The 36-year-old artist from Derbyshire, England, who has been running competitively for the past four years, clocked a scorching time of 3hr 42min 40sec, faster than the male runner up, Phil McKay, of Hastings, who came in at 3:54:01.
"I liked the course and found it equally hard although it was slightly shorter," said the mother who is returning to the United Kingdom where she, husband Andrew and daughter Rachel, 7, will settle in Wales.
"We're moving partly because of family, partly because of a change."
Unlike last year, Leck found the peak didn't allow time for recovery on the flat, demanding runners head straight up again.
Like many competitors, she felt Tait did the right thing in embracing safety first.
Her sedentary occupation and because she walked everywhere meant it was time to step things up.
"It's more addictive. It's my release ... so I get fresh air but it's for fitness and health, too.
"It's beautiful country here so it's good to be out and about," says Leck who lived at the village for six months when they arrived from the UK five years ago before they gravitated towards the capital city for work. Rachel is following in her mum's footsteps, having won two Miramar North School crosscountry events in a row.
Dunedinite Sam McCutcheon clinched the individual men's title in 3:23:02 in a field of 106, including 31 females.
It was the first Triple Peaks and running title for the 24-year-old solicitor who has been working in Wellington for the past year.
"Everyone was disappointed not to do all [three peaks] with the weather ... maybe three [rounds on Te Mata] was too much.
"In saying that, I went out too hard in the first round a little bit so I'm glad I didn't do a fourth one," says the man who intends to return next year to do "the actual peaks".
He took up running a little more than three years ago because friends were doing it but also found it was a good way to see Wellington and the country.
McKay, a town planner at Hastings District Council, took a while to recuperate.
"I believe I didn't get my nutrition plan quite right," the 45-year-old said of his fourth event.
"I had my breakfast too close to the start time but I got there in the end."
He finds running to be good stress release.
"It's an iconic Hawke's Bay event so I enjoy the course and getting on the hills when the opportunity arises.
"I realised too late in life that I'm pretty good at it," said McKay, who played rugby but was too light and got into cricket but didn't consider himself a natural.
He respected Tait's decision to change the course, considering the walkers would have got caught up in the inclement weather.
"But I have a bit of a gripe. He said it was an 11km circuit when in fact it's more like 13 to 14km so it's still pretty close to a marathon.
"When you look at 11km then 33km seems reasonable but it was closer to 39 to 40km."
Wellingtonian Rosie Hodson, in her 20s, came second (4:07:25) in the women's individual race while Rachael Tolhopf, of Haumoana, was third (4:16:44).
Tolhopf ran as an individual for the first time although she has competed in six others as a member of a team from the time she was at Havelock North High School.
A nurse at the heart ward at Hawke's Bay Hospital in Hastings, the 24-year-old said she saw a lot of sick people.
"When I run then I can eat. After a big run I like eating so it makes me feel good," she said, not minding the change in course but could see why some were disappointed.
In fact, Tolhopf felt she wouldn't have come second had it been the traditional course.
"Fifty kilometres is just huge and I couldn't do it without dying," she said with a laugh.
Asked if she needed to step up to fly the flag for a bay winner in the marquee races, Tolhopf said: "Maybe now I do, maybe not. We'll see."
The Bay men stamped their class in the individual 39km mountainbiking race with a treble in a field of 57 males.
Gary Hall, of Napier, won in 1:53:12 with Luke Osborne, of Hastings second (1:55:39) and Chris Clark, of Napier, third (2:03:49).
Upper Hutt's Kim Hurst won the women's one in 2:17:06 with Belinda Sides, of Waipukurau, second (2:58:59).
Hurst, 35-year-old GP likened the course to the rugged landscape of Bultih Wells, in Mid-Wales where she grew up.
"It's a fantastic part of the world here. It's just stunning," said Hurst who two years ago won the national cyclocross title here with Hall.
Aucklander Matt Merrick (1:10:42) and Gisborne's Michelle Rennie (1:13:23) won the individual one-round the peak race.
Napier teenager Simon Sargison (1:24:43) and Sandringham's Dave Firth (1:32:47) were second and third, respectively.
Aucklander Jayne Lusk (1:23:40) edged out former CD cricketer Michele Frey (1:25:32), of Napier.
It's perhaps appropriate the last say should go to Barry Daly, of Hastings, who took 2hr 8min to do one round after two decades of on/off competing in teams.
"I had meniscus [knee cartilage tear] and the surgeon told me a year ago I'd never run again," said the 75-year-old retired banker, revealing the next oldest competitor in the field was in his 60s.
Daly started running again last November, training for the Triple Peaks.
"I hope to keep going until I'm in my 90s."
Tait said while some competitors had withdrawn because of the weather some also had entered on race morning.
