Vajin Armstrong Wins Kepler Challenge
Vajin Armstrong - Kepler Winner
Christchurch runner and Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team race director Vajin Armstrong won New Zealand's premier mountain race this morning (Sunday, December the 4th, 2010). His first attempt, Vajin finished the rugged 60 km mountain course in a respectable time of 05:03:27.
The Kepler Challenge is described as "the jewel in New Zealand's mountain running calendar". The event is organised by a voluntary committee with the support, on race day, of approximately 200 Te Anau residents. This gives the event a truly community feeling. The 60km event plus the sister race, the Luxmore Grunt (27km), is held on the Kepler Track in Fiordland National Park which is part of the South Westland World Heritage Area.
Limited to 400 competitors in the Kepler Challenge and 150 in the Luxmore Grunt, the events both fill in a very quick time when entries open online on the first Saturday in July each year. The events attract a wide range of competitors in both nationality and age groups. The nature of the event for the majority is as the name suggests a personal challenge.
Vajin finished 1 minute and 29 seconds ahead of last years second place finisher Norman Dunroy (Norman was the first to the top of the grueling 15.7km ascent this year), and 4.42 ahead of Martin Lukes, who has won the race three times and placed second four times. The current race record of 04:37:41 was set by Kiwi runner Phil Costley in 2005.
