Trail runners around the country will be ready to pounce when entries for the Kepler Challenge open this Saturday, 6.30am.

Te Anau's popular, community-run annual event has limited spaces and sold out in less than five minutes last year.

Held on the first Saturday in December, the Kepler Challenge offers two stunning mountain runs. A full 60km ultra event on the Kepler Track and a 28km Mountain Run called the Luxmore Grunt.  

Race director Steve Norris says: "The town has been welcoming runners for more than 30 years and pulls out all the stops to make the event an unforgettable one, not only for the professional runners but for all the people taking on the personal challenge of running 60kms of Fiordlands finest trails."

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Dan Jones who has won the event for the past two years will be returning in 2021 along with his rival Andy Good (who holds the record for the Luxmore Grunt).

Dougal Allan who recently won the Coast to Coast will also join the field. 

"With some healthy competition at the top, the committee is looking forward to seeing if the long held race record will be toppled.  

"All top three women runners from last year are also returning so there will certainly be a race to hold the top spot taken out by Nancy Jiang in 2020."

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All funds raised go to organisations within the Te Anau basin. 

In order to enter the 2021 events you will need to set up an Eventplus account ahead of race entry day. 

And then be ready to get in quick on Saturday morning.