Kiwi Sam Harvey has become the first New Zealander to win the 100-mile race at Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB since it was first introduced in 2018, while it was third time lucky for Kimino Miyazaki as the Japanese athlete finally claimed the TMiler title on her third attempt.

Harvey broke the tape in a time of 15:16:54, over 15 minutes of Simon Cochrane (NZL), with Hong Kong-based Ryan Whelan (GBR) rounding out the podium in 15:56:11.

As he always does, the Christchurch-based athlete ran hard from the front and was relentless throughout the day. In the early stages, a group of six men formed a front pack and ran side by side, but Harvey refused to let anyone rest and eventually began to crack the group.

Demonstrating that his mental game is just as tough as his physical prowess, Harvey held on to win his second UTMB World Series event on the bounce, backing up his victory at Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko by UTMB less than three months earlier.

“I don’t like to hide. You can feel it when people are hiding out there, they see someone hurting and they sit behind them and go at whatever pace suits them and have a little rest. That’s when I’m like, okay, pass. Push everybody, let’s go, stop hiding. Which hurts me a lot of the time,” said Harvey.

“I think I had to do that today, we had such a strong lead field, four elite Japanese runners, Simon Cochrane, Ryan Whelan, everybody was really good and all sitting with each other and pushing each other hard. I thought, if I push you hard early on and you meet the challenge, I can at least trick you into burning yourself out and then thin the pack down, which I did,” he said.

Japan’s Kimino Miyazaki wins the 100-mile race at Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB on her third attempt. Photo / Tim Bardsley-Smith

In the women’s TMiler, a consistent and strong day for Kimino Miyazaki meant the Japanese athlete claimed the win in 17:40:37, an hour and 10 minutes clear of the rest of the field. After finishing second in this race in 2023 and posting an unfortunate DNF in last year’s race, this victory felt all the more sweet.

“I’m so happy to win. I want to run UTMB. Last year in this race I didn’t finish, and I was so sad, so I tried changing training from last year to this year, so I had more confidence,” said Miyazaki. “I’m so happy. The course changes a little every time but this time it’s so, so beautiful. I took many photos.”

Naomi Brand (ZAF) had led for much of the race but as she neared Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake), the penultimate aid station, she succumbed to stomach issues, allowing Miyazaki to make the pass into the lead. Brand eventually rallied to make it to the finish in fourth place.

Emma Timmis (NZL) and Sarah Parkins (AUS) finished second and third respectively. Timmis stopped the clock at 18:50:48, with Parkins another 20 minutes behind the Kiwi in 19:11:10.

Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB is a qualifying race for the UTMB World Series Finals at UTMB Mont-Blanc. The top three male and female elites in the TMiler have secured direct entry into UTMB in 2026.

TMILER RESULTS – WOMEN

TMILER RESULTS – MEN

For full results of the 2025 Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB visit tarawera.utmb.world.