The
ASICS Kepler Challenge Mountain Run is described as "the jewel in NZ's mountain running calendar", while it's sister event the
ASICS Luxmore Grunt
is justifiably respected. Both events are organized by a voluntary
committee with the support, on race day, of approximately 200 Te Anau
residents. This gives the event a truly "community" feel.
The ASICS Kepler Challenge is held on the 60 km Kepler Track circuit.
This year's race will be held on Saturday 7th December 2013.
An easy first 5.6 km to Brod Bay turns to a steady, well graded
further 8.2 km climb to the Luxmore Hut at 1085m. This first section
also forms the route for the sister race, the
ASICS Luxmore Grunt.
For the next 14.5 km an excellent track undulates across the tops,
reaching an altitude of 1400m before the spectacular descent to Iris
Burn hut. It then follows a 16 km journey down the Iris Burn to Motorau
hut via Rocky Point. A 9.5 km stage along the Waiau River back to the
Control Gates completes the course.
The course and race map
Although the actual course may change slightly from time to time as
mountain conditions alter the route, the following maps should give you a
good idea of what to expect.
Drink stations, loos and gear check locations
There are drink stations at all the major check-points which serve
water, leppin, bananas and generally oranges, museli bars and
jellybeans. All these are marked onthe race map along with loo points.
Note that the Rainbow Reach toilet is across a short bridge off the main
track - approx 100m return.
Kepler in profile
Put simply, the full Kepler goes up sharply, down steeply then
tailing off to a long slow incline. The steepest and potentially most
treacherous part are the long stairs down from the Hanging Valley
shelter. These are in 6 sections and around 200 steps in total.
Some facts and figures about Running The Kepler Track
Total km's running uphill:
8.2 + 4.1 + 3.4 = 15.7km ascent
Total elevation running uphill:
1197m + 150m = 1350metres
Total km's running downhill:
1.5 + 16.2 + 4.5 = 22km descent
Total descent elevation:
1350 metres (same as above)
The highest point is called the 'Luxmore Saddle'
There are 10 drink stations
Prizes for runners
All competitors in the ASICS Kepler Challenge event will receive:
- An event souvenir
- A commemorative medal on finishing
- A certificate of achievement
- There will be a special medal for those competitors who have completed 5 or 10 Kepler Challenge events
That's in addition of course to a great sense of achievement!
Training for the event
Getting ready for the big day requires preparation and commitment.
We've asked a few people to share their
programmes with us so you can
get an idea of what to plan.
The attraction of traversing 60 kilometres through mountains in one
of New Zealand's remote wilderness National Parks whilst running on a
fairly comfortable trail has been drawing runners from around the globe
to compete in the Kepler Challenge. There is no doubt about it that a
run like this is not the sort of event that one can just turn up to and
knock off on the day, not without sheer pain and likely injury. It
requires training and there in lies the difficult question. How to train
for such an event?
Different people have different approaches depending on what they
want to get out of the event. There are however some basic things to
think about, common to all competitors wishing to train for the Kepler
Challenge. Here are some tips - for personal advice we suggest you speak
to a professional.
Training Tips
- Firstly and importantly - learn to run with a pack or bumbag.
Because of the potential risk of extreme bad weather the minimum
equipment list requires carrying thermal top and tights, a woolen hat,
wind and waterproof jacket, gloves and survival blanket. You will also
need to carry food and liquid.
- Learn to eat and drink whilst running. Work out what foods your body
can handle. Complex carbohydrates such as bread, energy sachets such as
Leppin Squeezy as well as Uncle Tobys muesli bars are good. Drinking
small amounts all the time is recommended.
- Allow the body time to adapt to increasing distance in training. If
this is a first time for running an endurance event it is a good idea to
take 3 months to gradually increase the kilometres. It is advisable to
have run at least 70-100% of the distance in a single run at least 3
weeks before the event giving enough recovery time before race day.
- Have spaces between long training days to allow recovery and help to prevent overuse injuries.
- Choose similar terrain to the Kepler Track to train on. Use trails,
which are softer under foot rather than roads. This lessens the impact
on the body. Do some hill training and be prepared to learn to walk hard
up hill. The majority of competitors will walk some part of the course.
Doing long tramps is excellent training as this race is about time on
the feet and climbing up and down hills.
- Learn to stretch at risk muscle groups. If niggling pains occur it
is probably best to seek advice from a Physiotherapist. Everyone is
built bio-mechanically differently. Prevention of injury is so much
better than cure.
- Allow 3 weeks to wind down the distance prior to the event to allow
the body time to rest in preparation for the mammoth effort on race day.
- The primary important ingredient is to HAVE FUN in your training.
Find others to train with. There is no better way to cement a friendship
than spend hours on a beaten track together. Keep the respiratory rate
to a level where you can still talk on the longer runs and push the
speed factor only on the shorter runs.
