Southern Lakes Ultra

The most important food group: finish line pizza.

Jin, straight from Korea to take on the Southern Lakes Ultra - and clearly nailing her post-race priorities. Legs wrapped up in some seriously stylish leopard and zebra print recovery tape courtesy of , slice of pizza the size of her face, biggest smile of the day.

This is what a job well done looks like.

Double trouble crosses the line - again!

Pamela and Susan, hand in hand and arms raised, celebrating finish line number two at the Southern Lakes Ultra. This dynamic duo came back for more, and finished exactly the way they started - together, all smiles, matching yellow and pure joy.

We love our American family out here. So proud of this pair.

From the UK, with love.

Side by side, stride by stride - and at the finish, medal by medal. There's something special about athletes who cross the line together.

Seven days of shared miles, ending in a moment they earned together.

7 days, no blisters, no chafing - and a hug that says it all.

Ben, is the founder of That's It, a NZ company making mānuka oil–powered anti-chafe and blister prevention products, born from Ben's own hard-earned lessons out on long trail running, ski touring and biking days. So when your job is literally keeping athletes' skin intact through a week in the mountains, and you finish your own week clean and chafe-free… that's the best kind of proof of concept.
That's It

The best medal ceremony helper.

This little one couldn't wait to do the honours - hanging the finisher's medal around her mum's neck after she crossed the line at the Southern Lakes Ultra, 7-Day. Mum flew all the way from Canada to take on this race, and this is exactly the moment that makes every one of those training miles worth it.

Nothing beats sharing the finish line with the people who matter most.

💯

Meet Scott - our Scottish hero in a hot pink vest 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣

Thick accent, kiwi heart. Scott's done it all for SLU - toed the start line and completed the thing himself, and just as often you'll find him out here crewing, keeping everyone else safe and on track (and clearly rocking the hi-vis with more confidence than most).

He's one of the genuinely good ones - the kind of person that makes this event what it is, whether he's racing it or running the show behind the scenes.

Legend status: confirmed.

Dream team on the trail

All smiles out here from Barry - running alongside (just out of frame) his wife and fellow SLU legend, . This pair are proof that the best adventures are shared ones - tackling the miles together, pushing each other on, and clearly having a ball doing it.

Couples who trail run together... 😉 Love having this dream team out on our course...and they are back in 2027.

The unsung hero of every Southern Lakes Ultra course 🚩

While everyone's watching the leaders, this is the job that really keeps the race honest - our course clearer, quietly following the very last athlete home, plucking every single red flag from the trail as they go.

No flag left behind. No trace left. Just a course that appears exactly when you need it - and disappears just as cleanly once you're through.

This is the kind of behind-the-scenes commitment that makes SLU what it is. 🙌

7 days. Mountains, alpine lakes, glacier-fed valleys - trails you'd normally have to fly to Europe for, right here in the Adventure Capital of the World.

Southern Lakes Ultra 2027 draws runners from around the world for the final chapter of SLU as it is - a journey through some of the most scenic, world class trails in the world.

Isobel Tait (Peak Endurance Coaching) is on board as our Australian ambassador for 2027. Isobel's running a group coaching plan for anyone training for SLU - so if you've been eyeing a multi-day or fastpacking race but want real support getting race-ready, this is it.

Spots are capped by design, and 2027 is the last time you'll get to experience Southern Lakes Ultra exactly as it's been built.
📍 Queenstown, New Zealand
📅 Feb 2027
🔗 southernlakesultra.com

Mikki and Barry. What a duo.

Their first multi-day, side by side and both walked away with podium finishes in the supported men's and women's fields. Not a bad way to start.

And now? They're already locked in for 2027 this time going unsupported. Because apparently one podium wasn't enough of a challenge.

Massive respect to you both. Can't wait to watch round two.