The 18th Annual New Balance Great Lake Relay which incorporates the Nature Valley Length of the Lake Relay and Marathon Tours Length of the Lake solo event gets underway this Friday 22nd February in Taupo.
This multi leg relay event around New Zealand's largest lake will see walking, running and composite groups (both running & walking teams) take on either the 155km circumference or 67km length New Zealand's largest lake, Lake Taupo. There is also a solo division which will only tackle the 67km Length of the Lake.
The New Balance Great Lake Relay
Renowned as the being largest running and walking relay in Australasia, the events first competitors will get underway at 9pm on Friday night. This will be for the Great Lake Relay walking team expecting to take more than 18 hours to complete the journey. They will be followed by both the walking team estimated to go under 18 hours and the composite (running and walking teams) at 11pm. Running teams get under way in the New Balance Great Lake Relay at 2.30am on Saturday 23rd February.
The New Balance Great Lake Relay event will have around 3400 competitors divided amongst 250 teams, which are made up of 10 to 18 members. Once leaving Taupo competitors will follow state highway 1 before turning on to Poihipi Rd and taking on the roads on the Western side of the lake before connecting up with State Highway 32 then, SH 41 before joining up with SH 1 at Turangi for the trip along the side of the lake back to Taupo. The first teams will start finishing from just before midday Saturday.
The Nature Valley Length of Lake Relay and Marathon Tours Solo
The Length of Lake event's which start from Pukawa Bay Reserve at the Southern end of Lake Taupo gets underway at 7am Saturday for all Nature Valley Relay walking and Composite teams. The 7am start will also see solo competitors (both running and walking) get under way in the Marathon Tours Solo length of the lake. Running teams start at 9am. Around 800 competitors across 100 teams and 70 Solos are due to be taking part.
Once climbing out of Pukawa Bay the 67 km event will join up with the Great Lake Relay event route and make their way back to Taupo along SH 41 and SH 1 back to Taupo. Event organisers Event Promotions stated "that even though all the roads are still open to normal traffic flows we ask that anyone traveling on the affected roads during these times do so in a safe manner and are courteous to the thousands of competitors."
