An obstacle course race at Mount Maunganui's main beach will test competitors to find New Zealand's next star athlete.
The Ultimate Athlete course is designed to test all ages, stages and fitness levels with endurance and strength obstacles set over 6km and 10km distances. Competitors will run, swing and climb through the course, which aims to push them to their limits.
Racing starts with a scenic run around Mt Maunganui's base track, followed by a set of obstacles and challenges, as racers make their way up Mt Drury and along the main beach.
"We have designed the Ultimate Athlete obstacle course race to involve and challenge absolutely anyone," says Ultimate Athlete managing director Gavin Foster.
"As we all know, physical health and wellbeing significantly impact mental health, and we're excited to play our part in the community."
With different levels of difficulty, the course offers fun competition for all ages and abilities, running on April 16 to kick-start the Easter holidays.
Obstacles include crawling tunnels, under and over walls, a cargo net, monkey bars, a tyre run, tyre rope pulls, 1.53m and 2.13m wall climbs, a seesaw, balance beams and a rope wall.
Winners of the elite 10km category will be counted in Ultimate Athlete’s first-ever rankings list, as well as qualifying to win a major cash prize.
The race will raise funds for three key mental health charities - One Wave, I am Hope and Bring People Dancing - with plans to expand in the future.
"We fully intend this to be a global event, starting from the beautiful shores of Mt Maunganui and scaling as fast as we can nationally. We then have global aspirations to take this event to some of the coolest island nations," says Foster.
Ultimate Athlete was launched by Foster and Jocelin August, alongside Bay Dreams festival directors Toby Burrows and Mitch Lowe, who recently also hosted thousands of Kiwis at Le Currents and First We Eat.
Anyone keen to participate in the Ultimate Athlete challenge can find more information at the event's website.
