A single crash between two cycle competitors tainted what was an otherwise successful Ghost to Ghost triathlon at St Bathans on Saturday.
Organising committee secretary Linda Armstrong said two male cyclists competing in a senior bike leg of the race collided about noon, both coming off their bicycles.
One male, from Dunedin, was treated at the scene for leg injuries, after which he was taken to Dunedin Hospital by helicopter.
Mrs Armstrong said a fellow competitor who happened to be an orthopaedic surgeon attended to the man, before the first-response medical team could get to him.
"It happened on the first downhill section of the senior bike race, which started at the Vulcan Hotel and went around St Bathans, the Blue Lake, and another lake nearby," she said.
The man was dismissed from hospital yesterday.
Mrs Armstrong said despite the accident, more than 220 competitors made for a successful triathlon, which celebrated its 20th year.
Dougal Allan won the open men's individual section with a time of 1:34:43, while Katharine Eustace won the open women's individual section in 2:09:48.
"We had people from all over the place come back to compete in the 20th event, as well as a lot of families. One man has done it for 17 consecutive years and this year competed with his daughter. He said he would continue to compete until his 2-year-old grandson was able to participate and there was three generations of family racing. It's a really family-orientated event," Mrs Armstrong said.
The Ghost to Ghost, which was inspired by the annual Coast to Coast multisport event, is believed to be one of the longest-running triathlons in New Zealand.
Mrs Armstrong said the man who founded the triathlon as a way of raising funds for the St Bathans community, Donald Harley, returned to the village to start Saturday's race.
"We organise the day completely voluntarily and all proceeds are held by the St Bathans Area Community Trust. We could not have a successful day without the tremendous support of our sponsors and competitors," she said.
