2009 Kepler Challenge Photographs

I set a challenge to run a 60KM Ultra Trail within 6 months and against all the odds- from lack of experience, injuries and getting very sick in the week leading upto the event……I pulled it off in 9.35! Wow what a day!

Amy & I have just got back from Te Anau Fiordland after 9+ hrs in the car, so I’ll write up my experiences during the week.

Meanwhile I want to share the weekend through some photographs. Will I be back in 2010 to do better? Hell yeah!

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Related posts:

  1. Four days to the 2009 Kepler Challenge
  2. Kepler Challenge…I did it!
  3. Some photographs
  4. Kepler Challenge – some ultra marathon training tips
  5. Body Surfing…

This entry was posted on Monday, December 7th, 2009 at 8:23 pm and is filed under Featured, Photography and tagged with , , , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

9 Responses to “2009 Kepler Challenge Photographs”

  1. Jarod says:
    December 7, 2009 at 8:35 pm

    Those photos are all well and good, but I want to see what’s left of your toes :D

    Seriously though, congratulations. 60kms by foot in one sitting (if you’ll excuse the pun) is nothing short of a breathtaking achievement.

    Reply
    • Paul says:
      December 7, 2009 at 8:46 pm

      Lol. Thanks mate :) I’m super proud to have pulled this off mate- and the past 6 months have truly been a life changing experience. As for the toes- OMG! The epic bruising and toenail “looseness” happened at about 20KM so that’s 40KM with bruised and battered toes. The friction running down stuff was that extreme that I thought my feet were actually burning! Both socks were literally hanging off my feet at the end- and had totally worn through. lol.

      Apparently, black n’ bruised and missing toenails are the “secret handshake” of Ultra Runners………now where are those damn pliers? :)

      Reply
  2. Clynton Taylor says:
    December 8, 2009 at 12:19 pm

    Wow. Stunning scenery! Great job on the photos but more importantly, setting the goal and hitting it. You inspire me. I was in bed barely able to walk without pain 6 months ago and had back surgery 4 months ago. Now, I too, have set a goal. I’d like to run the Ohlone 50k in the SF Bay Area in May. I just did my first race ever, a 10k, so I guess I’m 20% of the way there :)

    Thanks for sharing. Great to meet you on twitter and my blog. Look forward to hear more as you get the time and energy to write about it.

    BTW, are you using a wordpress plugin for the photography? Really like the way it displays in large thumbnails (not an oxymoron, is it?) and then showcases individual photos.

    Best,

    Clynton
    Running Quest
    It’s the journey, and the destination.
    http://www.runningquest.net
    Clynton Taylor´s last blog ..Cause I Gotta Have Faith… My ComLuv Profile

    Reply
  3. Four days to the 2009 Kepler Challenge | Paul Petch says:
    December 8, 2009 at 4:08 pm

    [...] might be similar…November 10, 2009 — My first ultra marathon distance of 49KMDecember 7, 2009 — 2009 Kepler Challenge PhotographsOctober 18, 2009 — Port Hills Crater Rim 30KM trail runSeptember 28, 2009 — Nearly 50% of my [...]

    Reply
  4. Clynton Taylor says:
    December 9, 2009 at 3:49 am

    Oh, cool. Thanks for posting about your plugins! NZ is a wonderful place – I’ve only been to the North Island. My mum was born in Auckland and I was born in Sydney, so get back every once in awhile. Would LOVE to make it to the South Island for some tremendous adventure. I spent a year near the Alps in France in early 90s and completely fell in love with mountains (I always had been, but that was the first time living near them). Thanks again, Clynton
    Clynton Taylor´s last blog ..Cause I Gotta Have Faith… My ComLuv Profile

    Reply
  5. Anna says:
    December 9, 2009 at 4:10 pm

    Well done on the running – the happy pictures say it all. I love the look of that plugin too – it really handles the pictures really well. thanks for letting us all know what you are using!
    Anna´s last blog ..Growing Annual Bonsai My ComLuv Profile

    Reply
    • Paul says:
      December 9, 2009 at 5:30 pm

      Hi Anna, thanks :) I was super happy for most of the run and in particular the mountain section where the odd “woo-hoo!” crept out as I was gliding through and over the rocks. Past the 37KM mark I was not as chirpy- but still smiling :D

      Talking of chirpy….I always make the point of thanking folk at the feed stations at events- no matter how broken I am- as I believe that it brings good trail karma :) It seems that what they say about Ultra runners having rituals is true. Hehe.

      Reply
  6. A real gem of a day! | Paul Petch says:
    March 9, 2010 at 7:27 am

    [...] was wearing felt fantastic. This type of approach to trails now seems like second nature since the Kepler and works so so well for my style of trail running these days. This wee trail had everything from [...]

    Reply

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