340 competitors took part in the prestigious Race One Surf Craft Mount Monster held at Mount Maunganui on Saturday. Video / Geoff Cox
Three hundred and forty competitors took part in the 12th instalment of the Mount Monster on Saturday, under clear, blue skies and hot, challenging conditions.
The elite surf lifesaving endurance event saw defending champions Jayden Murphy of Mount Maunganui and Kate McHardy of Lyall Bay maintaintheir titles in New Zealand’s top race.
Across individual and team events for participants aged 14 to 60, the course opened with a 10km ski paddle, followed by a 5km soft sand run, a 6m jump into Moturiki Island’s blow hole, and a 1.5km ocean swim to be rounded out with a 5.5km board paddle before a sprint to the finish.
For Jayden Murphy, Saturday’s win extended his success taking out a fourth open title in a row.
The National Surf Lifesaving champion said pre-race he would put space between himself and the rest of his competitors in the opening 10km ski paddle.
“Right out of the blocks, I knew I had to go hard and I just had to break everyone.
“People are going to try to sit in your wash in that ski leg to stay with you so my goal was to get out on my own and I managed to do that. Everything else fell into place after that,” Murphy said.
Jayden Murphy is the National Surf Lifesaving champion and winning this year's Mount Master marked his fourth open title win in a row. Photo / That Guy Photography
Having just come back from a block of winter training across the Tasman, Murphy said he was “stoked and grateful” to be on the podium again.
“Everyone’s very competitive, so it’s never easy to win this. It’s the first really big meaningful race of the season for us.
“When you’re trying to save someone’s life, it’s important to have that base fitness and speed coming in and out of the waves. This sort of race teaches you skills that you can’t learn anywhere else,” Murphy said.
After making history as the youngest-ever female Mount Monster champion in 2023 at 17 years old, Kate McHardy finished this year’s race with an overall time of 2:19:02, giving her an 8-minute 35-second winning margin.
McHardy was most proud of her efforts in the 1.5km swim leg which created the gap to bring her back-to-back success.
“I’ve been working really hard and I’ve been putting in the training with a lot of support around me.
Kate McHardy during the run leg of the Mount Monster where she put in lots of training and had lots of support. Photo / That Guy Photography
“I’m very grateful and really happy,” McHardy said.
The Mount Monster event has been running since 2012 and is recognised as a platform for lifeguards across New Zealand to get themselves in top shape, honing their skills before the peak summer season around December and January, when they keep beaches safe over the holidays.
John Bryant, Mount Monster’s co-organiser, set up the event in 2012 and thanked everyone for their involvement this year.
“It takes a community to put on this monster of a day, from our generous sponsors through to the army of volunteers and supporters from around the wider Mount Maunganui surf clubs.
“Congratulations to everyone who competed in this year’s event — the camaraderie shown between clubs and competitors is part of what makes this sport so special,” Bryant said.
Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.
