Athletics: Sam a front runner after fastest time

Sam Wreford has run the fastest marathon time in New Zealand on a certified course for the past 20 years.

The athlete will be hoping to repeat the same type of form when he competes at his first Lion Foundation Rotorua Marathon next month.

Wreford ran 2h 16m 35s winning the Southland Marathon in November last year, the fastest time for a marathon in New Zealand since Paul Herlihy won the same event in 1993.

The Timaru 30-year-old also ran 2h 17m 30s winning the Christchurch Marathon in June last year and won the New Zealand cross country title in Hamilton in August. He is coached by Barry Magee, Rome Olympic marathon bronze medallist.

After Rotorua, Wreford is aiming to run another one or two marathons in 2013, and may look at an overseas marathon.

Wreford's stiffest challenge is likely to come from defending champion Phil Costley, winner of over 30 New Zealand titles from 3000m to the Marathon.

At 43, Costley, a Nelson teacher is still reeling off some handy race victories and if Wreford falters, Costley could make it Rotorua Marathon title number four, 16 years after his first.

Wellington's Stefan Smith is making his debut over the marathon distance and could surprise.

The record for the Rotorua Marathon is 2h 16m 05s set by Paul Ballinger in 1988. Ballinger had a best of 2h 10m 15s set at the much flatter Fukuoka Marathon in Japan, the second best by a New Zealander.

The New Zealand marathon champion, Tony Payne, from Auckland is the leading entry in the half marathon and will be using the race as a lead-up to the Gold Coast Marathon in early July. Payne has been named in the New Zealand team for the Oceania Marathon championship, to be run in conjunction with the Gold Coast event.

The women's races at Rotorua is wide open with no clear favourites entered yet.

The iconic Rotorua event, in its 49th year, is New Zealand's longest running and best known Marathon. The 42.195 km course wraps nicely around Lake Rotorua, allowing participants to start and finish at the Energy Events Centre in Rotorua's Government Gardens.

Just weeks out from the Rotorua Marathon, half and quarter marathon and 5km, and organisers are confident that last year's total of just under 4,000 entrants will be passed.

Early bird entry fees apply until 13 April so organiser Murray Fleming is expecting the usual surge of registrations before the entry fee goes up on April 14.