There's a reason Kinisi Running's whole ethos is bringing people together — and it played out in real time the day we sat down with Luke. Between customers walking through the door, and bumping into old friends browsing the shoe wall, the shop felt exactly like what it's built to be: a place where the running community actually gathers, not just shops. We grabbed a coffee (of course) and talked trail running, Wanaka, and what six years (and a fair few podiums) in the mountains has taught him.
From football pitches to mountain trails
Luke's running story didn't actually start on a trail — it started on a football pitch. He played all through school and university, and running was simply the tool that kept him fit for the game he actually loved.
The real shift happened after uni, when he moved to Canada and bought his first pair of trail shoes.
"Canada's a pretty fun spot to start trail running," he says. "Also pretty different — there's bears and cougars, you've got to be more aware of your surroundings. Definitely no headphones at that point."
That's where he really fell in love with running properly — the freedom of the trail, the quiet, clocking bigger miles before work all through the Canadian summer. His first proper distance milestone, a 30K, happened there too.
After moving back to London, he found himself running roads more than he'd have liked, regularly driving out of the city just to find trails. A first road marathon led to his first trail 50K on the south coast of the UK — which he won.
Wanaka, and running toward the mountains, not around them
Luke's been in Wanaka for two and a half years now, and it's clearly where things clicked into place.
"I've really fallen in love with the place — New Zealand generally, but especially being in the Southern Alps. Going up and downhill is what ticks the box for me and gets me excited. I wouldn't go out and run 100K a week on the flat — that's super boring to me."
For Luke, running is inseparable from exploring. "Running takes you places, and I want to go experience places. I like races that are point to point." He's drawn to moving fast through big alpine terrain rather than the slower, objective-based approach of mountaineering — fast and light, closer to the ground.
"It's the adventure, the sense of experience that brings the most joy. Running lets you take in that slow change in environment — slower than biking, where the terrain changes so fast you don't quite absorb it. On foot, it's almost slow enough to take it all in."
Competing, and what it pulls out of you
Luke has a number of epic long distance events under his belt. He won his first two 50km races in the UK before moving to NZ. This year, he took out the Motatapu Ultra and recently completed the Routeburn Classic, placing 3rd through some brutal conditions.
For Luke, it's about finding out what's actually left in the tank when things get hard both mentally and physically.
"I like what events bring out in me — extracting more from yourself than you probably would otherwise... mentally and physically. I'm a pretty competitive person. I'm happy not to be competitive in everyday life, but if I'm going to go out and compete, I like leaving it all out there. It's almost like an unwritten contract between you and everyone else racing — you agree to go to the tools and see who's got the most to give."
Moving to New Zealand opened all of that up further — more time to train, and far easier access into the mountains he loves.
"I'm not really a runner" — and why that doesn't exist
Working at Kinisi puts Luke on the front line of one of running's most common — and most unnecessary — hang-ups.
"The most frequent thing I hear when people walk through the door is, 'Hey, I'm not really a runner.' And I guess that boils down to — what is a runner? People say that and they're running 20K a week. Others say 'I only go jogging twice a week' — well, you're a runner too."
His take: the identity question trips people up more than the running itself. "To me, a runner is just someone that goes running — any form of running. It's that identity thing. So actually, you are where you are and it doesn't matter where you go from there."
His advice for anyone thinking about getting into trail running:
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Don't overthink it — just get started. Start from where you're at currently, not from where you want to be.
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Join a local running group. They're everywhere, and they bring built-in accountability and a great way to socialise and meet new people and new running buddies.
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Stop comparing. Don't compare your journey to anyone else's. Everyone is at a different point in their journey.
Rapid fire
Favourite new product in the shop right now?
A couple, actually — running belts and vests with cleverly integrated storage, including a pair of shorts built for a soft flask by Raide Research.
And a Nelson based, NZ made performance fuel gel Speed-On he's using across all his racing this season.
Why he's running in a Suunto Race 2
Battery life tops the list for Luke. "You feel like you have to charge everything these days before you go and do anything — your watch, your head torch. Only needing to charge my watch about once a month is ridiculous, in a good way. And I train a lot."
The other win for him is the strap. "I like how easy it is to swap over to a nylon strap — the silicone doesn't work for me, but the nylon's really comfortable. It's something you wear every day, so it should feel right — and it's a nice way to flex a bit of personal creativity too."
What's next for Luke you ask?! He's heading to the Alps to race the OCC in the UTMB World Series in August. Follow his journey here.
5 Minutes With Luke Wilson
There's a reason Kinisi Running's whole ethos is bringing people together — and it played out in real time the day we sat down with Luke. Between customers walking through the door, and bumping into old friends browsing the shoe wall, the shop felt exactly like what it's built to be: a place where the running community actually gathers, not just shops. We grabbed a coffee (of course) and talked trail running, Wanaka, and what six years (and a fair few podiums) in the mountains has taught him.
From football pitches to mountain trails
Luke's running story didn't actually start on a trail — it started on a football pitch. He played all through school and university, and running was simply the tool that kept him fit for the game he actually loved.
The real shift happened after uni, when he moved to Canada and bought his first pair of trail shoes.
"Canada's a pretty fun spot to start trail running," he says. "Also pretty different — there's bears and cougars, you've got to be more aware of your surroundings. Definitely no headphones at that point."
That's where he really fell in love with running properly — the freedom of the trail, the quiet, clocking bigger miles before work all through the Canadian summer. His first proper distance milestone, a 30K, happened there too.
After moving back to London, he found himself running roads more than he'd have liked, regularly driving out of the city just to find trails. A first road marathon led to his first trail 50K on the south coast of the UK — which he won.
Wanaka, and running toward the mountains, not around them
Luke's been in Wanaka for two and a half years now, and it's clearly where things clicked into place.
"I've really fallen in love with the place — New Zealand generally, but especially being in the Southern Alps. Going up and downhill is what ticks the box for me and gets me excited. I wouldn't go out and run 100K a week on the flat — that's super boring to me."
For Luke, running is inseparable from exploring. "Running takes you places, and I want to go experience places. I like races that are point to point." He's drawn to moving fast through big alpine terrain rather than the slower, objective-based approach of mountaineering — fast and light, closer to the ground.
"It's the adventure, the sense of experience that brings the most joy. Running lets you take in that slow change in environment — slower than biking, where the terrain changes so fast you don't quite absorb it. On foot, it's almost slow enough to take it all in."
Competing, and what it pulls out of you
Luke has a number of epic long distance events under his belt. He won his first two 50km races in the UK before moving to NZ. This year, he took out the Motatapu Ultra and recently completed the Routeburn Classic, placing 3rd through some brutal conditions.
For Luke, it's about finding out what's actually left in the tank when things get hard both mentally and physically.
"I like what events bring out in me — extracting more from yourself than you probably would otherwise... mentally and physically. I'm a pretty competitive person. I'm happy not to be competitive in everyday life, but if I'm going to go out and compete, I like leaving it all out there. It's almost like an unwritten contract between you and everyone else racing — you agree to go to the tools and see who's got the most to give."
Moving to New Zealand opened all of that up further — more time to train, and far easier access into the mountains he loves.
"I'm not really a runner" — and why that doesn't exist
Working at Kinisi puts Luke on the front line of one of running's most common — and most unnecessary — hang-ups.
"The most frequent thing I hear when people walk through the door is, 'Hey, I'm not really a runner.' And I guess that boils down to — what is a runner? People say that and they're running 20K a week. Others say 'I only go jogging twice a week' — well, you're a runner too."
His take: the identity question trips people up more than the running itself. "To me, a runner is just someone that goes running — any form of running. It's that identity thing. So actually, you are where you are and it doesn't matter where you go from there."
His advice for anyone thinking about getting into trail running:
Rapid fire
Favourite new product in the shop right now?
A couple, actually — running belts and vests with cleverly integrated storage, including a pair of shorts built for a soft flask by Raide Research.
And a Nelson based, NZ made performance fuel gel Speed-On he's using across all his racing this season.
Why he's running in a Suunto Race 2
Battery life tops the list for Luke. "You feel like you have to charge everything these days before you go and do anything — your watch, your head torch. Only needing to charge my watch about once a month is ridiculous, in a good way. And I train a lot."
The other win for him is the strap. "I like how easy it is to swap over to a nylon strap — the silicone doesn't work for me, but the nylon's really comfortable. It's something you wear every day, so it should feel right — and it's a nice way to flex a bit of personal creativity too."
What's next for Luke you ask?! He's heading to the Alps to race the OCC in the UTMB World Series in August. Follow his journey here.