The elements were hotter than the pace at the Mainfreight City to Surf and Bay of Plenty Times Surf to Surf, finishing at Main Beach yesterday.
The men's winning time of 39m 40s set in oppressive conditions was almost two minutes slower than Tauranga runner Kyle Macdonald's winning time of last year, with the leading women's time just four seconds quicker than the time set by Sarah Backler a year ago.
Men's Mainfreight City to Surf winner Bobby Dean was surprised by his strong form after originally not planning to take part in the event.
The Maketu runner, whose sister Jessica finished fourth in the 12km women's race, was a late entry on the morning of the event.
"I'm surprised, I didn't think I would win," he said. "It depends a lot on the field and who turns up. It's not as competitive as last year - some of the main Tauranga runners are missing like the Macdonald boys and Ben Ruthe. They're normally the frontrunners in this race."