Nearly 1200 people put on their running shoes and jandals at the weekend for the Rotorua Running Festival.
Race director Rob Docherty was thrilled with the turnout for the event, which is in its second year.
"It was a beautiful day, and it is the second time we have had the event in the beautiful city of Rotorua, which has awarded us with a fantastic weekend.
"We ended up with 1200 participants, a 20 per cent bump from last year."
He said the event was about participation and not just for elite runners.
"For us it's about mass participation, we are not trying to cater just for runners. We are providing something for the weekend warriors and giving them a challenge; there is something for everyone."
With a half marathon, a 10km course, a 4km family run and a 2km kids' dash, everyone was catered for, he said.
This was the first time the event had taken place over two days, with more events than last year, including the onesie and jandal run on Eat Streat on Saturday, he said.
"Only 25 people participated in the onesie and jandal run. It was a bit of fun," he said.
"We wanted to bring as many people to Rotorua, now we've got this weekend event, we want them to come to Eat Streat, have a beer and watch."
Cash prizes were also at stake for some runners, he said.
"The Bolt had just over $2500 worth of cash prizes for the top three men and top three women.
"Runners did five 1km laps, which all started and finished in Eat Streat, all the people in Eat Streat were cheering their heads off," he said. "Everyone who took part loved it. People stuck around for the awards ceremony, which is a really good sign and at the end of the day there were 700 or 800 people still there. It was a really good vibe."