CurraNZ ambassador and elite trail runner Scotty Hawker shares some of his most important lessons learnt from real hard life experiences. As he says 'I've made these mistakes - so you hopefully don’t have to!'
Scotty says: "Trail running has given me some of the best experiences of my life. It’s also handed me some absolute shockers. Over the years - through races, training blocks, injuries, and adventures in the mountains - I’ve made just about every mistake possible.
Some were funny afterwards. Some definitely weren’t at the time.
Here are a few of the biggest trail running blunders I’ve made - and what they taught me.
1. The Pole Disaster — Trail World Championships, Portugal (2016)
Back in 2016, I qualified to represent New Zealand at the Trail Running World Championships in Portugal. At the time I was living in the Blue Mountains in Australia, where the trails I trained on were far more runnable than the steep terrain waiting for us in Peneda-Gerês National Park.
A little too late, I realised trail running poles were probably going to be a major advantage.
Naturally, instead of months of preparation, I attempted a last-minute crash course with poles on the climbs around the Blue Mountains. Not ideal.
I still vividly remember arriving at the 30km checkpoint during the 75km race and immediately handing my poles to my crew. They tried giving them back to me, but I simply said: “I can’t use them properly.”
My arms and upper body were completely cooked - honestly more fatigued than my legs. I had nowhere near the upper body conditioning required to use poles effectively over that kind of terrain. It was a massive wake-up call and completely changed how I approach race preparation. Since then, my pre-race research into elevation profiles, terrain, and course specifics has gone to another level.
Lesson learned: Don’t leave race-specific preparation until the final minute.
2. The Salami Nutrition Plan — KEP Ultra (2011)
Circa 2011, I lined up for my first ever trail ultra: the KEP Ultra near Perth, Western Australia.
The race covered 75km with around 2000m of elevation gain from Northam to Mundaring along the KEP Track. At that stage I was incredibly green and had very little understanding of endurance nutrition.
I remember someone telling me: “You’ll need protein during a race that long.”
Now, back then my understanding of protein basically started and ended with meat. So naturally, my race nutrition strategy became:
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Gummy snakes
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Coca Cola
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Salami
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Cabanossi
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Twiggy sticks
Looking back, it’s probably one of the worst endurance nutrition plans imaginable.
I got to the first checkpoint around 19km into the race and I don’t think I’ve ever spat food out faster in my life. Turns out greasy processed meat isn’t exactly ideal ultra-running fuel for me!!
Fortunately, my backup nutrition plan of gummy snakes and Coca-Cola somehow carried me through the rest of the race. Even more surprisingly, I managed to finish second.
That said, I also don’t think I’ve ever been more sore after a race than I was after that one.
Safe to say I’ve never attempted to recreate the “salami ultra nutrition protocol” ever again.
Lesson learned: Just because something contains protein doesn’t mean it belongs in an ultra marathon!
3. Ignoring My Crew — UTMB (2014)
Another classic mistake came during my first attempt at UTMB in 2014 - a race that would ultimately shape my career for more than a decade.
Standing on the start line in Chamonix with rain absolutely bucketing down while 'Conquest of Paradise' by Vangelis echoed through the streets is still one of the most unforgettable moments of my life.
But excitement and stubbornness can be a dangerous combination.
At every aid station my crew kept asking:
“Do you want to change your socks?”
“Do you want dry clothes?”
“Do you want to sort your shoes out?”
Every single time my response was basically: “Nah, I don’t have time.”
I was so focused on not wasting seconds that I completely ignored basic self-care.
That approach came back to bite me hard before halfway.
By the time I reached Courmayeur, I had chafing and blisters I genuinely wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. My adductors were completely locked up because I’d spent hours running like a cowboy trying to stop my inner thighs touching.
Every step felt like fire. I ended up losing eight toenails from that race, and I’m fairly certain the entire Chamonix Valley heard me screaming during the post-race shower.
And somehow the worst part? Because I finished more than six hours slower than planned, I missed out on my post-race Poco Loco burger because the restaurant had already closed. Devastating.
Lesson learned: When your crew is giving you advice — listen to them!
FINAL THOUGHTS:
The funny thing about trail running is that mistakes are almost unavoidable. Every ultra runner has horror stories involving nutrition disasters, gear failures, chafing, blisters, missed turns, or complete implosions deep into a race. But those moments always teach you the most. A lot of the lessons/ knowledge I carry into races now came from getting things badly wrong at some point along the way. The mountains have a pretty good way of humbling everyone at some point and time.