Ironman: Bananas and flat Coke ready for race

Competitors in today's Port of Tauranga half ironman will munch their way through 2500 bananas while rehydrating with 3500 bottles of water and 1000 litres of Coca-Cola.

The endurance event sold out all 1350 places in just over an hour when entries opened on July 7.

For event director Jane Patterson, it is the culmination of 11 months of planning to make sure everything is perfect for the racers.

And she's got a whopping 350 volunteers making sure things go smoothly, through marshalling, setting up and packing up.

Most are from sports and church groups who are using the opportunity as a fundraiser, and will be organised by team leaders in charge of each leg of the race.

"We chip away at it all year, and it becomes very busy for the last three months," Ms Patterson said.

"It's the event director's job to know a little bit about everything."

The logistics include setting up 2km of barriers and installing 15 portable toilets, which will come in handy as the competitors drink their way through the contents of 16,000 paper cups.

Everything has been planned to a T, including the number of toilets needed, which was worked out on a ratio of one for every 90 people.

Ms Patterson put the race's popularity down to a combination of stunning scenery, a professionally run event and the scarcity of places.

This year, she has a new appreciation for the entrants - she completed her first ironman in Hawaii in October. "We have to be really focused on the needs of the athlete.

"It can be anything from cutting the bananas in half so they are easier to peel, to making sure there is enough of everything so no one misses out. I know how I felt when they ran out of flat Coke in Hawaii."

It won't happen today - more than 100 litres of Coke have been de-fizzed, the lids removed two days ago.