Wellington Scottish and North Harbour Bays won the men's and women's premier titles at the 2016 New Zealand Road Relay Championships in Rotorua on Saturday.
Scottish repeated their Senior Men A Grade win in Christchurch last year, beating New Brighton Olympic, winners in 2012 and Auckland City, the 2014 champions.
Pakuranga led at the first four changes but an injury to marathon runner Ciaran Faherty saw them fall back, allowing Scottish to grab the lead that they never relinquished to the end of the seven-leg 62.5 km relay. Auckland City Athletics moved briefly into second position before being overtaken by New Brighton Olympic.
Olympian Hamish Carson had the job of bringing home the Wellington club over the finish line, at the Energy Events Centre, for their seventh senior men's victory in the 40-year history of the championships.
"It feels bloody brilliant. I'm so happy that all the boys put the work in today," he said.
"There was a nice tail wind so that got me off to a great start. The wheels started to fall off a bit at the end but I managed to keep a good gap and hold on.
"We call this the relay Olympics and I felt I brought my experience from Rio here."
Carson, who ran with teammates Tim Hodge, Rowan Hooper, Sam McCutcheon, Stephen Day, Hiro Tanimoto and Harry Burnard praised Rotorua, after it hosted the championships for the first time in its history.
"We really enjoyed it, it was challenging with a lot of up and down sections but I'll definitely have to come back to do the big marathon here," he said.
Brett Addison from Athletics New Zealand added: "It's been a very big success here in Rotorua. They put a lot of work into the event coming up to this and they have executed it really well."
In the women's premier field, North Harbour Bays had a battle on their hands with Hamilton City Hawks right to the finish with the winning margin just over a minute.
Leah Lassche, on the last leg for the Bays, managed to hold off multiple NZ champion Camille Buscomb, helping her club to their eighth win in the women's championship.
"I was all good about last until there was the fifth leg and then I thought I'd be under pressure," Lassche said.
"But you just have to focus on running my own race and that's what I tried to do.
"I was just trying to hold on because I knew their last runner was very strong. I was just trying to keep it under control."
Meanwhile local running club Lake City celebrated success- finishing second in the masters men 60-plus and third in the masters women's race.
Campbell Horn, who ran the fifth leg in the men's team, said he was happy with the result and highlighted teammate Colin Earwaker's performance .
"It took a while to get into it and I then had to dig deep up Mourea Hill but I'm pleased with how we finished," he said.
"A special mention has to go to Colin because we were down in third before he received the baton.
"He put in a really gutsy performance and pulled us back."
2016 New Zealand Road Relay Championship results:
Senior Men A: 1. Wellington Scottish 3h 23 m 24s, 2. New Brighton Olympic 3h 24m 29s, 3. Auckland City 3h 25m 24s
Senior Women: 1. North Harbour Bays 4h 00m 00s, 2. Hamilton City Hawks 4h 01m 02s, 3. Wellington Harrier Athletic 4h 13m 59s.
Junior Men: 1. Papanui Toc H 2h 31m 18s 2. Christchurch Avon 2h 31m 55s, 3. Auckland City 2h 32m 33s
Junior Women: 1. Auckland City 3h 01m 22s, 2. Hamilton City Hawks 3h 02m 05s, 3. Nelson 3h 04m 29s
Masters Men 40: 1. Wellington Harrier Athletic 3h 46m 03s, 2. Auckland City 3h 47m 10s, 3. Hamilton City Hawks 3h 50m 50s
Masters Men 50: 1. Wellington Harrier Athletic 3h 56m 28s 2. Papanui Toc H 4h 05m 18s, 3. Wellington Scottish 4h 08m 54s
Masters Men 60: 1. Wellington Harrier Athletic 3h 09m 19s 2. Lake City 3h 20m 05s 3. Auckland University 3h 22m 31s
Masters Women: 1. Wellington Scottish 4h 26m 48s, 2. Hamilton City Hawks 4h 35m 19s 3. Lake City 4h 37m 07s