"Akaroa is probably known as the national road relay course. It's considered the icon of national road relays. They have hosted it for the last three years and it's getting difficult for teams to get down there - so I thought it was time for us to step up and have a go at it."
Corney also had a course in mind.
"I'd had it in the back of my head for quite a while, went through it and decided it was doable. Athletics New Zealand said they would love us to do the event. The only thing they required was that we do it for two years - which was also a requirement of the Rotorua Lakes Council. They wanted to get behind it, but wanted to see it here for two years."
The event will incorporate senior and junior titles.
"We have to have a junior course because juniors always race, and we decided we would also introduce a walk course and a social division as well."
The short course and junior relays will start at Agroventures and the long course at Rotorua International Stadium, with the first change at Paradise Valley, all finishing outside the Energy Events Centre after circumnavigating the lake.
The long course will be about 67km, with seven legs of between just under 9km and just over 10km. Part of the course will follow the route of the Rotorua Marathon.
"I thought it was quite important that we brought the marathon course into it because there is a lot of history in the marathon course and everybody knows about it and it provides an opportunity for people who have never run the marathon to run part of the course.
"It's becoming harder and harder to have events on the road because of road plans and things, but we are very lucky where our changeovers are because Paradise Valley and Agroventures have come on board and embraced it."
The senior men's and women's A grade teams will be running for national titles, as will the masters grades. B and C grades and the walkers won't have national titles available.
Lake City Athletic Club have won gold in the men's 40 plus masters category for three of the past four years, and had its best men's senior A grade result when it finished fourth in Nelson in 2012.
"We have the potential to have quite a competitive senior men's team this year," said Corney.
Last year's senior men's championship winners were Wellington Scottish Athletics club, while the senior women's title went to University of Canterbury.
Corney estimates there will be between 1000 and 1200 extra people drawn to Rotorua for the event.
"For the last three years Akaroa have been getting about 130 teams. I've been talking to quite a few clubs out there and I am expecting us to be up by 20-30 teams on what Akaroa had last year."
