Rotorua's Essential 50: Day 27 - Rotorua Marathon

Sam Wreford, the winner of the 2013 Rotorua Marathon.

With the 50th Rotorua Marathon quickly approaching, it is fair to say the marathon has become something of an icon in the geyser city.

The Rotorua Marathon is well-known in New Zealand for being one of the oldest and most beautiful marathons in the country.

Held in May, the marathon does a full circle of Lake Rotorua and attracts thousands of participants. It is not only for runners but attracts walkers and joggers who want to give it a go.

The marathon started in 1965 and has only been cancelled once, in 1999, due to flooding.

Colin Smyth has finished every marathon but he wasn't the only Rotorua runner to have finished that first one.

Dennis Kenny has been involved in the background over the years having organised the race from 1967 to 2004. He hopes to still be involved in this year's event.

"I'm not making a commitment [to participate] at this stage, it depends on how my body holds up,' he said.

"When we started we never talked about getting to 50. We've had over 80,000 finishers over the years and a lot of people choose Rotorua to be their first marathon. It's not a hard course - that's a misconception."

This year will mark a special occasion for the Rotorua Marathon, being the 50th year anniversary, and includes a number of events for people to participate in.

A full marathon (42km), half marathon, quarter marathon, 5.5km fun run, and a kid's run will all be staged on Saturday May 3.

The event starts and finishes next to the Energy Events Centre on Queens Dr, featuring a brilliant run home beside the Government Gardens.

The Lake City Athletic Club currently hold marathon clinics leading up to the annual event to help newcomers train for the 10km, half and full marathons.

To sign up for the Rotorua Marathon visit the website www.rotoruamarathon.co.nz or call (07) 348 3301.

The Rotorua Daily Post Essential 50 lists the city's must-see, must-do and must-try activities and experiences thanks to reader nominations. We'll be highlighting one every day over summer.