Previous winners head fields for Kepler Challenge

Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones
A couple of names loom as the runners to beat in Saturday’s Kepler Challenge.

The field for the 33rd edition of the Kepler Challenge will include six-time winner Ruby Muir and fellow Wellingtonian Daniel Jones, who will be chasing a third straight victory.

New Zealand trail runner star Nancy Jiang, who won the race in 2018, will again challenge Muir for line honours, while three-time champion Vajin Armstrong remains a force.

Several runners in the men’s field have targeted the 5hr mark and, with the track in good condition after recent fine weather in the Fiordland National Park, the scene has been set for some fast racing.

The 27km Luxmore Grunt field includes Richard Ford, who finished third last year and will be striving to break the 2hr mark in his 12th Grunt, while local runner Dwight Grieve is having his first attempt at the event after completing 10 Keplers.

Ruby Muir
Ruby Muir
Last year’s women’s winner Sarah Douglas is also returning.

All starters will be looking forward to returning to the traditional Kepler circuit after heavy rain forced organisers to use an alternative for just the third time in the event’s history in 2019.

Some rain is forecast for Saturday morning, but the day expected to improve as it goes on.

The field has been expanded by 50 runners, which is a bonus for the Te Anau community which is feeling the impact of the borders being closed.

When entries opened earlier this year, the Kepler field sold out in just over two minutes, the fastest time on record, while the Luxmore Grunt companion event took just less than four minutes to fill up.

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