Hundreds of competitors took part in yesterday's eighth annual Peak Trail Blazer. Photo/Duncan Brown.
It was an uphill battle for some in this year's annual Peak Trail Blazer, which saw people of all ages and fitness levels challenge themselves.
The eighth annual event had a record-breaking 740 competitors take part in either the 12.8km and 3.5km - where walkers and runners alike descend upon the slopes of Te Mata Peak and through Tainui Reserve.
Race director Jo Throp said they were blown away with the numbers with support coming from all around Hawke's Bay as well as Wellington, Palmerston North, Levin and Rotorua.
"We get such a buzz out of this event and its amazing finish-line atmosphere, with kids and adults finishing together, not to mention the incredible times people run it in.
"People shouldn't be fooled by the apparent ease with which the top runners cross the finish line, I can tell you that these guys don't just roll out of bed and run this fast. It takes a lot of training and dedication to run like this - it still hurts, they need to walk up the steep bits, and they'll be wobbly on their legs for a few of days just like the rest of us. It's a really tough run."
The Hawke's Bay Orthodontic Queen of the Peak title, new female course record holder and $500 prize money went to the now three-time champion Ruby Muir who drove up from Wellington especially for the event, taking it out in a time of 53:32, smashing the female course record she set in 2015 by around three minutes.
Local podiatrist and 2012 Queen of the Peak Amber Morrison put up a good fight, coming second with a time of 57.42 and winning $150, while last year's winner Laura Nagel took home $50 with a time of 58.07.
For the Rod McDonald Wines King of the Peak, Lucas Duross, it has been a six-year wait to regain the title, which he first won as a 16-year-old in 2011, with a time of 1.03 minutes.
For his time of 48:49, Mr Duross pocketed $500 cash.
"It's pretty cool to have achieved it, that's a long time and several tries to snatch it back, so it feels good to be up there again.
"I found it tough going on the way up and Kristian nearly reeled me in, but I managed to hold him off and felt really good on the way back down."
The two-time winner also won the Specsavers Hastings Lucky Legs prizes, taking home a further $100 for the fastest up (27:37) and the fastest down-hill splits (21:12) bettering his downhill time of last year by mere seconds.
To add to his accolades, he was also named the only entry this year into the Scorchers Sub-50 minute club where Lucas and Eric Speakman are the only two to have cracked the sub 50-minute mark in the race's eight-year history.
Lucas was closely followed by good friend and 2014 Rod McDonald Wines King of the Peak Kristian Day (50:40) who also travelled up from Wellington for the event, and Devon Beckman (51:57).
In the Up & Coming category (Under-18 on Te Mata Peak), Ronan Lee from Lindisfarne College took out the $150 from Go Healthy in a time of (53:19) and fifth overall, followed by William Kerr (57:24) also from Lindisfarne College, and Will Tidswell (1:00.19) from Havelock North High.
Clara Braun from Havelock North High School ran a strong race in the female Up & Coming section in a time of 1:07:47. She was followed by fellow Havelock North High students Jenna Tidswall (1:13:53) and last year's winner Amy Culham.
Walking on the Te Mata Peak trail, new winner Cedric Murphy set a time of 1:29:54, while 2015 winner Anna Treadwell won her title back in a time of 1:41:20.
On the short course, the 3.5km Tainui Trail, the title of Prince of Tainui and $150 from ASB was taken to Haumoana School by Max Thornton (14:33), with Sian Llewellyn (16:33) from Clive School crowned Princess of Tainui with $150 from ASB.
The event is the brainchild of three Havelock North Primary mums, Rachel Cornwall, Susie Devonshire and Jo Throp.
It aims to generate funds for the school, raise the school's profile within the wider community, promote health and wellbeing, and utilise the fantastic natural resources of the Tainui Reserve and Te Mata Peak.
Ms Throp said 350 kids ran the 3.5km Tainui Trail, with some doing so in a "crazy" 14 minutes and kids as young as 5 took part in the smaller course, with some chaperoned by their parent.
"This year 105 18-plus-year-olds entered in the 3.5km, which has never been seen before."
With final figures yet to be counted, once bills were paid, 100 per cent of the money raised would go towards Havelock North Primary and two community organisations.
This year, 60 per cent of the money will go towards Havelock North Primary, while 20 per cent will benefit Heart Kids Hawke's Bay and the remaining 20 per cent to the Hastings Giant's Boxing Academy.
As well as raising funds for Havelock North Primary, more than $34,000 had been donated to the community - not including 2017.
Peak Trail Blazer gold sponsors are Hawke's Bay Orthodontics, Rod McDonald Wines, Hawthorne Coffee, Bramwell Bate Lawyers, BWR Chartered Accountants, Advice First, Peak Fitness and Health and Specsavers Hastings, along with silver sponsors Good Pixel, MR Labels & Print, Shoe Clinic Napier, Love Havelock North and Simon Cartwright Photography.
The event is supported by Sport Hawke's Bay.
Full results can be found at www.peaktrailblazer.co.nz