Waihi's the Nugget Multisport Festival on today is attracting the attention of several top-class multisport athletes, including Eastern Bay of Plenty's Sam Clark and Tauranga's Dwarne Farley.

Clark, a Whakatane athlete who placed fourth in 2013's Coast to Coast, is returning to the Nugget after winning the inaugural event four years ago, at the age of 19.

Tauranga's Dwarne Farley is competing in The Nugget Multisport Festival today, following a comeback from serious injuries inflicted by a motorcycle hitting him in 2012.

Eastern Bay of Plenty's Sam Clark is returning to compete in The Nugget Multisport Festival today, four years after he won the inaugural event.

On the comeback trail after surgery on a damaged wrist, he's hoping for sufficient form to take on the full 78km multisport event, with an eye for the win.

His main competition will come from a considerably older athlete – Dwarne – who is an accomplished athlete also making a return to the sport after suffering a serious injury from being hit by a Harley Davison when out training in 2012.

The motorcycle accident snapped his lower leg, inflicting a compound fracture of the right tibia and fibula, but he's resolved to get fit again and is now gearing up for today's festival.

The Nugget has seen several transformations during the years, starting out as an Anaconda event in 2010, before becoming The Nugget Multisport Festival in 2011.

Initially run by Total Sport, it returns to the Waihi community for the first time this year.

The Waihi Sport ‘n' Action Charitable Trust is the benefactor of the event, with funds raised going towards a major sports facility redevelopment project.

The course has also had some refinements during the years, with the most significant in the kayak stage.

Formerly out at sea, the course is now much more user-friendly, less risky and more scenic, with an out-and-back paddle in the harbour.

Race manager Mark Samson says containing the kayak leg in the safety of the northern Tauranga Harbour delivers a course 'that recreational and new paddlers will love, while still creating a speed challenge to experienced kayakers”.

For most athletes who have participated in the event in the past, the coastal run section remains the highlight.

Clark remembers the run fondly, as do other top racers, including Farley and Kerry Suter from Hamilton.

The Hamiltonian runner is hoping for a ‘three-peat', having won the event for the last two years.

The run course itself is offered as a stand-alone event, attracting the most entries in The Nugget Festival.

On the day, participants have many options to choose from, including the Half Nugget duathlon event, which features running and mountain biking, as well as 21km, 10km and 5km run/walk options.

The team event has a nice twist in the tail, with all team members required to run the final 2km together, inside the famous Martha Mine.

The new organising team behind the event is striving to make The Nugget a user-friendly experience, and has announced a support-free option for individuals doing the Full Nugget or Half Nugget.

Stu Lynch, who was part of the current World Champion Adventure racing team Thule, believes the support-free option is something that will catch on 'as it reduces the difficulty of participation by removing the need to find crew members”.

The Nugget starts 8am. For more information, visit www.thenugget.co.nz