British mountain-running champion Martin Cox claimed the honours on Saturday, when he won the inaugural Shotover Moonlight Mountain Marathon in 4hr 27min.
The marathon was held on the Ben Lomond high country station, normally inaccessible to the public.
It began at the Pipeline Bridge and followed the Shotover River and water races above Stoney and Murphys Creeks.
One hundred runners took part in the marathon, and about 200 more were entered in the half-marathon, 5km and 10km events.
Second place-getter in the marathon was Grant Guise, a member of the Salomon professional mountain-running team, who described the course as "brutal," at the finish.