About 200 Santas got the chance to trim some of their pot-bellies yesterday in a last-minute bid to avoid jamming in any chimneys this Christmas Eve.
They plodded, walked, sprinted, cartwheeled, and sweated round Hamilton's Lake Domain in a fun-run that raised money for the SPCA.
The festive season and
associated holidays are traditionally the busiest time of the year for the charity, which deals with thousands of abandoned pets nationwide.
Organisers said it was the first Santa run to be held in New Zealand, emulating a Welsh event that draws about 4500 Santas and holds the world record for the most Santas in one place.
The winner of the 4.5km run was Billy Carter, of Te Awamutu, a Fonterra worker who had just come off a 12-hour shift at the company's cream cheese factory.
He quickly hobbled toward the finish line, desperately holding up a pair of shiny bright-red trousers that were clearly too big for him.
Mr Carter, 43, completed the journey in 15m 55s, well ahead of many younger opponents.
"All I had this morning was a cup of coffee," he said.
The Irishman admitted it was "a bit of a contradiction in terms" to be fit and trim, when it was a well-known fact that the real Santa had a large beer gut and used his reindeer to get from A to B.
Water, not beer, was on hand for members of the white-bearded brigade when they crossed the finish line, heaving and panting in their suits.
Luckily the skies were overcast, but conditions were still humid and muggy.
Many Santas ripped off the outfits and beards as soon as they were able.
An organiser, Tony Allwood, said $10,000 was raised for the SPCA, with another $4000 earmarked for various charities chosen by individual runners.
