Wanaka Olympian Nicky Samuels will be competing in the pro-female triathlon and the other six in mountain biking.
They are Olympic champions Sarah Ulmer, Hamish Carter, Nathan Cohen and Mahe Drysdale, triathlete Kris Gemmell and yachtsman Peter Burling, who won a silver medal in the 49er class at the London Olympics.
Samuels (31) was dropped from the elite New Zealand squad after the London Olympics and went out by herself last year and won the Xterra world off-road title.
She had a point to prove and a detailed programme was planned with her coach, Mark Elliott, to force the New Zealand selectors to rethink their policy.
Her winning time last year of 4hr 21min 16sec is the Motatapu triathlon women's record.
Samuels will be challenged by Jess Simson (Wanaka), who has shown good form on the multisport circuit over the past 12 months and is coming off a stunning win in the Coast to Coast.
Ulmer, the Olympic champion in Athens in 2004, remains a keen cyclist and will be competing in the sports master aged 30 to 39 class.
She still holds the world record for the 3000m individual pursuit of 3min 26.40sec, which she rode in Athens.
Carter (42), the Olympic triathlon gold medallist in 2004, has taken a step back from competitive triathlons and is enjoying recreational mountain biking, and will compete in that grade tomorrow.
Rower Drysdale, who won the Olympic single sculls title in London in 2012, enjoys off-water training on his bike.
He is competing in the elite masters age 30 to 39 mountain bike with Gemmell, who contested the triathlon at the London Olympics.
Cohen, the double sculls rowing gold medallist at the London Olympics, is competing in the elite mountain bike class from age 19 to 29.
He is expected to challenge race favourites Dirk Peters (Rotorua) and Anton Cooper (North Canterbury).
Peters set the record last year when he won the 47km Summit mountain bike ride in 1hr 47min 53sec.
Cooper (19), the world junior mountain bike cross-country champion in 2012, won the Motatapu event in 2011 and should not be underestimated.
Commonwealth Games prospect Kate Fluker (Queenstown) set the women's mountain bike record last year with her time of 2hr 09min 35sec.
She is expected to dominate the open female age 20 to 29 grade, but she could be challenged by Whitney Dagg (Dunedin).
The talented Amber Johnston (Rotorua) will be challenged by Olivia Miller (Nelson) in the junior women's grade.
The great Steve Gurney, who won a record nine Coast to Coast titles from 1990 to 2003, will be contesting the mountain bike events.
The new owner of the event is the Queenstown Trails Trust, which intends to put any profit into developing trails in the Southern Lakes region.
There will be more than 4000 competitors tomorrow. Mountain biking is the most popular section and has 2000 competitors. There are 700 competing in the marathon, 650 in the Miners trail and 160 in the individual triathlon.
One of the most notable competitors in the triathlon is iron man great Scott Molina (54), who is contesting the masters age 50 to 54 grade.
Molina, who lives in Christchurch, was a professional triathlete from 1982 to 1995 and won 104 professional races in that time, including six United States professional titles.
His highlight was to win two of the toughest races in the world - the Hawaii Iron Man in 1988 and the Ultraman world championships in 1991.
Other noted triathletes competing include Coast to Coast champion Braden Currie, who was fifth at the recent world championships in Hawaii, and Simone Maier, the Australasian multisport champion.
It will be a family affair in the marathon, with Bridget Thompson (Dunedin) competing with husband Stafford Thompson and brother Luke Hurring (Auckland). Also competing in the women's race is Katie Menzies (Dunedin), the partner of All Black winger and Highlanders co-captain Ben Smith.
Other runners to watch in the marathon are Alex Salis (Dunedin), Gemma Davis (Queenstown), Merinda Kelly (Arrowtown) and Jo Knight (Rolleston).
Motatapu
The facts
First race 2005.
- Distances: Mountain bike (47km), marathon run (42.2km), miners trail run (15km), adventure two-person run (49km), triathlon (2km swim, 47km mountain bike, 15km run).
Records
- Mountain bike: Dirk Peters, 1hr 47min 53sec (2013); Kate Fluker, 2hr 9min 35sec (2013).
- Marathon: John Winsbury, 2hr 38min 13sec (2009); Victoria Beck, 3hr 18min 14sec (2012).
- Miners trail: Gary Melhuish, 1hr 21min 9sec (2013); Louisa Andrew, 1hr 30min 46sec (2010).
- Triathlon: Braden Currie, 3hr 48min 05sec (2012); Nicky Samuels, 4hr 21min 16sec (2013).
- Adventure two-person run: Bas Smith and Jess Simson, 6hr 40min 23sec (2012).
