Used to the pressure of running highly acclaimed restaurants, celebrity chef Josh Emett today felt a different kind of pressure as he pounded the pavement with thousands of other runners for the Queenstown marathon.
Emett, 41, ran the New York marathon five years ago and has been in training for the past three months.
"I've crammed it in in the early mornings, it started with 3-4 days a week and then became 6 days a week."
He wanted to finish in under 4 hours but was philosophical about his 4.06 time.
"The conditions were not ideal, the weather was pretty moody and I hit a puddle about the 16k mark and I didn't need that. My feet were already wet but I didn't need to fill my boots."
"By the halfway mark I'd hit an 1.51 but I slowed down after about the 25k mark and I didn't really get my energy back."
He's now minus a couple of toenails from the ordeal but remains upbeat about staying fit.
"I don't know if I'll do another marathon but I'll definitely keep running, you just have to."
Wellington-based marathon runner, James Parsons, 27 won the men's section, crossing the line in 2.33.42 while Victoria Beck, 32, of Dunedin won the women's race in 2.55.20.