''It was a bit of battle. It's such a new event, it's hard to know how to pace it, really, and not go out too hard at the start,'' the Christchurch athlete said. Lukes (42) was happy with his time and said it was just as well he had a good headlamp as he finished at 3.30am on Saturday, after starting at noon on Friday.
''With the lamp I had about 200m visibility and I really needed it. It was so tricky underfoot with mud, greasy clay and a bit of ice through the night and morning. Add being sleep-deprived into the mix and it's even more challenging.''
The course was set around a 10km loop, with half along a gravel road and the other half in a track through the Naseby forest next to the water race that gives the event its name.
The water race was built for goldmining more than 150 years ago and is now used to supply drinking water for Naseby. The race has been going for seven years and this was the first time a 160km event had been included, to complement the 50km, 60km, 80km and 100km distances.
Event organiser Jamie Sinclair said there were a record number of entrants overall, with 34 athletes lining up for the 160km distance.
''It's been hugely successful so it'll be held every year. There are only two 100-mile off-road races in New Zealand, the Northburn 100 and this one, and they're both in Otago, which I reckon is pretty cool,'' Sinclair said.
Lukes has competed in the Naseby race before, winning the 100km event in 2011, and praised the organisers for creating an event with ''a real laid-back, community feel to it''.
''Seeing the determination of all the other runners, seeing them work so hard and stick at it is really inspiring.''
Lukes has won the Northburn 100-mile event twice and said the two 100-mile races were very different.
''Northburn is brutal - up and down and you have no choice but walk some of it but here, you're running the whole way so there's a real danger of going out too hard in the first third.''
Being mentally prepared for the endurance event was just as important as the physical training, he said.
''And probably you have to be a bit nutty to do it in the first place anyway.''
Second placegetter in the Naseby 160km race was John Bayne, of Dunedin, in a time of 17hr 14min, and third was Glen Sutton, also of Dunedin, in 17.57.
Jean Beaumont, of Wellington, was the first female 100-miler home, in 18.24, followed by Sarah Richardson, of Australia in 20.10 and Lynette McDougal, of Wanaka in 23.19. Simon Wooding, of Christchurch, who won the 50km event last year, competed in the 100km event for the first time and won in a time of 9hr 12min. Ben Aynsley, of Greymouth, won the 50km in 3.49.
