The 30th anniversary is an occasion to celebrate, but for some who've been around since the start, it can also be a time to reflect on both the past and the future.

That's certainly the case for 81-year-old Ray Willett who has painted signs promoting the event every year since its inception. The 30th anniversary has made him ponder who will pick up the paintbrush should he "pop my clogs". 

He's not a trained signwriter, rather an enthusiastic (some might even say prolific) amateur. But he reckons he's saved the committee thousands over the years and he's keen to identify someone willing to take over.

Mr Willett has been an ardent supporter of the Kepler Challenge. He's run it 25 times, although the last two he failed to meet the minimum cut-off time so he's only been recorded as finishing 23 times. ("Those are the ones I enjoyed the most.")

Having fun has been his focus, and he's certainly brought many smiles to those at the start/finish line. One year he set off pushing a Zimmer Frame, discarding it out of sight in the bush then picking it up again as he came to cross the finish line. Other years have involved whacky costumes, a vintage pushbike, scooter, full tramping kit — even a wheelbarrow.

"That gave those waiting something different — suddenly the idiot comes around the corner."

Mr Willett's wife, Helen, has also added colour and fun to the event. For 25 years she manned the Luxmore Hut checkpoint where silly costumes were also the order of the day. 

But perhaps lesser recognised is the work Mr Willett has done painting the signs promoting every Kepler Challenge so far. The banner for the inaugural year was done on a cheap blue tarpaulin which flapped during the day, causing the paint to flake off. The organising committee supplied him with proper canvas the following year and he's kept them up-to-date ever since. The signage has grown to include temporary signs he puts up welcoming participants to town, along with small, motivational messages he places along the track a week before the event.

Despite his not insignificant involvement, Mr Willett has never served on the Kepler Challenge organising committee but, in a roundabout sort of way, you could say it was his initiative that gave birth to the event.

Back in 1988 he led a campaign to commemorate the centenary of the re-discovery of the Milford Track by Quintin MacKinnnon (re-discovery because it's thought a similar route had previously been used by Maori to carry pounamu from Milford Sound) with the erection of a statue in his honour. Had the Milford Track not been opened, Te Anau would — to use an oft-repeated but seldom attributed quote — "slumbered on the edge of the unknown".

"And nobody was going to acknowledge it," Mr Willett said.

As support for the project grew, the Fiordland Athletic Club decided to organise a one-off fundraising run on the Milford Track. It proved too difficult and instead the newly formed Kepler Track was proffered as an alternative. Support for the concept was so strong that it has been staged every year since and is now considered New Zealand's premier mountain running event.