An air of uncertainty lies over who will be first to make it to the finish line for the 2017 Kawerau King of the Mountain.

The 2017 Kawerau King of the Mountain race has been going since 2006 and has three races a school relay, prince and princess race, and main race.

The 8km race will start at Firmin Field on Waterhouse street and circle around Putauaki mountain track, which is 852 metres above sea level, before returning back to Firmin Field.

In the men's field Australians Mark Bourne and Ben Duffus are likely contenders for the king title.

The current Kiwi contenders are Chris Morrissey, with eight titles and Sjors Corporaal, with four- both have sub-50 times which will be water take to be crowned king.

Aside from vying for the ultimate crown, they will fight personal battles to be the fastest Kiwi veterans.

There are some exciting prospects in the juniors- Kaya Corporaal and Regan Wilson are the most likely contenders to take out the junior ranks or push for the overall title.

In 2011, the current record holder Shay Williamson won his first crown at 18. His record stands at 45:31.

It is going to take a superhuman effort for someone to break it but, with Williamson not likely to defend his title, the record is up for grabs.

Kawerau District Council events and venues manager Lee Barton, who's been involved with the race in one form or another since 2009, says on the day anyone can show up and it becomes a different race.

'There is no doubt the calibre of athlete has improved beyond belief and the times keep pushing the limits. Barry Prosser was the last veteran to be a king, so you never know.”

'The race will come down to a sub-50 finish time. An astonishing 29 competitors have indicated they are aiming for sub-60 times; sevenof these are hoping for sub-50 times. In 2016, 24 entrants achieved a sub-60 time. Of these, four went below 50 minutes and the record was broken.”

There's no favourite in the queen race, last year's winner, Ruby Muir, isn't likely to defend her title, leaving the field wide open.

Australian-based Swede Ashild Krige is the Australian queen hopeful, though she is relatively unexperienced with the size and scale of Putauaki.

Rotorua-based Emmelie Gulliver will debut in Kawerau and could pull out a surprise. Kawerau local and last year's number one junior Jana Longney may be a genuine contender in what is a relatively inexperienced female line-up.

Whatever your level of fitness and speed, it's a remarkable challenge, with live streaming of the action back to a large screen at the finish line on Firmin Field, the race is also more interactive than ever for spectators.

'All those who are in the race are heroes, whatever their ability. Putauaki is an incredible challenge and we hope the crowds come out to support those in the race this year.”

The 2017 Kawerau King of the Mountain is on Saturday, October 28 and already has around 171 pre-entries, with only 29 spaces still available. Entries have closed online, but there is still time to enter on the day.

School Replay start at 9am, Prince and Princess Race 11am, Main Race 12pm, and the prize giving will at 3.30pm.

For more information and the prices of each race go to: http://www.kaweraukingofthemountain.co.nz/