Young Whakatane athlete Hayden Wilde can add the title of New Zealand Tough Guy and Gal Champion to his growing list of credentials.
Wilde, 18, blitzed the field in the second annual New Zealand Tough Guy and Gal Championships on Saturday at Lakes Ranch in Rotorua to claim the 2015 men's title. The race featured 45 starters all of whom had either won or been on the podium at Tough Guy and Gal events. The Tough Guy and Gal events - which feature a mud run with plenty of fun obstacles - are popular around the North Island with thousands of people entering each year.
Event Promotions marketing manager Charlotte Pearson said Wilde was in a class of his own on Saturday. "The male winner Hayden is only 18 and he won the secondary schools race on Thursday by eight minutes so we invited him back," she said.
"We thought it would be a good [men's race on Saturday] but it was Hayden then daylight."