Wanaka's Braden Currie celebrated back-to-back Longest Day titles at the Coast to Coast on Saturday.
A powerful alpine run set him up to break the tape at Sumner Beach in 11hr 18min 37sec. His run over Goat Pass took 2hr 49min 56sec, one of the fastest recorded in the event's 32-year history.
''I don't believe it. I just had another really great day,'' Currie said at the finish.
''Nothing really went too wrong. I just felt good all day.''
Currie said his tactic was to put everything into the run and stretch it out.
''I just gave it to it and had a fantastic run, and felt great off the run. It just felt awesome.''
In the early stage from Kumara, Currie was content to fit in with a leading bunch of 13 riders, but coming off the bike at Mingha for the alpine stage, he wasted no time in waiting for friendships to form.
He opened up a 45sec lead over the first 2km on the run into Deception Valley. At Big Boulders, Currie led by 6min 30sec and had extended this to 13min at Goat Pass. He was 22min up at the transition to the 15km bike at Klondyke and entering the river section held a 24min lead.
Although surrendering a few minutes to five-time champion Richard Ussher on the water, Currie still held a 13min lead going into the 70km bike to Sumner, in which he extended the gap to 20min 37sec.
Low water and a head wind made for a tough time on the river, but Currie was encouraged by his support crew, who told him he was 20min ahead going into the cycle stage to Sumner.
Although Ussher clocked the fastest kayak time on the day of 4hr 20min 32sec, it only took 7min out of Currie's lead going into the bike to the finish.
Currie was always aware of the threat Ussher posed behind him. Despite struggling on the last ride because he did not have any water, the Wanaka athlete was able to keep applying the pressure.
Currie clocked the fastest time (1hr 57min 15sec) on the final stage. The only other rider to go under 2hr was Braden's brother, Glen, who moved into third place with his final stage time of 1hr 58min 50sec.
With Braden (27) winning the title and Glen (31), finishing third, it was the first time two brothers had finished in the medals at the Speight's-sponsored Coast to Coast. Ussher was second in 11hr 39min 19sec, and Glen Currie third in 11hr 57min 29sec.
''There's no shame in losing to those two,'' Glen said, referring to his brother and Ussher.
Glen had a rueful smile as he pondered his younger brother's sporting achievements.
''Every sport I've taken up, he's taken up. But he always seems to do it a little bit better.
''We started with snowboarding. Everything I've done, he seems to take it that little bit further.''
This weekend, Braden Currie will contest the Moonlight Marathon, near Queenstown, and he is making plans to contest the Wenzhou Adventure Challenge in China with brother Glen, Dougal Allan and Coast to Coast women's champion Jess Simson.
