Kepler Challenge 60k

The Kepler Challenge is a 60k mountain race on New Zealand's Kepler Track in Fiordland National Park, starting and finishing at the Control Gates at the southern end of Lake Te Anau. Runners head along the lakeshore through forest, before a long, sustained climb above the bushline to Luxmore Hut and the alpine tops. A high ridge section follows, then a long descent through forest reaches Iris Burn Hut. The route continues past Moturau Hut on the shore of Lake Manapouri to Rainbow Reach, then returns along the Waiau River and through flat forest and riverside tracks back to the Control Gates. The entire course is on dirt tracks and trails, with a big mountain section in the first half and a fast, flat run home. First held in 1988, the race is one of New Zealand's best-known trail events.