross the finish line.
The timing system we use (Barefoot Sports) will be uploading live results, with a downloadable and printable certificate available online (details will be emailed out during race week).
There will be additional timing mats placed around the course that will record your progress that your supporters can follow on a live tracking app (details will be emailed out during race week).

Performance prizes
A short (we promise!) Prize giving ceremony will take place inside the Carters Beach Hall at 2:30pm.
Performance prizes will be given to the overall male and female winners of each event, excluding the 5km fun-run, to the first (male and female) finishers of each age group category.
5km – Performance prizes will be awarded to the first overall male and female

Spot Prizes
Spot prizes will be awarded at the prize giving at 2.30pm. You must be present at the draw and have your race number with you to receive a spot prize.

Photographers
Will be stationed throughout the course to capture you at your best. Photos will be tagged and uploaded to our results website and will be available free of charge. As uploading of images is labour intensive, not all images will be available on the day – but we’ll endeavour to have the entire portfolio uploaded within 48 hours.