Organisers of the Wairarapa marathon, half-marathon and 10km and 5km fun run/walk events are aiming to double the number of entries from last year - and they are hoping the old adage of "money talks" will help them achieve that objective.
All entrants in the races on Sunday, October 15, will go into a draw to win a spot prize of $1000 cash and race convenor Craig Roberts expects that to motivate many would-be runners and walkers to "get off the couch and get mobile". He is optimistic for total entries of more than 1000 compared with 500 last year.
"Historically, Wairarapa has produced some exceptional athletes but running as a sport is not just about the elite level," Roberts said. "We basically cater for everyone, the serious and not-so-serious."
The economic impact an event like this can have on Wairarapa should not be under-estimated, according to Roberts, who said it would attract many visitors.
"We will very probably have athletes from all around the world competing here so it's a huge advertisement in a lot of ways."
