WTF Is Skyrunning anyway?
Does anyone actually know? If you asked 100 people I’m sure you’d get 200 different answers.
“Isn’t it just another name for mountain running?”
“Isn’t it trail running with more rocks”
“Isn’t it just trail running with whips and chains and shit?”
Whatever your definition, this September us Kiwis will have exactly two athletes lining up at the Skyrunning World Championships on the Spanish island of La Gomera.
Brooke Cox and Matthew Gummer.
No manager. No physio. No team bus.
Just a couple from Lake Hāwea representing New Zealand at one of the most technical mountain races in the world.
They met four years ago while working for DOC in Te Anau, running up Luxmore after work. These days they call a tiny house in Lake Hāwea home and, in a couple of months’ time, they’ll be pulling on the silver fern.
Their race is 64km with around 4,000m of climbing and descending through steep volcanic terrain. It’s not the longest race either have done, but it’d have to be the most awesomeness looking.
So before they scoot off to Italy to train in the Aosta Valley, then onto La Gomera for the World Championships, I figured we’d find out a bit more about New Zealand’s entire Skyrunning team.
What does a typical training week look like right now? And what do you expect it to look like at peak training?
B+M: “Right now we are revving the engine pretty hard as we have shifted our training philosophy for this race. We are starting with a block of VO2 max and strength work.”
“Typically this is 3 x intensity sessions each a day apart, 3 x strength work, then a couple of real easy runs and a long run in the mountains. As we get closer to the race we will be increasing the volume, vertical and lowering the intensity of sessions.”
“A peak week will be in the Aosta Valley in Italy 2 weeks out from the World Champs. Around 170km and 15,000m vertical gain and descent on the famous route of the Tor Des Geants!”
What’s your favourite training route?
M - “I love running Ben Lomond in Queenstown. It’s got everything and reminds me of running from Chamonix or Courmayer straight from town up to a magical view with a quad smashing descent before a plunge into the lake!”
B – “Mt. Iron laps. Repetition soothes the brain. I know every pebble.”
Are you coached or self-coached?
M - “I have had a few coaches down the years but now rely on my knowledge and experience of working in sport and exercise in my career.”
B – “Matt coaches me and I add my two cents.”
How do you train for skyrunning in NZ?
M - “Living in Mount Cook previously and now Wānaka this is not difficult as we are surrounded by amazing routes! It’s a little harder in winter with the snow conditions to factor in a carrying more gear, and of course we do not have the altitude here to contend with.”
“Another factor in NZ is the remoteness of some of the terrain. In Europe there is often a bigger safety buffer with chairlifts and rifugio’s dotted around the Alps. Here sometimes a helicopter is the only means of rescue, so more safety margin is required.”
If somebody wanted to get into skyrunning, where should they start?
M - “Be more curious about how to get up and down your local peak. Don’t just take the same route you always take. Is there another more interesting route? How about off-track while being sensitive to the landscape? Perhaps leave the watch and forget the numbers and go explore a ridge or face without worrying about pace, time or distance and discover the joy of flying off a summit via a line you created!”
B – “I think it’s looking at a potential line that scares you and having a crack. I take terrible lines sometimes, who cares. In Mt Cook we stared at a Wakefield scree slope every day and it felt so good to finally surf down it. Every path is the right path.”
What is La Gomera best known for?
M - “La Gomera is one of Spain’s Canary Islands, located off the northwest coast of Africa. It’s best known for its dramatic volcanic landscapes, deep ravines, ancient laurel forests and steep mountain terrain, which make it a world-renowned destination for trail running and skyrunning.”
“It’s also famous for Garajonay National Park and the traditional whistling language known as “Silbo Gomero.” For mountain runners, La Gomera is known as a place where there are very few flat sections—you are almost always climbing or descending!”
Have you checked out the course profile?
B + M - “Absolutely. Looking at course profiles is part of the excitement. The course has some serious climbing and descending packed into it, which is exactly what you’d expect from a Skyrunning World Championship.”
“While the distances aren’t extreme by ultra-running standards, the terrain and vertical gain mean it will be a very demanding race. It’s the kind of course where pacing, technical ability and smart decision-making are just as important as fitness.”
What part are you looking forward to most?
M - “Lining up on the start line wearing the silver fern about to go on a massive adventure in a new and spectacular landscape!”
B – “Ditto. Open-hearted to the journey.”
Is this a fly-in fly-out job, or are you heading over early?
B + M - “We fly over 3 weeks before and have two weeks training in the Italian Alps in the Aosta Valley before a taper week and then the big dance!”
What’s your biggest unknown heading into Worlds?
M - “The biggest unknown is how the race dynamics will unfold at a World Championship level. We have both raced strong fields before, but this will be another step up, with athletes from dozens of countries all competing for national teams. The terrain is also unfamiliar compared to what we typically race on in New Zealand.”
“While we’ve done everything we can to prepare physically, part of the challenge—and part of the appeal—is embracing those unknowns and adapting as the race unfolds. That’s often where the most memorable experiences come from.”
B – “For me, it’s how eating and drinking go in the heat. I’ve struggled to keep things down in the last couple of hot races I’ve done so tbc.”
How You Can Help
As they mentioned, this is a self-funded trip, and last time I checked, flights to a tiny island off Spain were right up there with running the Tarawera Miler on the 2026 Runflation Index.
Brooke and Matt have put together some mantra bracelets to help fund the trip. You can grab one... or, if bracelets aren’t your thing, you’re also welcome to throw some cash monies their way.
Check out the bracelets here or donate
