Val Burke & Co. Peak Endurance Wanaka.

29/05/2026

I agree 100% with Ruth Croft, and am so glad she’s spoken up!!

Before I left NZ a few weeks ago, I heard more conversations around teenagers competing in ultras and endurance events, and it’s something that’s been sitting with me since. And maybe this isn’t something that we are seeing just in NZ…

Ultras have always existed, but over the last few years they’ve become far more visible, popular, and celebrated. A lot of the messaging around them revolves around suffering, pushing through pain, and constantly testing your limits - and there is pride in that, and that mindset is often praised.

By no means am I saying teenagers shouldn’t challenge themselves, and I’m definitely not trying to gatekeep endurance sport.

I honestly understand the draw. When I was younger, I was always the kid who wanted to do more too. But the pathway looked very different then. It was track, cross country, mountain running, and road relays — all through the club system.

There was progression, variety, and time to slowly develop. I didn’t run my first ultra until I was 24.

As adolescents, you aren’t a finished product yet. Growth plates are still open, hormones and endocrine function are still developing, and for many young people it’s already a time when body image and identity can become complicated. Adding the physical and psychological demands of ultra-endurance sport on top of that is something I think we need to approach carefully.

For me, being young in sport should be about building a foundation grounded in the joy of movement, developing technique, speed, and a healthy relationship with training.

As adults, whether we’re coaches, parents, race organisers, or mentors - it’s on us to make decisions that prioritise long-term health over short-term achievement.

Because the goal isn’t just to see how far they can go now- it’s to make sure they’re still running, healthy, and happy years down the line, and that they have a body that enables them to do just that.

25/05/2026

This theory is one of the reasons I recommend runners try to run 1-2 x/10 days for as little as 30 mins during their off season or mid season training break. It’s also one of the reasons that we need to progressively build up load after a full break such as injury where you’ve not been able to load your tendons, bones etc. there is much more to take into consideration than simply “run fitness”, and one of the biggest causes of injury is “pre existing injury”, followed by p**s poor rehab x too much run overload! It’s a science and an art!

Tendons respond to load. Most people already know this intuitively. What many do not realize is that tendons respond very poorly to prolonged rest, especially the kind of rest that leads to deconditioning from avoiding movement entirely.

This is one of the most consistent findings in tendon biology research, and yet it remains one of the most misunderstood concepts in everyday practice.

Complete rest weakens tendons.

Appropriate loading does the opposite. It stimulates collagen synthesis, improves tendon organization, and gradually rebuilds the tissue capacity needed to tolerate daily life and exercise again. Tendons heal through progressive loading, not through being completely protected from movement forever.

And yet, many people immediately strap, brace, or immobilize the area because they are afraid something serious is happening or worried they will make it worse. Sometimes temporary support is necessary if symptoms are severe, but prolonged avoidance often creates a different problem: the tendon becomes less capable of handling stress once normal activity returns.

In many cases, the tendon heals better when it continues moving and receives the right amount of progressive load.

I go much deeper into tendon rehab, loading principles, pain science, and evidence-based recovery strategies on my subscriber page. If you want the full discussion and practical guidance, the link is in the comments.

04/05/2026

Ever feel like you’re working way too hard in the water… and still not going very fast?

I’m opening a small freestyle swim group for people who can swim, but know there’s a better, easier way.

This is about:
✔ Improving technique
✔ Using less energy
✔ Building confidence

Spots are limited. Reach out if this sounds like you: [email protected]

Tuesdays 7:30pm. 7 weeks from 19 May - 30 June.

28/04/2026

Ladies! Do you need more swimming in your life?

There are highly sought after spaces in the Peak Endurance Women's Squad for this term.

✅ Improve your technique
✅ Learn new skills
✅ Make new connections

Thursdays 8:00 - 9:00am through till 4 July.

Contact [email protected] for details and pre-requisites.

04/02/2026

❤️

09/01/2026

Summer Run Group Resumes January 14th! Wednesdays 6 pm. We welcome new members for the Summer Season. Please register (Valburke.com). If you had paid up to Christmas, please go online & register for the remainder of the summer. If you paid for the full season - Thanks! We will see you next week! 📸: Ruby Burke

04/12/2025

Raised in Hawea Flat/Wanaka/Snow Farm….now on the world stage turning heads for attitude x performance ! Take a bow Campbell Wright and the Wright family!!! 🇳🇿🇺🇸

03/12/2025

We have many “Whys”. In the case of many of our Silver Fox Super Stars…it’s keeping them fit and healthy to hike, golf, bike and pickelball. And it’s building bone density and minimising falls. We are seeing gains of 7-15% in bone density in our women who have taken up strength training (via 2 yearly Dexa scans). That’s huge. That’s rewarding. That keeps us smiling! 😊

30/10/2025

Luckily in NZ we’ve seen a shift to conservative management first, and in Wanaka we have access to fantastic care in our Sports Dr, Drs and Physios.

Your MRI doesn’t tell your story it only whispers a few lines.
Imaging shows structure, not strength.
It can’t measure resilience, adaptation, or how your body feels and functions.

Far too many surgeries are done because of what’s seen on a screen
tiny “abnormalities” that are often just normal signs of living.
Age-appropriate changes, not emergencies.

Before you rush to fix what may not be broken,
start with movement, education, and a real conversation.
You are not your MRI.
You are more than an image
you are function, healing, and potential in motion

18/10/2025

And…for all those endurance athletes currently managing niggles and injuries and burnout!! 🔥

You can’t come back if you were never down. That line hits hard, especially for runners. Because the truth is, every one of us has been there the injury that stopped us cold, the burnout that killed our motivation, the race that broke our confidence.

But here’s the thing most people miss: those “down” moments aren’t signs of weakness. They’re the foundation of your comeback story. You don’t build resilience by winning all the time you build it when everything hurts, when your legs don’t respond, when you doubt yourself and still lace up anyway.

Coming back isn’t just about fitness. It’s about patience. It’s about rebuilding without rushing. It’s about trusting that the body remembers and the mind learns. You might not feel strong every day, but every run you show up for when it’s hard is another step toward the version of you who refuses to quit.

So, if you’re feeling low right now, remember: this is the part of your story that makes the comeback possible.

Because you can’t rise if you’ve never fallen.

Continue below.