A Christchurch couple is looking to make it two in a row in this month's Routeburn Classic, having crossed the finish line in first place during last year's event.
Grant Guise and Jane Harper will be up against more than 300 competitors on April 30 in the notoriously challenging 32km event, which traverses Fiordland and Mt Aspiring National Parks along the Routeburn Track.
For the first time in many years the couple may be up against some new faces following the Christchurch earthquake, with a handful of coveted competitor places becoming available.
Guise and Harper will be among dozens of Cantabrians at the event this year, including Brian Fredric, of Riccarton, who will run the Classic for the sixth time, and an army of marshals from Christchurch who have made the commitment to put aside any earthquake issues to be there.
They will be based at the Mackenzie Hut, as the allocated Christchurch aid station on race day.
Guise, who competed in the Kepler Challenge in December and Tarawera Ultra in March, said he was keen to beat last year's winning time of 2hr 53min 20sec, despite a niggling hip injury, while acknowledging the record time set in 2001 (2hr 51min 57sec) by national multisporter Richard Ussher might be beyond his reach.
"Jane and I are really amped for this year's Routeburn Classic.
"It's always a great event, always gets a good crowd, always has strong runners at the front and this year will be no different.
"I think the line-up will have a different scope, thanks partly to the Christchurch earthquake. However, we're treating 2011's race as a prime opportunity to excel."
Event director Evan McWhirter said it was extremely unusual to have places available for the race, now in its eighth year, after all 350 spots were initially snatched up online within 30 minutes of registrations opening in January.
"Understandably, some of our Christchurch-based runners have had to pull out, and we have also lost a bunch of international athletes.
"What that does is open up a great opportunity for anyone still keen to secure a place on the Classic to put themselves at the top of the waiting list.
"This is always a fantastic race, no matter what. It's the most breathtaking adventure run in the country, if not the world.
"It's technically challenging in places, and also cuts through everything from lush native bush to an exposed alpine environment."
