The next generation of surf lifesaving athletes, along with a handful of Olympians, are stepping up for the country's richest surf sports race in Mount Maunganui this weekend.

The third annual Mount Monster boasts another record field, with nearly 300 athletes chasing $9000 in prizemoney at the 25km, four-stage endurance race.

Mount Main Beach will be a hive of activity this weekend, as New Zealand's richest surf sports race comes to town. Photo: File.

With previous champions Cory Taylor, Max Beattie and Danielle McKenzie using the event to help vault into the professional ironman ranks in Australia, Saturday's race is wide open as a cluster of young stars hope to follow a similar pathway.

Defending women's champion Kirsty Wanna (Piha) will have club-mate and New Zealand under-19 ironwoman champion Hannah Williams chasing her hard, while Mount local Jess Miller has spent the past year training and competing alongside McKenzie and the Northcliffe squad on the Gold Coast.

Omanu's Ben Cochrane, 20, has also been working and training at Northcliffe, while 17-year-olds Hamish Miller and Tainui Kaihau both have huge futures in the sport.

Miller is also a New Zealand age-group triathlon star while Maroochydore-based Kaihau recently finished third in the under-19 division of the Coolangatta Gold.

Mason Bryant (Papamoa), Sam Shergold (Mount Maunganui) and Muriwai's Jake Allan are others likely to feature in the open ranks.

The team ranks feature at least four Olympians.

Kayakers Steve Ferguson and Teneale Hatton are both representing Piha teams, while whitewater star Mike Dawson is in an invitation team with 2008 Olympian and French butterfly swimmer Magali Rousseau and former New Zealand surfing champion Matt Hewitt.

The event starts and finishes on Mount Maunganui's Main Beach, with a 5km beach run, a spectacular swim leg which includes a jump off Moturiki Island's blowhole, a 12km ski leg to Omanu and a 6km board paddle.

It also features a unique prizemoney split, with $1000 going to the first open male and open female and a "Monster Pot" awarded to first overall in the male, female and teams based on the number of entries in each division.