Tenth year of fun in Great Lake Relay

Taupo's Margaret Morris has run almost every one of the 18 legs in the Great Lake Relay.

But after nine previous events, she still keeps participating.

When she and her team, the BNZ Trotters, hit the roads around Lake Taupo this weekend, it'll be the 10th time Margaret has taken part in the competition. She started in 1997, while living in Tauranga, and has been involved every year since, except one.

"For us at the bank, it is a way of relieving stress and getting people together."

This year's team is made up of five members from the Taupo branch, as well as some from Rotorua and Whakatane.

Ms Morris said that while in the past there had been fierce competition to make it around the lake in under 12 hours, this year the team was a social one.

"Last year we had a bit of a challenge to beat the 12-hour mark and there was a requirement that runners could do sub five-minute kilometres. This year it's about fun."

For Ms Morris, and her husband Ross McIntyre, this will be their last long training run before the New Plymouth marathon, which they're competing in on March 3.

The pair are just two of the thousands of runners and walkers from all over the country who will be pouring in to Taupo this weekend.

The relay is the largest in Australasia, with close to 6000 competitors taking part in teams of 10 to 18 members.

The team members either run or walk to complete the 18 legs, which range from 5.2km to 14.4km around the beautiful shore of Lake Taupo.

The event also incorporates the Athletics New Zealand 100km Championships, where individual competitors run a full 100km over the same course as the relay teams.

Event organisers are asking locals to be aware there will be congestion on the roads around the lake from this evening and throughout tomorrow.

They're asking those on the roads to be especially careful during the hours of darkness, as competitors will be on the road from 9pm today.