The mix of past multi-sport winners at Freycinet containing Mark and Louise Padgett, Ben Mather and Rowena Fry took ownership of the two-day race from the departing Tim Saul back in June.

Entries hit an all-time low last year of just 180 after once peaking at 550 competitors.

But according now to Louise Padgett, a purposeful change in direction should appeal to a broader number of potential athletes.

“We’ve got numbers up already – we’re at least equal to the amount or we’re just above the numbers of last year,” she said.

“Hopefully, and as we know with our experience running events, it is usually a last rush to enter – typical Tasmanian style to leave everything to the last minute.

“Early days though, the entry numbers are looking good. But we just hope that Tasmanians get behind it.”

While entries will close on October 1, Padgett added that long-term goals have been set to surpass 400 entrants to sustain the event.

“If we got 300 or so this year, we’d be stoked,” she said. “Obviously, 400 would be awesome, but realistically we’re aiming close to 300.”

The organising quartet that include Freycinet champions in 2013 until 2015 have experience also on the other side of competition.

The Padgetts have been behind the Icebreaker Multisport Challenge at Cataract Gorge and also the Coles Bay Half Triathlon, all the while Mather and Fry have run the popular Blue Dragon Mountain Bike Challenge.

The next move for Freycinet is to attract high-end “mainlanders” to the state in the fight for the multi-sport’s most prestigious lure.

“The title of Australian Multi-Sport champion is one that is drawing a few people, that’s for sure,” Padgett said.

“But why it gets the title is because it is a demanding challenge to do individually and to be able to back up that second day to do it all again almost.

“That’s also why it is seen as a team event because of the social atmosphere of that camaraderie and its an event that can cater for everybody of every ability level.”

Further changes include adding a new one-day option for competitors to race on Sunday, while a greater emphasis on juniors participating has resulted in a high schools team category.