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December 5th dawned race-day perfect for the 22nd Nike ACG Kepler Challenge on the shoreline of Lake Te Anau.
412 competitors lined up for a 6am start to their 60 km pilgrimage around the Kepler Track after Malcolm Law of Mizone 7in7 fame sounded the starting gun. Malcolm has just completed 6 consecutive runs on 6 of New Zealand’s Great Walks and is finishing his goal of running 7 Great Walks in 7 days.
Track conditions were nearly perfect after a relatively dry week in Fiordland and the going was hard and fast. First man to Luxmore Hut in 1:08:53 was Norman Dunroy of Dunedin (recently emigrated from the UK) winning the King of Mountain title for 2009. Norman kept the lead through Forestburn checkpoint but at the Rocky Point check point, half way down the Irisburn Valley, was 1 minute behind the leader, Galen Burrell. Galen walked the Kepler Track in 2004 as a backpacker and was inspired to come back and run it as part of the Kepler Challenge.
Last year’s winner Martin Lukes from Christchurch was in 4th place through Luxmore checkpoint and was still in 4th place heading through the Rocky Point checkpoint.
By Motorau, Lukes had stolen first place and with 5km to go, was still in the lead. He kept that lead to finish in 4:57.21. Norman Dunroy took 2nd place in 5:06:45 with Galen Burrell in 5:18:41

Vanessa Haverd of Canberra was first female to Luxmore Hut earning the title of Queen of the Mountain in 1 hour 20 minutes. In hot pursuit was Debbie Nicholl of Rangiora in 1 hour 26 minutes. 3rd and 4th positions were held by Jackie Holley and Jean Beaumont respectively. Beaumont finished in 3rd Place in last year’s event and Holley was a last minute entry. Haverd still held the lead at Forestburn checkpoint and was also leading through Irisburn in a time of 3 hours, with Debbie Nicholls 8 minutes behind.
After going through Rocky Point checkpoint, Haverd still held the lead, with Deb Nicholl still in 2nd place and Jean Beaumont in 3rd. 2km from the finish line, Haverd still held 1st place with Deb Nicholl still trying to catch her. Haverd finally took 1st place after maintaining her lead the whole way round.

First results Kepler Challenge
Male:
Martin Lukes (Christchurch)
4:57:21 
Norman Dunroy (UK/Dunedin)
5:06:45
Galen Burrell (NSW, Aus.)
5:17:41

Female:
Vanessa Haverd (Canberra)
5:53.08
Deb Nicholl (Rangiora)
5:56:45
Jean Beaumont (Porirua)
6:32:24

Luxmore Grunt
Mathew Broad placed first in the Grunt this year in 2:10:00 minutes after finishing 8th last year. Mathew “wanted to crack” 2:10 minutes and did some serious training to prepare this year. Look like it paid off. In second place was Andrew Middleditch, originally from the UK but currently residing in Australia, in a time of 2:13:15. Hot on his heels was Glen Campbell of Queenstown 34 seconds later. Glen turned up to register at 7.55am this morning with the race starting at 8am, on the hunt for a “spare Leppin.” Looks like being disorganized pays!

Rosara Joseph, originally from Christchurch but living in the UK, finished 1st in the women’s section of the Luxmore Grunt in a time of 2:31:41. In second place was Fiona Kokich (2:32:34) from Queenstown. It’s Fiona’s first time in the Grunt and she’s already planning to come back and do it again.
Sarah Backler finished in 3rd place in a time of 2:35:13. From Wellington, Sarah got lots of time training in the local hills.

First results Luxmore Grunt
Male:
Mathew Broad Winton
2:10:36
Andrew Middleditch Townsville, Aus. 2:13:15
Glen Campbell Queenstown
2:13:49

Female:
Rosara Joseph Chch/UK
2:31:41
Fiona Kokich Queenstown
2:32:34
Sarah Backler Wellington
2:35:13

THE MIZONE 7in7 CHALLENGE

Competing in the Kepler Challenge is in itself a huge undertaking. But most who do it will come into the event well rested after a long taper. So imagine how it would feel turning up in Te Anau on the eve of the race having just run 300km over the previous 6 days! It may sound like madness but this is exactly what one competitor in this year's Kepler Challenge will be doing. Malcolm Law is aiming to be the first person ever to run the 7 mainland Great Walks in 7 consecutive days. Why? Well, apart from having several screws loose, Malcolm wants to raise at least $50,000 for the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation. His brother died of leukaemia and this is his way of trying to help others battling this awful illness. If you'd like to find out more about this epic adventure, and perhaps make a donation to the charity, visit www.7in7.org.nz

Malcolm Law - 7in7

LATEST NEWS

Malcolm is reported to be in fine form and steadily knocking off his Great Walk effort. He finished the Milford Track last night (Friday 4th December) around 5pm and had an evening off before setting out on the climax event, the Nike ACG Kepler Challenge. Running each Great Walk at a stedy pace seems to have paid off well and his pre-race guestimate for a finishing time is around 10 hours. No doubt a hearty welcome will greet him as he crosses his final finish line.

Malcom makes it!

An emotional finish for Malcolm in 10:06:10 along with his support crew at the end of his SEVEN great walks in SEVEN days. Having raised over $70,000, Malcolm said that he was never worried that he wouldn't make the grade but never suspected that he would raise so much interest or money. Now his goal is to raise the money to $100,000. Check out his blog www.7in7.org.nz and donate!

As a community run event, an important goal for the organising committee is to support community projects in Fiordland. Following the success of the Charity Challenge in 2008, which raised $10,000 for the Fiordland Health Trust, the funds raised this year have been given to charity projects benefiting Fiordland's youth.

Te Anau Scouts, Te Anau Youth Trust, Te Anau Kindergarten and Mararoa School together with the Key Playcentre have a huge number of volunteers working tirelessly year round to raise money. As recipients of the Charity Challenge they will be able to complete planned projects and enable Fiordland's children and their families to enjoy the benefits for many years to come.

We offered 10 'Charity Challenge' spaces at a cost of $1000 each and had an over-subscription. The full amount each runner paid has been given to the youth charities, so the donation received between them totals $10,000. This will provide a huge boost and really make a difference to their fundraising efforts.