“On its day, Gisborne has some of the best surf conditions in the country and it's always an absolute pleasure training and racing here,” Mount coach John Bryant said.
“It's always good to get racing experience at the venue for nationals, too, and it's going to be great for some of our younger athletes to see what it's all about.”
The Mount squad have been training with local squads from the Wainui, Midway and Waikanae clubs this week.
The local clubs will contribute 79 athletes to this weekend's carnival.
Past and present New Zealand team members who will be racing include board-racing champions Andrew Newton (Mount) and Scott Cowdrey (Papamoa), ironwoman champion Devon Halligan (Omanu) and Midway swim stars Chris Dawson and Matt Scott.
Some of the fastest feet on the sand will also compete, courtesy of national men's beach sprint champion Aidan Smith (Papamoa) and Waikanae's Briana Irving, who won an extraordinary six sprinting national titles across three age groups last year.
Another Waikanae prodigy, 15-year-old Lachie Falloon, will tackle the ironman. He finished second in the open Mount Monster endurance race last month.
Ella Kingi, of Otaki, was the 2018 Mount Monster open women's champion, and will also compete in the ironman.
Eastland Port chief operating officer Andrew Gaddum was delighted his company could continue its support of surf lifesaving in the region.
“Surf lifesaving is a massive part of the Gisborne community and these competitions are crucial for keeping lifeguards fit and sharp, so they can save more lives on patrol,” Gaddum said.
“Eastland Port is really proud to be associated with events like this, which not only attract visitors to the region but also have valuable, tangible spin-offs for our community.”
The weekend forecast has temperatures rising to 28 degrees and a swell of up to a metre on Saturday.
The carnival starts at 8.30am on both days. Individual events will be the focus on Saturday, with team events predominating on Sunday.
