Steve Tripp, of Dunedin, said Crush the Cargill was started in 2017 as a challenging 24-hour run.
Endurance running was something of an addiction for those who caught the bug, Dr Tripp said.
"Once you start running on trails, in mountains or in the wild it’s easy just to keep going ... There’s often no set distances, so events tend to go longer."
It was often more laid-back than other sports and tended to attract people with a sense of humour, who liked nature, community and challenging themselves.
Last year he ran the full 24 hours without stopping, which was tough going, Dr Tripp said.
Between 2am and 5am was the hardest part.
"You do have to know that you’ll get past that."
A lot of people dropped out of the race early in the morning — especially if they stopped to sleep, because it was so hard to start again.
People could do as many laps as they wanted, but the record to beat was 18.
The rain made things miserable for the supporters but did not affect the runners much, although it likely affected the number starting, Dr Tripp said.
On Saturday, 52 runners had registered, but it usually attracted about 110 people, about 40 of whom would do a couple of laps during the day.
It was primarily an inclusive event open to athletes of any ability, as long as people could walk up the hill. Many people brought their dogs and children along, Dr Tripp said.
The event was raising funds for the Valley Project, which put on a breakfast for runners yesterday morning.
St Clair resident Pascal Saker said he was the sole contestant competing in the race’s "Hang-10" division.
Wearing a wetsuit, he would be carrying his surfboard from the bottom to the top of Mt Cargill 10 times.
Last year he was the sole contestant in the race’s multisports division, where he alternated between carrying a kayak and a bicycle and running up the hill.
The inclusion of the Hang-10 division showed Crush the Cargill was branching out, he joked.
