Marines Event
KAPITI JOGGERS AND WALKERS
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE MARINES
In the Footsteps of the Marines - Looking back
Fall in, goddammit, on the double!’
We were off on our first hike in New Zealand. A half mile to the camp gate, then two miles down the highway and a right turn up the slowly winding dirt road. It twisted in a slow rise for nearly four miles. We called it the Little Burma Road. From the top, fifteen hundred feet up, we could see the rolling green hills, small dotted farms, and in the distance the ocean.
Leon Uris “Battle Cry”
Back in 2012 when the Kapiti US Marines Trust was celebrating the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Marines in the area, the Kapiti Joggers and Walkers organized a running and walking event. It roughly followed the route march described above by Leon Uris.
Starting near the entrances to Camp Mackay and Camp Russell the course went along Emerald Glen Road, up Waterfall Road, into the Maungakotukutuku Valley, over Campbell’s Mill Road and down through Whareroa Farm. The total distance was about 12.5km. In later years a short course option was added. This first event attracted 135 participants and it was great thrill to have Claude Bohn from Wisconsin firing the gun for the running race. Claude was still a teenager when he arrived in New Zealand with the Marines in 1942.
There were eight In the Footsteps of the Marines events before Covid 19 put paid to the 2020 planning. Over the years the Department of Conservation provided a concession to use the Whareroa Farm area and the organizers also had the cooperation of the Whareroa Guardians. The biggest field was over 200 and the feedback from participants was always positive. Every year some Marines from the American Embassy took part and on one occasion the ambassador’s daughter was in the running race. Money raised from the events went to local groups and charities and in total thousands of dollars were distributed.
More than 45 people assisted on the day, helping with registration, marshalling, time keeping, traffic management, course layout and the after match arrangements. A very popular feature of the latter was the hot soup, rolls and bananas provided and participants had a more than 40% chance of winning a spot prize. These were generously supplied by local businesses and individuals. Another service which competitors appreciated during the event were the two water stations manned by enthusiastic local scouts.
Over the years there were changes made to the course, especially as the local Kapiti Council required a detailed traffic management plan to use the roads. One year a massive slip blocked Waterfall Road, threatening to derail the event. Eventually the roads were taken out of the equation and participants appreciated having totally cross-country courses.
The late autumn weather was sometimes an issue and although most events went ahead in dry weather, there were problems in 2016 when the zigzag track down to the farm was extremely slippery and dangerous. The organizers decided to change the course an hour before the competitors arrived in the interests of safety. When told that the new course didn’t line up with the Council traffic management plan the Mayor, who was the starter for the running race, said “I know nothing!”
2020 In the Footsteps of the Marines
