- Katie Morgan seeks third consecutive Kepler Challenge win in Te Anau on Saturday.
- Kepler Challenge attracts 450 runners, with 15% of participants from international locations.
- Track conditions look favourable, promising a competitive and exciting race weekend.
Wanaka’s Katie Morgan has confirmed her late entry into the Kepler Challenge, aiming for her third straight victory in the iconic 60km mountain race in Te Anau this Saturday. The English-born former New Zealand mountain running representative won the event in 2022 and 2023 and secured third place in the postponed 2021 race.
Morgan, who recently finished second in the Queenstown half marathon, also claimed victory in Canada’s 47km Ultra Trail Whistler mountain run in September. She enters the women’s field as a strong favourite, but the men’s race will see a new champion for the first time in six years, with Wellington’s Daniel Jones absent.
Jones, tied with legends Russell Hurring and Ruby Muir for a record six wins, has chosen not to compete this year after a successful international racing season. Runners to watch include Alexandra’s Daniel Balchin, a former Grunt record-holder and third-place finisher last year, and Wellington’s Thomas Barnes.
Kepler Challenge race director Steve Norris said interest in the event remains high, with spots filling in record time. “The Kepler is such a highly regarded event on the ultra calendar,” Norris noted. He added that despite economic challenges, excitement around the race remains strong, with international participation now back to pre-Covid levels, including runners from Australia and beyond.
The event, capped at 450 participants for the Kepler Challenge and 200 for the 27km Luxmore Grunt, sold out in minutes when entries opened in July. Auckland’s Jonathan Jackson and Dunedin’s Stephanie Wilson will defend their titles in the Grunt event.
Favourable track conditions, combined with warm, overcast weather, are expected to provide an excellent racing environment. The Kepler Challenge kicks off from Lake Te Anau’s control gates at 6am, followed by the Luxmore Grunt at 7am.
Last year’s winning times were 4hr 41min for Jones and 5hr 36min for Morgan, setting high expectations for this weekend’s race.