The starting gun will sound for the inaugural 5km, 10km, half-marathon and marathon event on February 4, with participants making their way through a mystery course between Skippers Canyon and Moke Lake.
Race organiser Adrian Bailey, founder of Queenstown event co-ordinating company Active Qt, was excited about what he hoped would be an annual event.
"We put up a teaser trailer on Friday evening because we've had interest from France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, the States, Australia and New Zealand," Bailey said.
"We're just co-ordinating the final details, but the race itself is entirely on the beautiful, private Ben Lomond Station."
Up to 400 marathon participants will meet at Moke Lake, leaving their vehicles to be transported to the start of the course.
Participants in the other races will begin at Moke Lake.
Beginning at the Skippers Canyon Pipeline Bungy, the marathon course makes its way through the canyon, water races, across mountain bluffs and up on to the Moonlight Track.
From there, runners will make their way to the finish at Moke Lake, where, organisers say, a festive family atmosphere will welcome finishers at the Ben Lomond woolshed.
Bailey said it had been about six years since Queenstown's last marathon, so it was great to create a "destination marathon" on the private land of the Ben Lomond Station, owned by John and Ginny Foster.
"From what I've heard, the fact that we now have a marathon in the area means it's attractive for people who want to come for an adventure in the race and then do everything else in Queenstown as well."
Another Active Qt event, Race the Train, already has about 150 participants signed up to pit themselves against the recently relaunched Kingston Flyer.
Bailey said there were another 150 places for people who wanted to take the steam train from Kingston to the starting line at Fairlight, with shuttles available for those who miss out.
While he said the response so far was "brilliant", he expected more entries for the January 8 event after Christmas.
