Teacher 'stoked' at third win

BY NATHAN BURDON IN TE ANAU

Kepler Challenge stalwart Irene Barnes took southern hospitality to the extreme on Saturday.

Rather than giving a competitor the shirt off her back, Barnes – a fixture at the Te Anau control gates who greets each finisher with a handshake and a medal – gave her the shoes off her feet so she could take part in the 60km challenge.

Christchurch schoolteacher Martin Lukes did cross the finish line shirtless but he wasn't giving anything away, except a lesson in how to win New Zealand's best mountain running event.

After four years in a row as runner-up, Lukes banked his third straight Kepler title on Saturday.

He cut an emotional figure at the end of the Nike ACG-sponsored race having moved up from fourth in the closing stages to seal victory ahead of second-placed Scotsman and this year's King of the Mountain Norman Dunroy, of Dunedin, and Galen Burrell, a United States runner living in Australia, while pre-race contender John Winsbury had to settle for fourth place.

"This is the best ultra (distance race) in the world. I'm absolutely stoked," Lukes said. "To get three in a row is quite a big deal for me."

While many focus on the daunting prospect of the climb to the Luxmore Huts, Lukes knows that the race for the Kepler crown starts at Rainbow Reach, about the 50km mark.

"It's about running that last 10km as well as you can, that's the name of the game in this one."

Lukes was confident in the move he made on the leading three runners in the closing stages, although he admitted he was "running scared" of several contenders behind him.

"They had hit the wall and you can't afford to hit the wall in an ultra. (Inaugural winner) Russell Hurring used to talk about the last 10km.

"I'm not the fastest going up hills and I'm not that nimble on the tricky downhills but you just have to look after yourself."

Australian mountain-running representative Vanessa Haverd made no race of the women's event, leading all the way to beat Rangiora's Deb Nicholl by almost three minutes, with Jean Beaumont, of Porirua, third.

Haverd said she had been blown away by the scenery, describing the event as the most beautiful run she'd ever raced.

As always there were 412 stories from the 412 starters in what is a superbly run community event.

Auckland's Malcolm Law was looking to complete seven great New Zealand walks in seven days to raise money for the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation of New Zealand. His brother Alan died of leukaemia in 1969.

Having already run the first six – Lake Waikaremoana, Tongariro, Abel Tasman, the Heaphy, Routeburn and Milford – he finished the Kepler in 10 hours and 6 minutes on Saturday.

Former Southlander Rachel Robertson, now living in Christchurch, was celebrating her wedding to David Brinson the previous weekend, the pair deciding to include the Kepler in their honeymoon.

Robertson got into the spirit of things by donning her wedding veil and a cut-down version of her wedding dress for the race.

Both managed to get through the race well and can now look forward to another long run ahead.

RESULTS

Kepler Challenge

Male: Martin Lukes (Christchurch) 4hr 57min 21sec, 1; Norman Dunroy (Dunedin) 5:6.45, 2; 3 Galen Burrell (Australia) 5:17.41, 3. Female: Vanessa Haverd (Australia) 5:53.08, 1; Deb Nicholl (Rangiora) 5:56.45, 2; Jean Beaumont (Porirua) 6:32.24, 3.Luxmore GruntMale: Mathew Broad (Winton) 2:10.36, 1; Andrew Middleditch (Australia) 2:13.15, 2; Glen Campbell (Queenstown) 2:13.49, 3. Female: Rosara Joseph (Christchurch) 2:31.41, 1; Fiona Kokich (Queenstown) 2:32.34, 2; Sarah Backler (Wellington) 2:35.13, 3.

- © Fairfax NZ News