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Hundreds of runners brave rough weather to compete in the iconic Kepler Challenge

December 5, 2020

Since 1988, the first weekend of December marks one of New Zealand’s original adventure races.

Hundreds braved rough weather to compete in the iconic Kepler Challenge through some of Fiordland's stunning scenery.

The 60-kilometre run is still not for the feint-hearted 33 years on from the inaugural running.

The conditions and a flooded Waiau River forced an amended course, and there were still reminders of how wild the region can be with a tree coming down in front of runners.

Beyond the sweeping views, there was another familiar sight in this year's race, Whakatane-born Wellington runner Daniel Jones first across the line for a third straight year.

After four hours and five minutes, he was barely out of breath.

“It ended up just being yeah go from the start and hold on. It worked out alright,” he said.

Being almost 14 minutes clear of the rest of the field was not a bad way for Joseph to follow up from winning the Auckland Marathon last month.

It was a much tighter race for the women though, with Nancy Jiang crossing the line with just two minutes to spare.

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