Marathon: Sudden rush of entries expected for 50th

The early bird deadline draws near for the Rotorua Marathon.

Organisers of the 50th Rotorua Marathon are expecting a sudden rush of entries this month as the early-bird deadline draws near.

The May 3 event consists of four races from 5.5km to the 42.2km flagship race. Early bird prices close on November 30.

Event Promotions sponsorship and operations manager Emma Wilson said excitement was building as the anniversary event drew near. "We're pretty excited here because entries are coming in steadily," she said.

"We're expecting a big boost when early bird closes.

"We're quite impressed with how many people want to be a part of it. People are certainly coming out of the woodwork to do this."

She said she was in New Plymouth last week and saw lots of runners wearing the "in-training" T-shirts designed specifically for those intending to race the event.

"It's cool that people are already in their training phase."

She said there were more than 1000 entries for the marathon and more than 1400 overall. At the 2012 event, there were 1400 finishers in the marathon and 4000 altogether.

To enter any of the events that form the Lion Foundation Rotorua Marathon visit rotoruamarathon.co.nz.