Thorburn (28) will lead an Ariki team expected to win the six-man team race over the 10km distance.
Thorburn displayed his temperament when he finished runner-up in the senior event and was the best-performed Otago athlete at the New Zealand mountain running championships in Wellington last month.
Thorburn is a converted duathlete who switched to running eight years ago when he joined Lin Rayner's squad while he was a medical student in Dunedin.
He competed in duathlons in his home town of Christchurch before entering the Otago Medical School.
Thorburn, who recently returned to Dunedin, continued his running while working in Wellington and also competed in multisport events.
He displayed his endurance when he finished third in the two-day event at this year's Coast to Coast in 12hr 28min 22sec.
Thorburn will be backed up in the Ariki team by Callan Moody who finished third in the Edmond Cup last year.
Moody has the finishing speed and just has to be in contact with 800m left to claim a major place.
The back-up men in the Ariki team are Nathan Baxter, Tim Dobier, Chris Weddell, Greg Brockbank and former New Zealand marathon champion Stafford Thompson.
The other contenders for a top-three place include Ollie O'Sullivan (Hill City), Lyndon Brown (Caversham), Tony Payne (Caversham) and Michael Wakelin (Hill City), who was sixth in the senior mens event at the New Zealand mountain running championships.
Kirsty Morris (Leith), the favourite in the women's race, will be challenged by Kim Herbert Losier (Hill City) and Sue Cuthbert (Ariki).
The starting times are 1.30pm for senior women and 2.35pm for senior men.
