Tarawera 50km
A 20-Week Program for Women
Runnable forest singletrack, three lakes and a geothermal landscape in the middle of the New Zealand summer. This 20-week Her Trails program builds the running durability, fuelling confidence and heat readiness the T50 asks for, with training that scales to the day you are preparing for.
$175 AUD a month for 3 months, or $450 AUD upfront.
A runnable ultra through forest, lakes and steam
The T50 covers roughly 52km with around 1,150m of climbing, starting at Te Puia and finishing in downtown Rotorua. It combines native bush, conifer forest, farmland and parkland with a thermal landscape that puts steam beside the trail at Sulphur Point, and it runs past Rotokakahi, Tikitapu and Lake Rotorua on the way.
The climbing is gentle and spread out rather than stacked into big climbs, and the technicality is low. That is what makes this course deceptive. There are few natural walking breaks, so the day becomes a long, continuous effort. February heat and humidity can add another layer to the challenge.
How the 52km unfolds
Te Puia to the first aid station
The race leaves Te Puia and moves through Rotorua's thermal landscape, with steam alongside the trail at Sulphur Point. The footing is friendly and the field is dense, which is exactly where a fast start hides itself as an easy one. Effort discipline is the whole job in this first stretch.
Rotokakahi, and settling into the day
Conifer forest, farmland and parkland roll past on trail and forestry road. The climbing here is gentle and spread out rather than stacked, so there are few natural walking breaks and the effort stays continuous. This is where your fuelling rhythm either establishes itself or quietly slips.
Rotokakahi to Tikitapu, and the warmest hours
The middle of the course runs between the two lakes on native forest singletrack. Many runners reach this section during the warmer part of the day, making hydration, electrolytes and active cooling part of the pacing plan rather than an afterthought.
Towering forest and tiring legs
The trail turns through the redwoods with the cumulative load of the day in your legs. Nothing here is technically difficult, and that is the point: the course keeps asking you to run when a steeper race would have let you walk. Sustained durability is the skill being tested.
Into downtown Rotorua
The closing kilometres run past Lake Rotorua and finish at the Village Green in downtown Rotorua. Runners who paced the opening hours honestly and kept eating are the ones with something left to spend here.
Course-specific preparation, not generic endurance
Six pillars, each built from what this course does to people rather than from a generic ultra template.
Built to scale to your day
The women's field at Tarawera is genuinely broad, and the program is built for that. Long runs, back-to-back weekends and fuelling practice each carry duration options, so a faster runner is never asked to stay out longer just to accumulate hours, and a runner facing a longer day is never asked to reproduce race duration in training.
Sustained runnable durability
A low-vert, runnable course gives you very few natural walking breaks, so the demand is holding one repeatable effort for hours. Progressive long runs and two back-to-back weekends build exactly that, on tired legs.
Run-walk and power hiking
Walking on a runnable course is a decision, not a failure. We teach a deliberate run-walk pattern and a purposeful power hike, rehearsed through the long runs so it is a strategy you own rather than something you improvise late in the race.
Fuelling, sized to your race
Gut training from the middle of the build, with intake practised at the rate and duration your own day will ask for. A five-hour race and a twelve-hour race are different nutritional events, and the program treats them that way.
Heat and humidity
February in Rotorua is peak New Zealand summer, so warmer conditions can change how a runnable course feels. Heat-acclimation guidance, hydration and electrolyte rehearsal, and cooling strategies are introduced through the back half of the build.
Race-day mindset and planning
You finish the program with a written plan for your own day: effort, fuel, aid-station routine and the checkpoints you are pacing against. We guide you through how to build it, so race day is execution rather than improvisation.
Before You Begin
The T50 is runnable but demanding, and the 20-week build assumes you arrive with a working aerobic base and the space in your life to absorb a steadily increasing load.
- Comfortably completing around 30 to 40km per week across 3 to 4 runs before week one
- Recent half-marathon or longer-distance experience, supported by consistent running over recent months
- Willingness to commit meaningful time to long runs, back-to-back weekends and recovery
- Access to trails, hills or stairs for terrain-specific sessions
- Willingness to train fuelling, hydration and heat management, not just fitness
- Appropriate health-professional clearance if returning from injury, illness or extended time away from training
Everything you need, in one place
Coached by a team built by and for women, with each training block clearly structured so you understand what you are doing and why.
Training Program
- โ20-week structured plan with weekly run, strength and recovery sessions
- โDuration options on every long run and back-to-back weekend
- โTarawera-specific course, heat and pacing preparation
- โFuelling, hydration, kit and race-day planning guidance
Coaching + Community
- โLive coaching calls on Mondays, with replays available
- โCoach-led education on female physiology and training
- โPractical guidance for training across the menstrual cycle and changing life stages
- โA private community of women preparing for the same race
Also Worth Considering
Training for more than one goal this season?
Instead of purchasing individual programs, many runners choose the Her Trails All-In Membership for broader training support across the year. If you plan to complete more than one program this season, the All-In Membership is usually the most cost-effective option and gives our coaching team the ability to support you as you transition between races, training blocks and recovery periods.
Best Value
Her Trails All-In Membership
$220 / quarter
- โAccess to every Her Trails program including trail, road and strength
- โCommunity and coaching platform with weekly coaching calls
- โStrength and mobility training for runners
- โCoaching support between races and training blocks
- โOngoing community support and accountability
- โDiscounts on merchandise and selected partner opportunities
Questions before you commit?
Choosing a program is a real commitment of time and energy, and it is normal to want to talk it through first. Here are a few places to start.
We can connect you with an All-In member for a relaxed call about the program, fitting training around work and family, or anything else on your mind.
Request a chatOr browse all our programs