Sideline Sid Sports correspondent & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

One of the Bay of Plenty's iconic sporting events is just days away from staging and will see thousands of competitors test their mettle and stamina to the limit.

The Rotorua Marathon, which was first held in 1965, see's the participants complete a unique 42km 'Lap of the Lake' course around Lake Rotorua.

Starting in the Government Gardens, the runners and walkers in the 58th Rotorua Marathon on Saturday, September 17, will out head through the cities CBD out to Ngongotaha to traverse Lake Rotorua, before returning through the Princess Arch to finish the race in front of a large crowd of spectators.

Six decades ago, the big race was just one jewel in the Rotorua sporting crown, where touring international rugby teams played before packed houses and Plunket Shield cricket held attention at Smallbone Park.

Today, the unique 26 mile race stands like a shining beacon in Sulphur City sport.

Sixteen men lined up on April 10, 1965, for the inaugural Fletcher Rotorua Marathon, with just 12 completing the grueling assignment.

Dave Heine was the inaugural winner of the new race, in a time of 2:35:04.

Such was the attitude towards women's sport at the time, that women didn't make their entrance in the marathon until 1974, when Palmerston North mother Val Darrock won the women's division in 2:39:44.

The running and walking boom of 1970's resulted in more than 1000 athletes signing up for the 1978 event.

Fast forward to the 25th anniversary in 1989, where a record 5967 starters lined up.

The early race winners list reads like a who's who of distance running in the country, in the 1960's and 1970's.

Olympic bronze medalist Mike Ryan, race record holder Paul Ballinger, John Robinson and Kevin Ryan all crossed the finish at the head of the chasing pack.

However, one name stands out like a giant piece of granite in home-town hero Jack Foster.

Foster was 32 years old when he hung up his racing bike and took to pounding the streets of Rotorua, before going on to become one of the world's best marathon runners.

Foster twice broke the New Zealand marathon record and set a world track record for 20 miles.

The double Olympian was a Commonwealth Games silver medalist who continued on in world Masters competition.

At the age of 50, Foster, set an extraordinary world age-group marathon record of 2:20:28.

He won the Rotorua Marathon four times.

His first victory came in 1970, with John Robinson second and Olympian Bill Ballie third.

John Robinson again chased Foster home in 1972, while Tauranga's Rodger Simmonds was the runner-up in 1973.

Foster wrapped his fourth Rotorua Marathon crown in 1975, with Mike Ryan finishing in second place, six minutes behind the flying Rotorua runner.

In 2022, the modern day Rotorua Marathon may look a million miles from the 1965 inaugural event, but the very essence of the event remains the same – to run (or walk) the circumference of Lake Rotorua, as quickly as possible.