Great Naseby Water Race

The Great Naseby Water Race is one of New Zealand's most remarkable ultramarathons, with distances from 50 km up to 200 miles in Naseby, Central Otago. It is held every year on the last weekend of August, and the 2027 event runs from 25 to 28 August 2027.

Naseby, the highest town in the country at 600 metres above sea level, hosts a 10 km figure-of-eight circuit combining gravel roads, forest tracks and sections alongside the historic water race built in the 1860s, during the gold-mining era. Runners complete the number of laps that matches their distance.

• 200 miles (322 km): 25 August, 8am
• 200 km and 100 miles: 27 August, 8am
• 100 km: 27 August, 10am
• 80 km: 28 August, 5am
• 50 km: 28 August, 9am

The format is designed to test endurance at every level, with solo and team options and cut-off times that demand steady pacing and determination. Although the climbing is moderate, the repetition, the variety of terrain and the winter conditions make for a challenge that draws ultrarunners from all over New Zealand and beyond.