On a point-to-point course, the 60, 85 and 100k distances take ultramarathon runners into some of the country’s most stunning scenery, through lush rainforests and along four tranquil lakes, past clear streams and gushing waterfalls. The field has become highly competitive in recent years, and attracted over 400 international runners from 38 countries in February 2016. Since Dylan Bowman’s spectacular win in 2015, the number of competitors from the USA doubled to 45.

This year, however, conditions were the most difficult in the race’s history. Parts of the course, which is usually considered fast, were turned into slippery slides by all-day rain, and more people than ever dropped down to the 60k distance. Elite runners also struggled. “It was a very tough day,” said Colorado’s Jason Schlarb. “There were places where I had to take caution. I think it slowed everybody down a bit.” Schlarb also had a collision with a log in the first 10k, bruising his left quad. “It’s not the most painful race I’ve ever had, but I’ve never had to deal with feeling poorly so early on and carrying through.”

At 103k, the course was also longer than usual. Schlarb still finished a strong sixth in 9:16:48, coming in first among the USA runners. Overall winner Jonas Buud, from Sweden, set a blistering speed on a difficult day, finishing in 8:00:53, while New Zealand’s Fiona Hayvice took out the women’s title at 10:34:26. “The times were really impressive, especially with the extra kilometers from last year’s course,” Schlarb said.

Fellow American ultramarathon runner Michael Wardian finished 15 minutes after Schlarb, in seventh place. “The top field was awesome. Jonas was the guy to beat and none of us did that. He was definitely pushing the pace early on,” Wardian said. Making it to the first aid station in second place, the 41-year-old Virginian hit a low later on and temporarily dropped out of the top 10, desperate for some calories. He finally found some CLIF Bloks on the trail – accidentally lost by New Zealand’s Vajin Armstrong, who finished fifth. “They were really good. I totally ate his leftovers. I’m not very particular to where the calories come from,” Wardian laughed.

Not making it onto the podium this year just gives him motivation to come back next year. “I love this course; I think it gives you a lot of different terrains. It forces you to challenge yourself, running fast on technical trail, getting over the roots and rocks,” Wardian observed. “Most of all, it’s the organization and volunteers and people that make it just insanely cool.”

Aid stations were stocked with fruit, sandwiches, pizza, salty snacks and energy foods. In accessible places, spectators braved the rain for hours to cheer on runners, while dozens of signs along the way featured song lyrics, poetry, uplifting mantras or just “Run, you dirty animals.” Ahead of the Star Wars-themed aid station ultramarathon runners were treated to Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader lookalikes dramatically battling it out with light sabers.

Despite having become a big and international race with 1250 competitors, the Tarawera hasn’t lost the warm and familiar feel of a small race. Organizer Paul Charteris and race director Tim Day waited out until well after midnight to give even the last finishers a big hug and their wood-carved medals.

There were very few female runners from the USA this year – so that has to change. New Zealand is a long way away, but the Tarawera offers more than a race. There are many free and purchasable cultural experiences in the program, from a traditional Maori welcome, scenic boat cruise and special Maori dinner, to a run through a geyser field. February is also within the best travel time for the country. One of the world’s most beautiful one-day hikes, the Tongariro Crossing, through active volcanic landscape and past The Lord of the Rings’ Mount Doom, is just a bus ride away.

Accommodation in Rotorua ranges from basic accommodations to luxury hotels and resorts, and the town has its own airport. It’s also easy to book a four-hour bus ride with InterCity from Auckland for around USD 25. Air New Zealand has direct flights to Auckland from Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver. And for anyone who was worried – that distinct smell lingers only in the city, and not on the trails.

This article was published in UltraRunning Magazine on April 19, 2016.

In a bid to honor the nearly 500-year old beer purity law and polish their product’s image, the German Brewers Federation has applied to have the law included in the United Nations’ intangible cultural heritage list.

If successful, the purity law would join a diverse list of remarkable performing arts, social practices and traditional crafts. Also on the are the Mediterranean diet, Chinese calligraphy, Argentinian Tango, Italian violin craftsmanship and poetic dueling in Cyprus.

The president of the German Brewers Federation, Hans-Georg Eils, said inclusion would be a deserved acknowledgement.

“If Germany is still regarded as the undisputed beer nation, it owes this to the beer purity law,” he said.

This article was published by The Wall Street Journal – Speakeasy on December 11, 2013.

By expanding into the market for omega-3 fatty acids used in health care, BASF is following its strategy of reducing its dependence on classical chemicals.

BASF will pay Pronova’s shareholders NOK12.50 (US$2.18), equivalent to about €515 million ($659 million), an advantageous price for a sensible acquisition, analysts said.

“Due to this acquisition BASF should become the leading producer in the fast growing market for concentrated omega-3 fatty acids and cover the entire range of the omega-3 fatty acids,” analyst Nadeshda Demidova of Equinet Bank said.

BASF has commitments for about 60% of Pronova’s share capital.

Lars Hettche at Bankhaus Metzler sees the takeover offer as a positive step, noting it doesn’t look too expensive and that Pronova’s earnings margin last year was high, at around 40%.

While one trader says the acquisition is too small to cause much of a share price reaction, he agrees that the purchase price is fairly low considering Pronova’s turnover of around €230 million last year, with after-tax profits coming in at just over €20 million.

Late last year BASF said it wanted to reduce the percentage of sales generates from classical chemicals to around 30% by 2020, thereby increasing its foothold in core industries such as agriculture, construction, consumer goods, health and nutrition, electronics, energy, resources, and transportation.

In January, board member Michael Heinz said BASF aims to expand specialty chemicals for consumer-related industries through both acquisitions and organic growth.

Peter Spengler of DZ Bank believes Wednesday’s offer fits well into this strategy. “BASF is rather focusing on technology, research and development, as well as high margins, instead of high sales,” Mr. Spengler said, with regard to the company’s acquisition choices.

This article was published by The Wall Street Journal – The Source on November 21, 2012.

The German company acquired Reebok in 2006, and has struggled to power the brand ever since. Most recently, Reebok lost out to Nike on a contract to supply products to the U.S. National Football League, is being hit by a player lockout in the National Hockey League and is continuing to sort out problems in India after “commercial irregularities” were discovered.

Reebok’s woes mean that while Adidas is competing strongly against Nike in Europe, Asia and fast-growing markets such as China and Latin America, it is losing ground in the U.S., the world’s biggest sports-apparel market. The group’s sales fell 4.7% in the U.S. in the third quarter, predominantly because of Reebok’s poor performance, compared with a 23% increase for Nike in North America in its most recent quarter.

“I don’t think the Adidas brand is losing ground to Nike, but Reebok is,” said Barclays analyst Julian Easthope.

Adidas said it now expects group sales to rise by a high single-digit rate in 2012, compared with its previous forecast for a rate approaching 10%. The company in September cut its midterm sales outlook for Reebok to €2 billion ($2.55 billion) in 2015, from €3 billion, but said it expected the Adidas brand to compensate.

The company’s shares were down Friday afternoon in Frankfurt as the lowered sales guidance took the shine off third-quarter results that otherwise beat the market’s expectations.

Adidas’ net profit rose 14% on the year in the third quarter to €344 million as sales rose 11% to €4.17 billion, buoyed by strong demand in Asia and Eastern European markets. The company benefited from its sponsorship of prominent teams and individuals at the summer Olympics in London and the European soccer championships. It said it expects net profit in 2012 to rise between 15% and 17% to between €770 million and €785 million.

Part of Reebok’s problems relate to an continuing dispute in the National Hockey League. Owners of the league’s franchises barred members of the NHL Players’ Association from playing after failing to reach a new deal on contracts, prompting the cancellation of all games since preseason started Sept. 19 up until the end of November, and the dispute is continuing. Reebok is the official outfitter to the league.

That followed the NFL’s decision that Nike would replace Reebok as the league’s exclusive maker of on-field apparel and fan gear. The terms of the five-year Nike deal weren’t disclosed, but Adidas has said the loss of the license agreement, which Reebok has held for the past decade, will result in an estimated $200 million to $250 million a year in lost revenue for Reebok.

Adidas also said problems at Reebok’s Indian unit would continue affecting results in the fourth quarter, without giving details. The company in May filed a criminal complaint against the former chief of its Indian operations and another former senior employee for alleged financial and commercial irregularities that resulted in the company taking a charge of $155 million plus a further $87 million in restructuring costs.

Several attempts to reinvent and reposition Reebok to take advantage of the U.S. market have failed to work. The latest plan is to market Reebok as a fitness-only brand. In September, Reebok marketing chief Matt O’Toole assured investors the brand’s new structure “will bring more focus and a deeper product offering and will provide better commercial opportunities as we turn the corner into 2013.”

But Reebok’s problems are deeply rooted and sales were down 6% excluding the loss of licenses and the problems in its Indian unit.

Adidas Chief Executive Herbert Hainer conceded the Reebok brand’s performance was “by no means satisfactory,” but pointed out the sales fall was an improvement from the second-quarter decline of 10%.

Mr. Hainer was more positive about the group’s prospects, predicting Adidas would increase sales, boost its profit margin and see earnings rise by a significant double-digit percentage in 2013.

This article was published by The Wall Street Journal on November 9, 2012.

The UFO labor union Tuesday said it is preparing for strikes that may start anytime from Wednesday and involve up to 19,400 crew members.

A Lufthansa spokesman said any industrial action would cost the airline millions of euros each day and the company is examining its legal options, without going into further detail.

Lufthansa last week vowed to press ahead with a sweeping cost-saving program, including the elimination of 3,500 administrative jobs, to improve long-term profitability due to high fuel prices and worsening economic prospects in Europe.

“It’s very important for Lufthansa to stick to its plans if it wants to stand up to low-cost and other competition, important enough that it has to hazard the consequences of strikes,” Commerzbank analyst Frank Skodzik said.

A 2009 file picture shows Lufthansa staff on strike at Frankfurt airport. The union representing Lufthansa cabin crew says its members plan to strike after talks on pay and conditions broke down. Associated Press

In April, UFO demanded a 5% wage increase for about 18,000 Lufthansa flight attendants, a profit-related bonus worth up to a month’s pay, and a guarantee that the airline wouldn’t outsource jobs or employ temporary cabin crew workers.

Like other European flag carriers, Lufthansa’s short-haul operations face increasing competition from leading discount carriers like Ryanair Holdings PLC and easyJet PLC. Air France, the French unit of Air France-KLM SA, and Iberia, the Spanish arm of International Consolidated Airlines Group, have said changing pay and conditions for staff on domestic routes to make them more competitive with budget airlines is vital to bring their short-haul operations back to profit. Like Lufthansa, Air France is considering the elimination of thousands of jobs.

In April, UFO demanded a 5% wage increase for about 18,000 Lufthansa flight attendants, a profit-related bonus worth up to a month’s pay and a guarantee that the airline wouldn’t outsource jobs or employ temporary cabin crew workers.

Lufthansa said Tuesday it offered a 3.5% wage increase and is willing to forgo hiring temporary workers for three years.

Lufthansa has faced industrial action this year. In February, about 1,700 flights were canceled in Frankfurt, Europe’s third-busiest airport, due to industrial action by the GdF union, which represents airport operator Fraport AG’s ground staff. Fraport said the cancellations cost it around €4 million ($4.9 million) and Lufthansa said the strikes cost the airline at least €10 million.

The airline also had to cancel about 50 flights in 2009 after cabin crew staged strikes for several hours in Berlin and Frankfurt. At the time, UFO said Lufthansa suffered damages of about €50 million.

This article was published by the Wall Street Journal on August 28, 2012

While that’s good for travellers heading to the Greek capital, it’s less so for the locals. They remain frustrated, despite their new government. While the change in leadership has had a calming effect on financial markets, and according to Greek opinion polls Prime Minister Lucas Papademos’ approval rating is above 70%.

But this  has not alleviated the pessimism Greeks harbor towards their politicians. Many see lawmakers as the ones who got them into the crisis, leaving tax payers to deal with the consequences. Signs of anger are evident especially near the Parliament building. Marble plates are smashed, some walls defaced with graffiti.

Even sport has become political. At the starting line of Sunday’s Athens marathon, instead of cheering, runners booed in response to pre-run comments about the government over loudspeakers.

Panayota Tselenti, a 22-year-old hostel receptionist and student, says the crisis is affecting local businesses the most. Her mother spent 20 years running a women’s clothing store, but has now been forced to close it.

She said:

“Things are really painful right now, because everything that’s a little more expensive than the average is unaffordable.”

Her mother took out loans when sales went down, but now can’t pay her debt as business hasn’t improved. “I think people are more interested in buying food than buying clothing,“ Mrs. Tselenti says. Without a job, there is no chance of paying back the banks.

It’s a situation faced by increasingly more Greeks. Data released by the Hellenic Statistical Authority last week shows the country’s unemployment rate for August was at 18%, a huge increase compared to 12.2% in August 2010.

Ms. Tselenti says even though she does have work, it’s hard to get by on her wages. In her second job as a waitress she’s noticed people aren’t even leaving tips anymore.

“I have two jobs and can’t support myself. My parents can’t support me anymore and I’m in a difficult position. This makes me want to leave the country.”

At her university, teachers can’t hand out notes because there is no paper to print them. Ms. Tselenti says within her circle of friends and family, people believe any government measures to curb the debt crisis will only hurt those who are already struggling, while wealthy people won’t have to tighten their belts.

She added:

“I think I would be satisfied if I went to the doctor and didn’t have to pay or if I went to my university and we had paper to print.”

But these aren’t problems she expects the new government will solve.

So while Greeks still see reasons to protest, tour guide and business co-owner Vangelis Koutris says recent riots and strikes haven’t improved the situation. It’s keeping money out of the country by hurting the tourism industry.

“We’ve had quite a lot of cancellations in November”, he says. “It’s a bad thing to create the idea that Athens might at any point have violence, demonstrations, strikes. All of these things don’t advertise the place.”

Travellers were stuck at airports, or couldn’t board tour boats, due to strikes, and Mr. Koutris says the economy can’t afford it. But he believes that by now an increasing number of Greeks realize that some form of change will have to take place to address the crisis and stay in the euro zone.

“We’ve had too many protests, too many strikes, even before the crisis,” Mr. Koutris said. “It’s like it’s become a mentality.”

Published by The Wall Street Journal online on November 16, 2011.

Angry demonstrators in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar, have seized an opportunity to hold violent riots against the outcome of last weekend’s election, saying that they have been ”waiting for years” for this moment.

The protesters have burned down the headquarters of the ruling, former communist Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP).

Police fired rubber bullets into the crowd and used batons against the demonstrators as they began their rampage, but to no avail.

Protesters told ABC reporter Nicky Redl, who is in Ulaanbaatar, that they did not care if they were hurt or arrested because they had been waiting for this moment for years.

Several hundred protesters threw furniture out the windows of the building and threw bottles of alcohol into the flames.

The night sky was alight, and the streets full of people, as a neighbouring building and a car were also torched as protesters threw rocks and chanted slogans.

The masses blocked firefighting trucks from getting to the flames, only letting them pass in the early hours of the morning.

People yelled that they will not be intimidated and that they had had enough of the MPRP.

Mongolian President Nambariin Enkhbayar has declared a state of emergency in the capital.

Demonstrators say they want democracy and allege the ruling MPRP receives donations from China and Russia in return for access to the country’s resources, while most of Mongolia‘s people remain poor.

While political unrest has been fairly common in recent years, violence in the landlocked nation between Russia and China is rare.

The nation of 2.9 million people made a peaceful transition from communism to democracy in 1992.

This story was published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on 1 July 2008.

Backstory: This story made it to the ABC via some detours. I spent hours in these nighttime riots talking to protestors and taking photos. Protestors were setting buildings alight and had lit trash fires on the streets, into which they threw vodka bottles. Every time a bottle exploded, it led to a stampede. Somewhere in the course of all the uproar, a protester started hitting me, thinking I was gathering evidence for the government. Other protestors protected me, but as I scrambled away, I dropped my mobile phone, which was quickly trampled and unusable.

ABC News knew that I was at the protest and had arranged to call me to record a voice report. Now, the phone they were planning to call was kaputt.

I extracted the SIM card from the trampled phone, headed back to my hostel in the early morning hours, and begged a mobile phone from another hostel guest. That way, a producer contacted me and recorded a report for the morning radio news bulletin. The photos I sent via the hostel’s shared computer.

I returned the mobile to its rightful owner and, once the shops were open, I bought a cheap replacement phone to continue reporting. In the aftermath of the riots, the government had declared a three-day state of emergency. Venturing outside was eerie, as the streets were virtually empty apart from heavily armed military personnel, while TV channels played footage of singing children’s choirs.