A classic battle of youth versus experience is set to take place in this year's Motu Challenge.

George Christison will not only take on the demanding multisport course, but also his own son Shamus.

George and his son Shamus will take each other on at Motu Challenge.

Scheduled for October 10, the Motu Challenge is one of the country's premier multisport events.

With this year's fixture looking to shoot the lights out by attracting a bigger field and delivering up numerous colourful subplots.

Among those is the emerging father son battle, as the older Christison, a two-time victor (1997 and 2005) pits himself against the younger.

The gruelling, but fun, Motu Challenge is held in and around Opotiki, in the Bay Of Plenty, with four stages: 65km mountain bike, 17km run, 52km road cycle, and multisport stage with a 27km kayak, 8km road cycle and 3km run to the finish.

George's pedigree extends to triumphing in the famous Speights Coast to Coast race with many smaller titles also under his belt.

However, 17-year-old Shamus, while relatively new to the sport, clearly benefits from his father's genes, already coming in ahead in a shorter three hour multisport race.

Be that as it may, George is backing himself, citing a range of reasons, central among which is his competitive nature and deep experience.

'It is a ‘big ask' for a young fella to get everything right on his first attempt at a major event,” he reckons.

'Most old hands would agree. Pacing yourself, getting the right nutrition and surviving the tough bits are all part and parcel of a long endurance event.

'Not many athletes get it right first time. Add to that the pressure and hype of a big event and the odds seem stacked against the young rival.”

Shamus is stepping up to the full multisport event, having completed the arduous Motu 160 cycle challenge last year (a 65km mountain bike and a 90km road cycle) with an impressive 4^th place finish at just 16-years-old.

He's also recently left school and is working to save money towards his tertiary education.

That work includes heavy farm duty – some of it with his father. His mother chuckled when asked how her son is coping.

'He certainly isn't training as much as he used to when he was at school. He is usually tired after a day's work but George is used to it, I suppose,” she related.

The odds of father beating son seem to lie with the 40-something old, whose past wins put him in the company of big names in multisport, including Sam Clark, Richard Ussher, Steve Gurney, Nathan Fa'vae, Gordon Walker and Neil Jones.

But don't count out the young gun. If he is anything like his father, you can bet he'll be fighting hard all the way.

Competitors, their supporters and spectators enjoy rugged terrain and some of the finest scenery of any multisport event in New Zealand.

The race is run through native bush-clad gorges, valleys and hills and down the Waioeka River.

The mountain bike stage has been voted the best mountain bike section of any race in New Zealand. The event is well supported by the Opotiki community and many locals turn out to watch the race and attend the prize giving.

Opotiki locals love having this great event in their community and go out of their way to make visitors feel welcome.