Rotorua Ekiden

New Zealand’s only Ekiden is set to circumnavigate Lake Rotorua on the second Saturday of October. Join almost 2,000 other runners and walkers for a fun event, a challenging run or walk and a great day out with your mates! The Rotorua Ekiden follows the famous marathon course for 42km, split into six achievable segments that vary in distance from 5km to 8km.

The ekiden was invented in Japan and involves teams of runners passing a tasuki – a traditional Japanese sash – from person to person in lieu of a baton. Running Events are embracing the Japanese heritage of this great event and we’ve adopted the Japanese Kanji symbol for friendship as our logo. What better way to spend a Saturday than a great run or walk with a bunch of your best mates, throwing high fives as you cross the finish line together on Rotorua’s Village Green?