The Waimarama Surf Life Saving Club was an easy choice for the Havelock North Rotary Club as the recipient for funds from the 2018 Country2Coast, said event organiser Kevin Longman.
"Our Rotary members recognised the commitment of the Surf Life Saving Club members and the contribution they make to our community through patrolling of the beach and also the fact that they are often first response for first aids and emergencies in the isolated Waimarama community.
"Our focus is on strengthening our local communities and so for the Rotary club to financially support the Surf Life Saving Club it means we are simply putting our funds into a club that will allow them to continue to provide the lifesaving service they do at Waimarama Beach."
Read more: Take the family dog along to the Hawke's Bay Today Country2Coast fun run and walk
At the race this weekend, Surf Life Saving Club members will be competing and mingling with family and other entrants.
Waimarama Surf Life Saving Club chairman Tony Pattison said, "We are really thrilled that the Havelock North Rotary Club have chosen our club as the recipient charity for this fantastic local event.
"In addition to what the public see our members patrolling on Waimarama Beach, there is a mountain of work that goes on throughout the year to ensure we can continue to provide this essential service, not least the amount of training that our lifeguards complete in their own time to stay fit so they pass their physical refresher tests each year.
"We also provide other services such as beach education classes to many schools in Hawke's Bay to improve awareness of being safe in the beach environment. Our lifeguards are often first on hand to attend other injuries in the area as they are the first point of contact for many of the locals and visitors to Waimarama.
"As with many essential volunteer services like ours, our greatest challenge is well away from the water and that is ensuring we have sufficient funding available to keep our operations running."
The Country2Coast event is on Sunday, April 29. Check out the three course options and register at www.country2coast.co.nz.
Dogs are welcome on all of the courses.
Buses go from Farndon Park in Clive to the start of the events. All you need to do is pay $3 when you register. Dogs are welcome on the buses but must be on a lead.
Collect your race numbers on Saturday, April 28 between 10am and 2pm from the Havelock North Function Centre in Te Mata Rd and see if you have won a minor spot prize at the same time.