New event and international field for Shotover Moonlight 2023
The Shotover Moonlight Mountain Marathon and Trail Runs return for the 11th edition on the 17 and 18 February 2023.
Organised by the Foster family from Ben Lomond Station the event welcomes athletes from across New Zealand, Australia and the world onto the working merino station to experience the spectacular high country landscapes.
The race has gained a strong following in the New Zealand and Australian running community due to the diverse terrain, technical trails and ‘once a year’ opportunity to follow abandoned 1880s gold mining water races, sheep tracks on razorback ridges, climbing up stunning waterfalls on ladders and passing through an abandoned gold mining tunnel, on the spectacular Ben Lomond Station near Queenstown.
As part of the 2023 event the Fosters have added the inaugural gut-busting Ben Lomond Vertical Kilometre on the 17 February.
An up-hill only race from near the station woolshed at Moke Lake, to the summit of Ben Lomond. Climbing 1200 vertical metres over just 3.9km. The Vertical Kilometre and Mountain Marathon courses have received certification from the International Skyrunning Association and these events will be the 2023 New Zealand championships in those distances.
A strong field of entrants has entered with 11 countries represented with a selection of top New Zealand and international runners competing across various distances. 2020 Mountain Marathon champion Scotty Hawker is returning this time taking on the Vertical Kilometre and 21km events, New Zealand Mountain Running legend Anna Frost is also lining up in the Vertical Kilometre.
US athlete Kyle Curtin from team Tailwind Nutrition is lining up in the Vertical Kilometre and Mountain Marathon - new distances for Kyle who normally sets records in ultra long distance events and trails. Curtin was a top ten finisher in the famous Western States Endurance Run in (2021) and holds the fastest known times for the Tahoe Rim trail. Kyle will be joined by compatriot Sarah Ostaszewski who is competing in the Womens Mountain Marathon.
“We are excited to be back running the event as intended after the last few years of disruptions, while it’s still challenging to pull things together. The response we’ve received from new and returning athletes is awesome," event co-director Antz Longman says.
Photos: Shotover Moonlight Mountain Marathon
The challenge of putting on events like this is not lost on the Fosters; “It’s a big effort for us as a family to coordinate the marshalls, course logistics and trail maintenance to deliver an event across such varied terrain. We’re fortunate to have had fantastic ongoing support from a range of local individuals and businesses without which the event wouldn’t be possible," event co-director Hamish Foster says.
