Queenstown ultra runner Brandon Purdue is gearing up to face the Revenant Ultra Adventure Run this week. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Hundreds of applicants made up of team entries and solo runners have braved the ultra adventure run at Welcome Rock in Garston during its seven-year history.
The race's youngest competitor and finisher, 18-year-old Fynn Mitchell completed the gruelling race last year after teaming up with Darron Jones.
Revenant course designer and event organiser Scott Worthington said this year's competitors must undertake the challenge alone and would face a challenging course.
"Fundamentally, there's no longer a team entry and this is undoubtedly the most difficult course we've ever had.
"We had always planned that the team (entry) would disappear once we felt there was enough people wanting to do the race, so this year was the year.
"We've put out the key word for this year's race is alone, a-l-o-n-e."
Mr Worthington and his course co-designers noticed the participants worked as a team anyway but "ultimately, the race was the test of an individual".
"They will be able to travel a certain distance in groups, but ultimately they will be split and they will be travelling alone because, ultimately, this is a solo event."
This year's run garnered a record number of applicants which skyrocketed to a "couple of thousand".
The chosen 40 hail from Australia, Austria, the United States, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Japan and Aotearoa.
"We've got a couple of well-known ultra runner, trail runners.
"But then we've got a couple of backcountry farmers and hunters, and we've got some military people.
"It's the normal mix that we get every year, of the sort of people who are just used to being out in the back and beyond, be they a runner or a farmer or a firefighter," Mr Worthington said.
The Revenant's first finisher and only soloist to finish the race, Ian Evans, was back for another crack at Aotearoa's sought-after ultra run wero (challenge).
The Revenant Ultra Adventure Run takes place from January 16-19.
