Colin aims for higher honours | Rotorua Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Rotorua

Colin Earwaker is like a bottle of wine - he just keeps getting better with age.

The veteran Lakes City Athletic Club runner is having a crack at his third World Masters Mountain Running Championships and at the ripe age of 50 reckons he's in the best form of his running career.

"Considering I've just turned 50, I'm running just as well if not better than I have before. On paper I have a real chance at making a podium finish," Earwaker said.

The former Bay of Plenty sportsman of the year heads for the small village of Saillon nestled in the Swiss Alps on September 14 and tackles the mountainous course on the 23rd.

But this weekend his focus is the flat tarsealed streets of Christchurch in the New Zealand road running championships. It will be a yardstick for Switzerland.

"It'll give me a good indication of my fitness levels but I'm feeling pretty good at the moment."

The Waikite Valley farmer, who has been running for 10-years, has an impressive running CV including two other world masters events under his running shoes in Italy and Austria.

Knowing what to expect this time round and already having tasted running in the Alps, Earwaker reckons he should put up a pretty good challenge.

The 9.7km course starts at the Saillon Spas, crosses the vineyard terraces, then crosses the footbridge of Farinet, before tracking along small forest paths and arriving in the Ovronnaz stadium.

In preparation he has been training on some of the steepest hills in the Whakarewarewa forest.

A particular road namely Hill Rd has been a favourite with Earwaker traversing it at least six times in one training session.

"Yeah I've been doing some hard hills reps and trying to push myself.

"And once a week I do a long run of about 35km."

Luckily he hasn't suffered any injuries and only small niggles like tight muscles have been easy to work through.

Back in March Earwaker took out the Rotorua Half Marathon title when it was staged in the Whakarewarewa Forest for the first time in the history of the event usually run around Mt Ngongotaha.

His good form continued when he won the masters division at the New Zealand Mountain Running Championships in Blenheim and then in June crossed the ditch to win the masters race at the Gold Coast Half Marathon.

He raced through the first 10km in 32m50s.