Triathletes are gearing up for the 35th Marra Sprint Triathlon this weekend.

The Sunday race at Mount Maunganui is one of the few North Island races to go ahead this season.

Events and Development Manager Paul Miller says this has led to some heavy competition.

'We have quite a stacked field since we're one of the only ones going ahead,” says Paul.

This stacked field includes Tokyo Olympians such as Tayler Reid, Hayden Wilde and reserve Trent Thorpe, who will all be competing in this year's Marra Sprint.

The races will have no more than 100 athletes competing at once, complying with the current red-light restrictions.

The triathlon features three different lengths that relate to the age of the athletes.

There is the Marra Minis, which involves 100m swim, 2km bike ride and 1km run; the Marra Monsters, which features a 400m swim, 10km bike and a 2km run; the Marra Short, which is also a 400m swim, 10km bike and 2km run; and the big event, the 35th Marra Sprint, which has a 750m swim, 20km bike and a 5km run around the Mount Maunganui base track.

The Marra Minis is designed for kids aged 6 to 11, the Marra Monsters is for kids aged 12 to 16, the Marra short is available to athletes 16 and older, and the Marra Sprint is for adults.

To ensure the event can be held with safe operations, the following roads will be closed from 5am to 12pm Sunday, March 13.

• The Mall, Mount Maunganui
• Adams Avenue, Mount Maunganui
• Marine Parade to Oceanbeach Road, Mount Maunganui

Due to restrictions in place for Covid-19, the races start times will be staggered throughout the morning, and prizes will be handed out after the event rather than the usual prize giving.

For more information regarding the races and the individual start times, see the triathlon website at https://triathlontauranga.org.nz/events/marra/.