"In fact, it's as far from a race as it can be," he says. "It is a true adventure through some of the most extraordinary landscapes on the planet."
Most of the land the race takes place on is private land that is not open to the public any other time of the year.
It includes surreal karst-studded landscapes, caves, native bush, working farms, tunnels, canyons and even glowworms, making it a unique opportunity to explore the area beyond the usual touristic hotspots and discover some some hidden treasures of New Zealand.
"This is a kids' paradise. The 6k run/walk starts deep underground at the entranceway to the Ruakuri Cave and tunnels to explore through - they're small enough that the grownups need to duck down or crawl," Charteris said.
"The 11k is up and over and around karst land formations that make this a paradise for kids to explore. Quite often the kids run off ahead of their parents and our finish-line areas become defacto child-minding zones."
A few words of warning for those thinking this compares to a city jog, though. "We have ropes to help you step up onto the larger rocks and optional hobbit holes to squeeze yourself though," the event director said.
"There's a ton of laughter, good dirty fun and maybe even a stranger pushing your butt to help you up and over the tricky bits."
Oh, and medals. There's a medal for every finisher, regardless of age.
