A deep connection to the Kepler Challenge
For 30 years Ray Willett has kept an impressive collection of newspapers clippings relating to his beloved Kepler Challenge.
Even though he has tirelessly collected the newspaper clippings, Willett really doesn’t need to rely on them to recall facts and figures relating to the Fiordland race, that is now regarded as the jewel of mountain running in New Zealand.
The race starts on today at 6am, and Willett, at 82 years of age, was busy ensuring signs were put out, and things were in order yesterday.
A special treat this year was having his newspaper clippings laminated and displayed in the town’s event centre.
Willett has been involved in the challenge one way or another since it was started. The first race was held in 1988.
He’s completed more than 20 challenges himself, and he meticulously keep clippings relating to the event to preserve its history.
His newspaper display has now been taken over by Te Anau photographer Graham Dainty.
This year Dainty, took Willett’s clippings and laminated them to protect them and to make the displaying of them easier.
An exciting thing this weekend would be the fact that new competitors would view the clippings and realise just how long the race had been going for, Willett said.
Of all the stories the Kepler has produced over the years, Willett recalls the personal achievements people have taken on to finish the challenge.
There’s the story of a woman who lost 40kg to compete, and another of one of the oldest competitors, who was 78 years old to finish that spring to mind for Willett.