Olympic stars Sam Tanner and Hayden Wilde to compete in new Rotorua marathon events

Olympians Sam Tanner (left) and Hayden Wilde will compete in the new events over Rotorua Marathon weekend. Photo / Alisha Lovrich

A pair of Tokyo Olympians are set to compete in a trio of new and exciting events which feature as part of the 59th edition of the Red Stag Rotorua Marathon next month.

Middle-distance ace Sam Tanner and triathlon superstar Hayden Wilde will run the Museum Mile, which doubles as the inaugural New Zealand Road Mile Championships on May 5, followed by the high-octane RampRun on May 6 and the Runway5 on May 7.

Tanner ran in the 1500 metres at the Tokyo Olympic Games while his Tauranga-based training partner Wilde was the Olympic triathlon bronze medallist.

Taking place at the Government Gardens, the Museum Mile is a lightning-quick street course while the RampRun has competitors racing to the top of a Rotorua three-storey carpark before quickly returning to the foot of the building and repeating the task three more times.

Runway5 uses a 90-minute window of availability at Rotorua Airport - the 5km race will span the stretch of the Rotorua Airport runway and finish alongside the departure terminal.

The marathon weekend will climax with the Runway5, a 5km run spanning the stretch of the Rotorua Airport runway and finishing alongside the departure terminal.

Julian Oakley, the current New Zealand 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m champion, and women’s track mile champion Rebekah Greene also plan to compete in all three events.

Tanner said he was always keen to try new and innovative events and the Museum Mile, RampRun and Runway5 held a huge appeal.

“From running up a carpark to chasing the New Zealand road mile title, the three events will be a lot of fun, and I’m sure will put a smile on my face, which is what competing should be all about.”

The new events accompany the famous Rotorua Marathon. Photo / NZME

Athletics NZ competition manager Jason Cameron said: “To have attracted athletes of the calibre of Sam Tanner and Hayden Wilde is huge kudos to not only the Red Stag Rotorua Marathon weekend but the exciting nature of the three new events.

“With the likes of Julian Oakley and Rebekah Greene also competing, the event boasts a crop of some of the finest superstar endurance names in our sport, all of whom will help raise the profile of our exciting suite of new events.”

The three new events on the Red Stag Rotorua Marathon programme will sit alongside the four existing events - The Red Stag Timber Marathon, Red Stag Timber Half Marathon, Go Media 10km and First Credit Union 5.5km.

To find out more and how to enter the new events click here.

- Supplied content