Shotover Moonlight
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Shotover Moonlight Mountain Marathon
The Shotover Moonlight Mountain Marathon is an off‑road trail race held on Ben Lomond Station near Queenstown, New Zealand. The course starts below the Pipeline Bridge in Skippers Canyon and finishes at Moke Lake on private high country land managed by the Foster family.
The route follows abandoned 1880s gold mining water races, historic sheep tracks and mustering routes, and passes through beech forest, river valleys and ridge lines. The course includes a ladder climb beside a waterfall, a scree slope descent and an abandoned gold mining tunnel. Terrain is varied with over 60% single track, requiring good footwork and balance.
Total climbing and descending is over 2500 m. Trail surfaces are a mix of water race single track, ridgeline single track, riverbed and river valley sections, and farm 4WD track. The route and conditions can lead to course changes; cut off rules and time limits apply for safety, and runners routed off the full course will follow a shorter alternative that reduces the total distance by about 6 km and removes roughly 500 m of climbing while still covering about 37 km.
The course is on private property and is open only to competitors on race day. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
