Entries for November's Tarawera Trail Marathon and 50km event have opened.
Last year's inaugural event attracted 220 runners and walkers.
The field was split down the middle, with half opting for the marathon distance and half for the 50km event.
The journey starts at Pohutu Geyser in Te Puia and finishes at Hot Water Beach campground on the southern shore of Lake Tarawera.
Event organiser Paul Charteris said he expected entries to increase five-fold compared to last year with a sell-out field of 1000 anticipated.