Falloon, meanwhile, is still in the u16 age group and is coached by New Zealand's greatest ironman, Cory Hutchings.
'I'd almost decided not to do the race but Cory told me I should give the individual race a go,' Falloon said.
'It gave me something to train hard for pre-season, and he just kept encouraging me to give it a go.
'Then I pulled my calf two weeks ago and I've been having heaps of physio, so it was last-minute that I came through to do it — it turned out pretty good.'
Falloon managed to pull away from 2017 champion Hamish Miller on the final leg, the board, for an outstanding debut.
Gisborne athletes filled three of the top seven placings overall. Apart from Falloon (2 hours 32 minutes 49 seconds), Nathan Proctor (Waikanae) was fourth overall and second in the u19 division in 2:37:51 and Jack Keepa (Wainui) was seventh overall and fifth u19 competitor in 2:41:39.
Wainui athlete Jonty Evans was 16th overall, 15th male and 11th in the u19 division in a time of 2:47:19.
In the teams event, the Waikanae team of Christy Tate and Georgie Pitkethley were first in the nine-team u19 female division, third of 12 female teams and 29th of 60 teams overall. Their time was 3:02:53.
This is the third year in a row Tate and Pitkethley have won this event. For the first two years they won it with Lauren Pickett and Briana Irving also in the team.
In the Mini Monster swim-board-run event for under-14 surf athletes, Tyron Evans (Midway) 45:01, was fourth overall of 37 finishers; Sophie Petro (Midway) 48:47, was 10th overall and second female; and Charlie Keepa (Wainui) 56:31, was 24th overall and sixth female.
Waikanae's Michelle Mitchell completed the course in the veterans' division.
'I'm glad I did it but holy heck it was brutal,' she said. 'There was a solid metre of surf running. The Gisborne athletes were phenomenal. They all did so well, and I'm very proud of them,' Mitchell.
Mount Monster individual overall winner Collins backed up from his runner-up finish last year with a dominant win, on a dramatic day fuelled by big swells and hot competition.
He was joined on the winning podium by fellow Taranaki lifeguard Claudia Kelly, 18, collecting her first Mount Monster title.
Collins eased home in 2:29:32. He has been based in Australia for much of this year, training with the Northcliffe club 14 times a week under the guidance of former New Zealand star performer Kevin Morrison, and the work paid off.
'I love coming and doing the Mount Monster because it just gives you such an endurance base for the rest of the year and then I can get into the sprint stuff for the rest of the under-19 season.'
With a record field of 363 surf athletes (including teams) tackling the 24.5-kilometre, four-leg epic along the Mount Maunganui coastline, organisers stepped things up by changing the order of legs for the first time in seven years, promoting the 12km ski to the start.
After that came a 5km beach run, a 1.5km swim that started with a leap from five metres into the surf, and a 6km board paddle.
With 2m set waves sneaking through, it made for a spectacular show, especially as the ski paddlers turned at Omanu for the return leg.
Collins, Miller and Ollie Puddick led the initial charge and Collins survived being washed off his ski at the turn to pick Miller up and pass him in the final kilometre. He then eased away on the run and swim and was never really challenged, while Falloon kept picking off his rivals in a remarkable show of youthful stamina.
It was a similar story for Kelly in a stacked women's race. She jostled for the lead with defending champion Ella Kingi (Otaki) and Devon Halligan (formerly of Gisborne's Midway club) for large parts of the ski leg, before joining East End teammate Julia Padrutt in the lead on the run. Despite a wobbly ankle, she managed to keep stretching her advantage, finishing by catching a bomb on the final board leg into the beach.
'It's just such an achievement to do the whole thing myself,' Kelly said. 'I've been injured the past few years but I'm just so stoked to take it out today.'
Kelly's time was 2:44:37, good enough for 11th overall and four minutes faster than Kingi. Mount Maunganui's Olive Pearce overcame a badly-damaged ski to finish third.
