A triathlon race director hopes to give a great present to the Rotorua Community Hospice Trust - all the entry fees from this weekend's Rotorua Half Ironman.
The event at Tikitapu (Blue Lake) last year raised $70,000 for the charity and with 600 already entered for Saturday's race, Shane Hooks is confident they can match that this year.
The race is now in its sixth year and last year was the first dedicated to the charity. Mr Hooks said he and wife Christina had benefited from the event and now it was time to give back.
The half ironman involves a 2km swim in the lake, a 90km cycle to Lake Rotoma and back and a 21km run taking competitors around the lake and out to the Lake Tarawera lookout.
There is now a quarter ironman distance, which is half the main race. Mr Hooks said of the 70 entered so far, 75 per cent of the field were women.