More than 4500 competitors are entered in five different events, including the off-road marathon and triathlon.
Some of the big names from last year, like Wanaka Olympian Nicky Samuels, are missing, but that has not stopped an 11% increase in competitors from a year ago.
There has been a significant increase in international entries this year. Competitors are coming from as far away as Canada, the United States, Australia and Papeete.
Aucklander Angus Williams (11) is entered in the 15km miners trail run, and is the youngest competitor this year.
Christchurch's Sam Anderson (12), the second youngest entrant, will compete in the 47km mountain bike event. He was allowed to take part only after convincing organisers he had completed significant supervised training.
At the other end of the scale, John Falconer (82), of Gore, will run the off-road marathon. He takes over from Arrowtown's Max McDermid, who died last year, as the oldest competitor.
If Falconer finishes the 42.2km marathon, he will be awarded the Max McDermid Memorial Trophy, which has been established for the oldest finisher.
The addition of a solo category in the 51km adventure run has attracted 51 competitors, while 25 teams of two will battle it out in the team leg.
Numbers are also up in the triathlon, with 44 teams (125 competitors) and 116 individuals tackling the course.
The most popular event is the mountain bike, with 2843 riders of all levels entered.
Queenstown Trails Trust chief executive Mandy Kennedy said it was ''incredible' to see how far the event had come in just 11 years.
''Around 1300 competitors entered the first Motatapu back in 2005, across the marathon and mountain bike events only,'' she said.
''To see such growth in both the amount of events and number of athletes is a great achievement.''
Dunedin's Guy Bonner, who finished fifth in the open men's marathon last year and eighth overall, is back to push for a top-three finish.
He finished in 3hr 26min 3sec last year, and none of the four runners who finished in front of him is back this year.
Inspector Mel Aitken, of Dunedin, is one of 140 entered in the open women's marathon.
Aitken, who lost her Otago open women's marathon title to Sarah Chisnall at the Dunedin marathon in September, will test herself on a much hillier course.
If all goes well, she could threaten Victoria Beck's 2012 record of 3hr 18min 14sec.
Only one record fell last year, when Alun Williams beating Gary Melhuish's 2013 time of 1hr 21min 9sec in the miners run by almost five minutes, winning in 1hr 16min 29sec.
MOTATAPU
The facts
First race: 2005.
Distances: Mountain bike (47km), marathon run (42.2km), miners trail run (15km), adventure two-person run (49km), triathlon (2km swim, 47km mountain bike, 15km run).
Tomorrow: 4567 competitors.
Youngest: 11.
Oldest: 82.
Records -
Mountain bike: Dirk Peters, 1hr 47min 53sec (2013); Kate Fluker, 2hr 9min 35sec (2013).
Marathon: John Winsbury, 2hr 38min 13sec (2009); Victoria Beck, 3hr 18min 14sec (2012).
Miners trail: Alun Williams, 1hr 16min 29sec (2014); Louisa Andrew, 1hr 30min 46sec (2010). Triathlon: Braden Currie, 3hr 48min 05sec (2012); Nicky Samuels, 4hr 17min 10sec (2014).
Adventure two-person run: Bas Smith and Jess Simson, 6hr 40min 23sec (2012).
