Olympic cyclist Sarah Ulmer. Photo / Christine McKay
Thousands are preparing for what is dubbed New Zealand's premier mountain biking and off-road running event - next Saturday's Motatapu Challenge in Arrowtown.
The Motatapu, which started in 2005, usually has four events - the 47km mountain bike race, 42km off-road marathon, 49km adventure run and the 15km miner's trail.
This year a fifth event - an off-road triathlon which includes a 2km swim, 47km mountain bike race and 15km trail run - has been added to keep innovating the challenge.
"We get people from all walks of life taking part in the Motatapu," said Gemma Boyle of Iconic Adventures.
"Many of the athletes who compete here do only one event for the year and they set the goal to compete in the Motatapu and train for months.
"You see some amazing emotion when those athletes get to the finish.
"Many others come back every year to tick off another of the Motatapu events ... some have done all four and can't wait to take on the new triathlon event."
Already, 3200 athletes are confirmed for the multisport festival which attracts several Aucklanders and celebrities every year.
Names including Sarah Ulmer, Caroline Evers Swindell, Deputy Prime Minister Bill English and Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe have been supporters of the event.
"That is a result of the founders of this event thinking big in a nationwide sense and constantly innovating to keep it fresh for all the supporters of Motatapu," said Boyle.
Last year, Motatapu won the New Zealand Association of Event Professionals award for best established event.
Among the competitors lining up for the mountain bike challenge is gold medal winner Hamish Carter.
Carter is with Team Pink Pilates, raising money for the Pink Pilates Trust, which supports women who are recovering from cancer.
"This programme is a really good cause," said Carter, who is a patron of the Pink Pilates Trust.
"One hundred per cent of the funds raised goes directly to New Zealand women, to fund them through the Pink Pilates programme."
Supporters of the trust wear pink laces in their sport shoes to symbolise taking the first step on the road to recovery.
The Motatapu organisers are staging a fundraising concert following the event on Saturday night to raise money for the people of earthquake-stricken Christchurch.
