A competitor in a popular half marathon event at Mount Maunganui at the long weekend was allegedly shot with a BB gun.
The Mount Runners Half Marathon organiser Luke Garea believed a competitor was shot with a BB gun on Sunday.
Garea said the "details are sketchy" but he understood a male participant was shot with a BB gun at the intersection of Commons Ave and Marine Parade by a man inside a ute.
"I am not sure whether he was running or walking back to the car when it happened," he said.
Garea said he was alerted to the incident by another competitor who had encouraged the person who was allegedly shot to contact police. "I am unsure whether he did or not," he said.
However, Garea relayed the information to a police patrol car manning the area at the time.
He was yet to speak to the participant and hoped it was a "one-off" incident.
"It is something we do not want to happen again," Garea said. "It is such a rare circumstance, we just spread the word to the marshals in the area to keep an eye out for the vehicle we were given a description of."
When the Bay of Plenty Times approached the victim, he did not wish to comment but said he had not been injured.
Police did not yet have any information regarding the incident.