Kepler Challenge Women’s Title Up For Grabs

The competition for the Kepler Challenge women’s title is promising to be intense this year, with two champions returning to take up the challenge to be first across the line.

The 60 km event is run on the Kepler Track near Te Anau on 4th December. Shireen Crumption from Dunedin, holds the record for fastest woman in the Kepler Challenge’s sister race the Luxmore Grunt, set in 1998. She is returning this year to have a crack at the Kepler Challenge. Shireen set the Grunt record in 1998, but she hasn’t been sitting on her hands since then. 

She was 6th at the World Mountain Race Championship in 2002, New Zealand marathon and half-marathon Champion 2009, and winner of the women’s title in the Auckland Marathon 2010.

Shireen enjoys mountain running and wants to challenge herself over the longer distance.

Also returning is last year’s Kepler Challenge first woman home, Vanessa Harverd. Vanessa’s 2009 time was just over 5 hours 53 minutes. Vanessa’s time last year was just over 5 hours 53 minutes, and both women have an estimated time of 6 hours for this year’s event.