Kepler Challenge - Race Review
When the gun goes off we get to work
“Heating my pre-toasted bread with the hotel hair dryer worked a treat” :)
I’m feeling pretty content right now. Kepler Challenge didn’t disappoint. It never does. I have fond memories across the six years I’ve raced this race so it’s always nice when expectations align with past experiences. But, because of this I put a bit of pressure on myself to do well at Kepler. The race means a lot to me and I really enjoy the interactions and the atmosphere of the event. The Kepler team make us feel so welcome and it’s pretty cool how keen they are for us perform at our best. It adds to the pressure. But when race day rolls around the nerves are harnessed as energy. I go back to my routine and when the gun goes off we get to work.
Pre-Race
Michelle and I travelled to Te Anau Thursday. This allowed us to have a relaxing day Friday. We were lucky enough to stay with our friends Laura and Jade on a farm not too far from Te Anau. One thing I would urge you to consider when travelling early is that you may not get the same sleep quality as you normally get at home. The foreign environment and a few nerves before race day can make sleep hard to come by. In saying that we were thankful for the opportunity to wake up to a beautiful day on Friday and to beautifully cooked pancakes no less. Another prime example of the lovely Southern hospitality!
We went on to have a nice shakeout run with clients/friends at midday and then a stress-free race registration. We were particularly grateful for the way the Kepler Challenge committee created a video briefing to streamline the rego process and get all of this done at the same time. Great initiative team.
Nutrition
Earlier Friday I had my 1500mg of Sodium Precision Fuel & Hydration drink mix.
Dinner: 1x Large Chicken Burrito (there’s a Mexican place in Te Anau) plus a few chips and a slice of Michelle’s pizza
Hot choccy after dinner
Race Day
I toasted two slices of extra thick white bread the previous day (No toaster in the Distinction Te Anau), heating these precooked bread with the hair dryer worked a treat. One honey, one jam. One coffee and I sipped on another 500ml of 1500mg of Sodium Precision Fuel & Hydration drink up until the race start. I also had a PF& H gel 15 minutes before the start.
Race day produced very nice running conditions, mild by Te Anau standards with showers forecast later in the day.
The race started with Andy Good setting a nice pace to Brod Bay at the base of the Luxmore climb. From here Dan Balchin showed he meant business and stormed to the front, powering away up the hill. I was a bit disappointed that my climbing legs weren’t firing and I had to settle into an effort that I knew would keep me in it. I arrived at Luxmore Hut with Andy Good but about 90 seconds down on Dan. From here I felt the legs starting to find some rhythm and the gap closed. Dan and I ran the downhill together. I filled my flask at Iris Burn (30km) and Dan made 20 seconds on me as he flew through. From here, I sat back biding my time. After about 5km I saw that Dan was starting to slow a bit on the hills so I made my move. I was able to hold my move to the finish, feeling in control. David Haunschmidt finished strong to overtake Dan on the way to the finish.
My nutrition: Precision Fuel and Hydration
I ended up consuming 1.5L of Precision Fuel and Hydration Carb/Electrolyte (3 scoops per 500ml (45g carb) and 10x gels (Inc 3x Caffeinated).
Total Carb: 435g, 90g per hour
Total Sodium: 1250mg
Nailed the nutrition with no GI issues
My Data
I was able to track my HR the whole way using my Coros Apex 2 Pro with HR arm band.
Avg HR: 165bpm
Avg pace: 4min 57sec/km
Max HR: 179bpm
Elevation Gain: 1,864m
Interestingly my average HR of 165bpm was the same as it was at Queenstown. Holding that rate for longer means I was wanting more from my body which makes sense considering this was the race I really wanted to win.
Post-race
I was fortunate enough to spend time at the finish line soaking up the atmosphere of the race. Putting yourself through the Grunt and the Kepler is a massive achievement and it was very cool seeing those finish line emotions. Also, having some of the readers of this article come up to me and saying they’re getting a lot out of these writeups meant a lot. So thank you!
Post-race celebrations continued onto the Moose Bar as is tradition. It’s great to support the sponsors of these great events. In saying that Fresh Choice did an absolutely awesome job providing literally a shopping aisle of food out on course.
Very cool initiative :)
I’m just really happy that I’m finishing the year on a high. In saying that I know that I respond well to more than eight weeks of training so am looking to continue to build on the base that I now have. As, I mentioned in the previous article this is a great launching pad to achieve big things next year.
Do you know someone with a passion for trail who maybe has big plans for 2024? A gift-paid subscription might be just the Xmas present they’re after :)
Thanks for all your support!
