A great scenic run, with a nice steady climb on a 4WD track past the iconic site of the former Mararoa Station Homestead and up to Lake Thomas, where you get a miagnificient view of the Takitimu Mountains and Mount Luxmore.  From there the runners descend down a clay track and through the 'coventry' area of Mararoa Station and climb up onto the ridge above the Dale Valley, where you enjoy a soft dirt track through grassland until descending past the current Mararoa Homestead to the finish. There will be a water station available just past the halfway point.