Runners will come out of the bush bloody, bruised and in distress

"It is not the mountain that we conquer, but ourselves".

The late Sir Ed Hillary was not referring to the Kepler Challenge, but he might as well have been it.

Among the 450 runners nervously taking the starting line at the gates of Te Anau at 6 am on Saturday for a 60km adventure around one of the country's most scenic walks, there are 450 floors, 450 reasons to go on vacation. 39 be there and 450 different ways to access the finish line.

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For Zen runners like Vajin Armstrong, three-time winner of Kepler Challenge, his race will be over in less than five hours. It's less time than a slow round of golf.

Others will emerge from the bush line nearly 12 hours later – bleeding, bruised and spoiled after conquering not only the mountain but themselves.

But why?

Grant Guise, formerly of Riverton and also known as any commentator on New Zealand trail running, recognizes Kepler The challenge is among the best mountain races in the country. It's hard to argue.

First memory of Guise Kepler The challenge involved a lot of tears – in his youth he was devastated to be left home while his parents left to take part in the race.

His mother was running Kepler and his father made the late decision to run the 27 km Luxmore Grunt rather than being dragged to the finish line.

the Kepler has always been conceived as a unique event to celebrate the opening of the Kepler track, but three decades later, it has undoubtedly become the best event organized by the community in Southland, perhaps even in New Zealand.

Guise, who is a man of long standing Kepler Challenge Sponsor, imports and distributes a range of trail running shoes and sponsors several of the participating women leaders this year, Kepler five times himself and returns this year after an absence of four years.

"The trail has really taken off in the last five or ten years, certainly in the last five years," he said.

"But at the time, there was really nothing like it. He has stood the test of time.

Other breeds could be larger or considered more important. Athletics New Zealand this year introduced a New Zealand Trail Running Championship, while the Tarawera Ultra in Rotorua is run over distances of up to 160km. This is a big problem for the trail running calendar and there is some hype that goes with it.

Guise likes the fact that the Kepler The challenge is different.

Nestled at the bottom of the country, it is almost as difficult to enter as it is to finish it.

With only 450 places available through its concession of the Department of Conservation, the Kepler Registration for the challenge is sold a few minutes after the opening of each month of July. Each year, the locals hold a draw to try to guess how fast it will fill up. Every year, complaints are filed about the process. But no one can offer a better one.

Guise refers to the Kepler as "authentic".

"It's really great, it's a quiet, old school atmosphere, it's totally unpretentious," he said.

"This is also the criterion that riders can measure themselves against. Other races have changed course over the years, but the Kepler remained the same except for a few years when extreme weather conditions forced them to do something different. That means you can measure up to the likes of Russell Hurrings and see how you fit. the Kepler The challenge is the race where you come to prove yourself. "

And it's just at the end. For the vast majority of starters, the goal is to finish or finish within a set period of time – whether it's eight hours, 10 hours or 12 hours.

At 60 km Kepler The challenge is a real ultra event, but even if it's long, it's not that long.

The devil lives in the legs and lungs, but dines between the ears of every runner.

After a serene 5-km jog around the shores of the lake from the Te Anau control gates, the course rises with an 8.2 km climb to Luxmore Hut and beyond, going back up to 1,000 m . The views as you come out of the bush and across the sidewalk and dunite ribbon separating the exposed tussock are spectacular, but burn too much on the hill and you get ready for a very long day.

It is no coincidence that the first Luxmore Hut rider never managed to win the race.

"People can take the hill far too fast and they can also be too excited to cross the mountain tops," said Guise.

"You can go too fast downhill, and when you get to Iris Burn you have roughly 30 km of track in front of you. You must be very smart because this race will expose you a lot. From Iris Burn, you end up with this beech corridor that never seems to end. "

This is the perspective facing the Ashburton volunteer firefighter, Sam Cullimore.

Cullimore ran a few Kepler Challenge races, but will take the 2018 edition in its rural firefighting equipment, including a helmet to raise money for Ronald McDonald House South Island.

This is a cause close to his heart.

"I did the Kepler A few times anyway, then I thought I might as well do it as a fundraiser and put on a firefighting equipment. "

Cullimore goes so far as to say that it will be a "difficult day".

"It's also very motivating. You have the speed, you know why you are there. It works both ways. "

Professional trail runner Ruth Croft is considered one of the best runners in the sport, but has not yet been able to participate in the race. Kepler because of commitments made abroad.

She had been presented as a potential record this year, but chose to run the Luxmore Grunt after taking three weeks off at the end of her international season.

Having run all over the world, the Kepler Croft believes trail racing in New Zealand is in the spotlight.

"I think that's the main thing, I think very well, to be honest. Tarawera receives all the publicity, but to be honest, for the Kiwis, the landscape of Kepler is just beautiful and it's a good shot with the field. "

A Kepler The starting line is a special experience. The air is heavy with nervous excitement. The immobility of the rubber of the 900 running shoes is such that immobility before dawn rises. There is a sense of community that is palpable. A challenge together.

Because at the end of a long day, it is not the challenge that each runner overcomes, but himself.