A tightly congested leader board heading into the final race in the Eves Triathlon series has all the makings for a great battle in the Coronation Classic.

This Sunday's event, Round 3 of the annual series, looms as a pivotal event for athletes keenly chasing current leaders Matilda Lawrence and Aiden Dunster.

A competitor on the cycle leg during the Pilot Bay Classic, part of the Eve's Triathlon Series. Photo: Cameron Avery.

The Coronation Classic is part of the trio of triathlons attracting competitors throughout the Bay to compete in the sprint distance – 750m swim, 16km bike, 5km run – and the super sprint distance of a 375m swim, 8km bike, 2.5km run.

Competitors will swim in Pilot Bay, bike around Mount Maunganui's industrial area and finish with a run from Coronation Park, around the Mauao base track, and back.

Team Shorebreak director Sheryl McLay says Lawrence leads the women's standings ahead of Deirdre Lack in second place and Debbie Clarke third, while in the men's Aiden Dunster currently edges Tony Emett and Hayden Moorhouse.

But all top five athletes in both divisions hold the glimmer of finishing with overall honours based on the finishing order and time differences come Sunday – setting up a mother watering race in both divisions.

'Absolutely anything could happen this time,” says Sheryl.

Pre-entry numbers are high and on par with last year's total of about 150 athletes, something Sheryl is rapt with and attributes to strong support within the Bay of Plenty triathlon community.

The event also doubles as The Yeah Right Schools event, which is going ahead despite not being a sanctioned event unlike last year's BOP Secondary Schools Senior Triathlon Championships.

Broken down into Under 19s, Under 16s and Under 14s, students will race across a variety of distances with teams entering the Sprint Distance teams' event.

So far athletes from Aquinas, Bethlehem, Otumoetai, and both Tauranga Boys' and Girls' colleges have entered.

But Sheryl's expecting a late flurry of entries across all categories.

Racing starts at the earlier time of 7.30am on Sunday due to the final day of Oceans 15 at Mount Maunganui Main Beach.