If a true challenge is when failure is the most likely outcome – then The Revenant ultra-marathon race is a challenge that surpasses all others.

Competitors call it the most brutal race in New Zealand. The Revenant is an unsupported ultra-marathon run through the Nevis high country, which attracts people from all over the world – and yet failure is the most likely outcome.

Most call it impossible – although co-founder Scott Worthington says he has completed it numerous times while designing and planning.

More than 190 kilometres of terrain, with around 16,000 metres of vertical ascent – and you have even further to go if you don’t navigate it perfectly.

Most are not expected to finish the grueling course. And yet they come, in an attempt to slay the Revenant.

Scott said the race had become more popular with each year.

“We have a cap of 40; each year we’re oversubscribed. 

“The training required is just so long and arduous, some of those don’t make it to the start line.”

“In the first year 21 started, last year we got 25.”

Competitors touch the famous Welcome Rock whiskey bottle to signify they are giving up the race. Only those who beat The Revenant and finish can ever taste the whiskey.

Scott said back at the beginning of 2020, he had a sneaking suspicion that COVID-19 might create an issue. So, he accepted extra entries for this year’s race.

“As the year ticked by, it became obvious the internationals would not get here.

“Then, we got an influx of Kiwis who started to enquire about whether they could get in".

Scott said 41 Kiwis have passed the selection process, and they’re ready to start.

“One thing COVID has done, it’s made people more persistent, and adamant that they’re going to get out and do things.

“People just seem a lot more confident and assured about what they’re going to do.

“It’ll be our best year yet - and all Kiwis; it’s great.”

The Revenant race is an ultra-marathon held on Blackmore Station. It is unusual, even in the ultra-racing world. There is no trail, the runners must navigate their own path.

Competitors must complete the almost 200 kilometers in under 60 hours – with only a topographical map and compass. No GPS, no phones, no watches, no support crew, limited time.

Competitors do not even know the course route, or the exact start time, until the race begins.

Checkpoints are hidden, so you have to be standing in exactly the right place to see one. And one wrong turn can add huge distances to the course.

In 2019, The Revenant won.

If you pull out or cannot finish in the time frames set then you have to tap out of the race. If you accomplish the challenge you get to taste the Welcome Rock whisky.

The bottle was opened last year.

Four 50km laps, sunrises and sunsets, extremes in temperature, sleep deprived, tired with wet and sore feet. After 36 hours, just five competitors remained in the race. Angus Watson and Louis Schindler tasted the whiskey together after nearly 56 hours; the third and only other finisher ever, Shaun Collins, made it in just under 58.5 hours.

It’s amazing what the select group of athletes achieved, delving deep into The Revenant. 

The 2020 field were doctors, teachers, soldiers, lawnmowers, air traffic controllers, analysts and many more. Extraordinary people with ordinary lives.

Scott said Angus Watson is a young man from Wellington who only does weird, tough races. He has competed twice in The Revenant.

Former Michelin star chef Louis Schindler is 6’4”, wears size 15 shoes, and is a horse breeder in Nelson.

Shaun Collins, aka The Beast, balances ultra distance competition with family and his career as a finance manager and photographer in Auckland.

Mike Field joins The Revenant haka in 2020, before heading off to race through the fog.

Every single person faced The Revenant challenge, finding out how far they could push their bodies, their spirit and their minds.

Competitors talked about the tricks your brain plays when you’ve been running, climbing, descending for three days with no sleep.

Scott said his strategy is to acknowledge the start more than the finish.

“Just getting to the start-line is something to celebrate.”

Pre-race briefing starts today. The race itself will start sometime before dawn on Friday morning – at an unknown time. Part of the mystery and the added difficulty, Scott said.

Race coverage will start on The Revenant social media today at 14:00 hours, when the competitors meet for their race briefing.

Only then will they find out exactly when The Revenant begins.

Images from The Revenant social media

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