Multisport: Rotorua entices Xterra pair

The lure of Rotorua's famous scenery and the taste of hokey pokey ice cream will see Rotorua XTERRA triathalon champions back to defend their titles.

On April 13, the 11th annual Paymark XTERRA Rotorua Festival returns to the shores of Tikitapu, the Blue Lake.

More than 2000 people from seven countries, including triathlon defending champions Ben Alan from Australia and girlfriend Jacqui Slack from Great Britain, will be in Rotorua for the event.

After successful starts to 2013, the pair's goal is simple.

"Perform to the best of our abilities at every race, live life to the fullest and win the XTERRA World Championship in October," Alan said.

So far this season, Alan has won three XTERRA World Series events from three starts and Slack has two wins from three starts.

"XTERRA Rotorua is one of my favourite stops on the XTERRA World Championship Tour. New Zealand, and Rotorua especially, has some of the best mountainbiking in the world.

"I love riding my bike through the redwood forest and stopping by the local dairy for some hokey pokey ice cream."

Both Alan and Slack will have tough fields to compete against.

In the women's field, both second and third placegetters from last year's event, Annika Smail and Elizabeth Orchard, are returning to contest the number one spot.

Slack is excited about lining up against her old rivals again. "The setting around the Blue Lake is absolutely stunning and the mountainbiking is out of this world."

The Paymark XTERRA Rotorua Festival is one of the world's biggest multisport events and is part of the XTERRA Global Tour, which hosts events in 17 countries. It offers an individual and team triathlon, and a 5.5km, 11km or 21km run or walk as well as a 26km mountainbike.