If heavy rain could be deemed perfect weather for an outdoor event, the second "Beast" mud run held near Paihia on Saturday proved the point.
A record 800 entries were received, 300 more than the inaugural Fullers GreatSights Bay of Islands Beast last year. In all, 715 contestants crossed the finish line.
About 400 of this year's registered entrants were first-time contestants, dubbed "Virgin Beasties".
The 300 registered runners and 500 walkers sloshed, squelched and sometimes slid their way over the sloping 7km farmland track at Haruru Falls.
This year's average time of 1 hour, 42 minutes and 33 seconds was a lot slower than last year, where the average competitor took 1 hour 16 minutes.