"I don't mind, it's better, it won't be so warm so it will be better for me," he said. "I don't really know what time I will finish, but under eight hours I hope."
If all goes well for the Swedish runner, he could break the course record set by American Dylan Bowman last year in 7h 44m. Buud said the course suited him nicely and it was a relatively flat course compared to some ultras overseas.
"There is some pressure [heading in as favourite] but this course is perfect for me. It is the distance I'm used to running and I think it will be a good race for me."
Buud, 41, has not raced a big event since his win at the IAU 100km World Championships in the Netherlands in September.
He has since been slowly building back up for the Tarawera event, despite some tough training conditions in Sweden.
"We had a lot of snow at home in the middle of December, so I was doing a bit of skiing and running in the snow."
Buud said while his win at the IAU 100km World Championships was a great feeling (running 6h 22m), it was not his finest run. He said he was primarily a trail runner and posted a lightning fast time in a trail run a few weeks earlier.
"Of course it was really nice to have that victory, but three weeks earlier I think I made a better race.
"It was trail racing, 90km, and I did the same time - 3 minutes 50 seconds - for each kilometre. So I think the trail race three weeks before was better."
Interestingly, Buud still holds down a regular job on top of all his running commitments. "I work with maps and geographical information systems, for roads and pipelines and things like that."
In the 100km women's race, Kiwi athlete Ruby Muir (Napier) will look to defend her crown from last year.
