Kayaker Sarah Perriam (29) was apologetic when she finished near the tail of the field on Lake Roxburgh on Saturday, but her teammates were quick to point out she had not taken a swim in the heavy swells, as many others had.
She also shattered her time goal of 3hr for the 30km leg by at least 15min in a boat she had never used before, after hers fell off the roof of her car a few days earlier.
Tania Reid (38) threw all her energy at the 35km mountainbike ride from Roxburgh Dam to Little Valley, finishing well within her goal time of 3hr despite the headwind, while mountain runner Ann Scanlan (47) gave a clinical demonstration of how to charge about the high country at great pace, clocking up 1hr 43min for an 18km run in 32degC heat.
The team was in good spirits at the Manorburn camp on Saturday night.
‘‘We've got a good crew, good tent-pitchers. We are as happy as pigs in mud,'' Reid said.
After the first day, the team was fifth of 10 teams entered in the open women's category, with another Wanaka team, Wanaka Chix, comprising Ginny Bush, Jo Williams and Nikki Shaw, comfortably in the lead.
Perriam felt everything was going ‘‘really, really well''.
‘‘Our morale is very high because in the last two legs we chomped up other people. And it is all good now everybody has been out and done their bit,'' she said. Reid and Scanlan were not letting Perriam play down her role.
‘‘Put me in the same situation. If I had to ride someone else's bike, I would spit the dummy. And like you said, we can't kayak,'' Reid said.
Perriam will have the current behind her this morning with a 39km kayak leg from Albert Town to Lindis River crossing.
And it seems the team has what it takes to pick up the tempo. Yesterday, the three members broke all their personal time goals again to romp home to Tarras at 2.30pm.
