Around the Mountain Relay returns

One of the country’s top running events made a successful return to New Plymouth a year after Covid-19 forced its cancellation.

More than 800 people took part the Taranaki Steelformers Around The Mountain Relay over the weekend, and race director Selwyn Brown said it had been like ‘‘starting again’’ after the pandemic.

‘‘It went incredibly well under spring-like conditions.

‘‘Everyone that was involved said it had been an awesome event.’’

Brown said participants had come from all over, with at least one person from the UK.

The event sees teams of between 10 and 18 members completing a 150km lap of Taranaki Maunga, with 21 legs of between 5km and 11km, starting and finishing at the New Plymouth Raceway on Saturday.

Three runners took part in a solo 100-mile (160km) event, setting out from Kent Rd, outside New Plymouth, at 5pm on

Friday, with Nathan Vazey, of Oakura, crossing the finish line 17 hours, nine minutes and 16 seconds later, according to provisional results, to win, followed by Craig Barrett, of

New Plymouth, and Geoff Ness, of Paraparaumu, who took 20 hours to complete the course and, understandably, needed a sit down after crossing the line.

Long-term rivals Bodylogic, of New Plymouth, and the Hāwera Hounds once again fought it out in the team event, with only minutes between them.

Hāwera Hounds came first in 2017, but Bodylogic overtook them in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

This year, Bodylogic did it

again with a time of 11:20:09, with the Hāwera Hounds coming in only three minutes later, with a time of 11:23:44.

VANESSA LAURIE/STUFF Bodylogic celebrate after crossing the line and beating their long-time rivals, the Hāwera Hounds, by just a few minutes. From left are Stephen Lett, Gye Simkin, Bede Colbourne (who ran the final leg), Ryan Sissons, Mick Mcbeth, Kyle Bridgeman, Shanon Stallard, Max Gordon, Nathan Coombes, and Ash Mcdonald.

Bodylogic and Hāwera Hounds may be rivals on the course, but it’s goodnatured.

The Stratford Runners and Walkers team crossing the finish line together.

Geoff Ness takes a seat to rest after placing third in the solo 100 miles.