Rest in peace Colin Rolfe

The Tararua Ranges look a little different today, a little emptier.

They’re still a labyrinth of lush forests criss-crossed with babbling creeks and rivers, and incredible peaks and vistas crowned with vast sheets of rain, but it’s quieter today, as if it knows it has lost a true friend. That might be because the mighty range mourns the death of one of the greatest men ever to tread upon its steep and gnarled ridges.

Colin Rolfe passed away suddenly on the night of 24 October 2017, and with that he transforms from living legend, into immortal of the hills that I so revere.

Colin was a man that was larger than life, who made the lofty peaks of the Tararuas look incredibly small. Most will remember him as a man with colossal quads, but an even bigger heart. So many of us do what we do in those hills because of Colin and his inspiration, and for that, we will never be able to thank him enough.

Colin’s feats, whether they be races, adventures, or the camaraderie that so many shared with him, will always echo through the Tararuas.

Rest in peace Colin

^{(Photos courtesy of Jumbo-Holdsworth Trail Race)}

Colins account of his 24 hour SK Challenge - https://tararuafkt.wordpress.com/fkt-reports/colin-rolfe-report-1995/
Colin talking about the SK - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URLbA6YZ6OM