How to Train for
Shotover Moonlight
Find out all you need to know about the Shotover Moonlight Training Plans
When?
Saturday 15th February 2025
Where?
Ben Lomond Station near Queenstown.
Distance
10-42km / 6,21-26,09mi
Elevation Gain
577-2.500m
Mountain Index
32-59km / 19,88-36,66mi
About
the Race
Shotover Moonlight
The Shotover Moonlight Marathon follows historic 1880s gold mining water races and sheep tracks, featuring climbs past stunning waterfalls and through an abandoned gold mining tunnel. It is considered one of New Zealand’s most spectacular mountain marathons, with over 2,500 meters of climbing and descending on demanding single-track trails, making it a must for any mountain runner.
The 30km Adventure Run starts in Skippers Canyon alongside the Shotover River, following the marathon route for the first 10km. It offers breathtaking views above the river and through beech forests, leading to Moonlight Lodge at the halfway point.
The course then continues along farm roads, crossing the Moonlight River before a challenging final climb above the historic gold mining settlement of Sefferstown, culminating at Moke Lake.
The Half Marathon begins at Moke Lake, featuring a gentle climb along a farm road and a historic water race, followed by a steep descent into Moke Creek.
Runners enjoy beautiful vistas and historic mining sites before joining the marathon and 30km routes for creek crossings and a gentle ascent to the finish at Moke Lake.
The 10km trail run runs alongside Moke Lake, traversing farm roads and historic water races before returning along Moke Creek.
Training
tips
To train for Ultra-Trail Snowdonia by UTMB, you’ll need a personalized training plan and to build up your weekly mileage progressively.
Runna offers running training plans for every runner and goal out there.
With Runna, your running coaching app, you get a personalized 100km training plan that:
- Structures your week and sets out all sessions for you
- Automatically adjusts your mileage and types of runs to help you perform at your best
- Incorporates deloads and strength training
- Helps you manage your recovery and nutrition
Having a plan will also help with accountability, meaning that you can focus purely on improving your running game.
Check out our personalized 100km training plans to find the one that best suits your goals.
race distances
10km
Elevation Gain: 577
Mountain Index: 58
21km
Elevation Gain: 685
Mountain Index: 32
30km
Elevation Gain: 1.400
Mountain Index: 47
42km
Elevation Gain: 2.500
Mountain Index: 59
Race
FAQ's
Shotover Moonlight Mountain Marathon starts on Saturday 15th February 2025
Participants have a maximum of 6 hours to complete the race.
Shotover moonlight half marathon starts at 11:00am
The elevation gain of the Shotover moonlight 10km trail run is 577m
The total distance of Shotover Moonlight Mountain Marathon is 42k
Shotover moonlight 30km adventure run starts on Saturday 15th February 2025
Participants have a maximum of 3.30 hours to complete the race.
We really want to hear from you, and are here to answer any questions you have. So feel free to write us to explore@vert.run, and one of our coaches will get back to you within 48 hours or fewer.
If you’re a monthly subscriber, yes! You can switch between training plans however you’d like. Just go to your dashboard and choose the “change or restart plan” option. This will take you to your training plan menu. Of course, we do recommend that you finish a training plan once you’ve started it (unless you find it to be way to difficult or easy), since they’re designed to build your fitness over weeks. When you leave a training plan in the middle, you’ll miss key workouts; and when you start a new plan, you’ll start it from the beginning. This is to make sure that you train safely and responsibly, and that the skills you develop are built to last. We encourage you to stick out each plan, challenge yourself in a race or other personal challenge, and then to start a new plan with fresh legs.
