One of triathlon's superstars, five-time world champion and Olympic silver medallist Javier Gomez, is set to complete in the Rotorua Half Ironman on Saturday, December 17.
"To say this is a coup for the event would be a complete understatement," said event director Shane Hooks. "There is simply no comparison. For triathletes, it really doesn't get any bigger than Gomez. To choose to compete in such a grassroots event is almost beyond belief. It's like having Lionel Messi play in the local competition."
Gomez is in the Bay of Plenty to spend time with his Kiwi girlfriend and elite triathlete Anneke Jenkins. She was already registered to do the team section of this event with a training buddy and suggested that he join her.
Hooks was concerned that Gomez might not have understood the sort of event he was entering.
"We've never had prizemoney at this event and competitors race for giant soft toys. I'm not kidding, we don't do trophies - we give the race winners metre-high panda bears. There is no elite section because, in this race, everyone is equal," he said.
This was all laid out to Gomez and he loved it.
Rotorua Lakes Events manager Martin Croft said that the Rotorua Half Ironman was a fun event in an idyllic location and was always a huge hit with locals and visitors. "For an athlete like Javier Gomez to choose to compete in the Rotorua half speaks to the great reputation that this event has earnt over the past couple of decades," Croft said.
"The fact that Rotorua is a must-visit destination here in New Zealand likely sweetened the proposition and we hope that Mr Gomez leaves with a big teddy and a lot of fond memories of his time here in New Zealand's coolest hot spot."
When the gun goes Gomez is widely expected to leave the field behind over the 2000m swim at Tikitapu, powering into a 90km cycle out to Lake Rotoma followed by an off-road half marathon that navigates the Green Lake. He is using the event as a training day as he returns from the injury that kept him out of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
One of the few times Gomez raced this distance was the 70.3 world championship - a race that he won.
Gomez is widely recognised as the most talented all-round triathlete the world has ever produced. He has won the off-road world championship to go with his other world titles over three different distances.
