Triathlon: Rotorua's Parsonage smashes Harbour to Hills course record

Winner Matt Parsonage (centre) with runner-up Lucas Duross (left) and third placegetter Jack McGuinness after today's Harbour to Hills triathlon. Photo/Duncan Brown

Rotorua triathlete Matt Parsonage may be in his first season back after a five-year spell but this didn't stop him from smashing the course record for Hawke's Bay's Harbour to Hills event today.

"I'm very happy with that in my first Harbour to Hills," Parsonage replied when told his time for the Napier Port-sponsored event (a 2km swim in the ocean off Napier's Perfume Point, a 95km cycle over a course between Napier and the Tuki Tuki hills and a 21km run in Napier) of 4hrs26m02s bettered the previous record of 4hrs28m03s set by Aucklander Donal Sheehy last year.

Wellingtonian Jack McGuinness, who eventually finished third in 4hrs29m51s, was first after the cycle but he was hunted down by Parsonage, 38, and Wellington's Lucas Duross who finished second, 43s faster than McGinness.

"Running is my strength. I'm training for my sixth Rotorua marathon on May 4 so my running is going well at the moment," Parsonage said.

The veterinarian who did his first triathlon 10 years ago trains up to 20 hours each week. His next triathlon will be Hawke's Bay's Quarter IronMaori event in November and he will be back to try and retain his Harbour to Hills title next year.

Swedish national Erik Blomberg was the best of the Hawke's Bay men finishing fifth overall and first in the Vet 1 category for 45-49 year-olds.

Former Central Pulse netball midcourter Ngarama Milner-Olsen of Wellington won the women's open title in 5:00:59. Tauranga's Kirsty Wood was second in 5:07:48s and Auckland's Claire Badenhorst third in 5:07.54s.

Claudia Weidekamm was the best of the Hawke's Bay women with a fifth placing in 5:24:32. Hawke's Bay's Kathy Eggers, who used the event as part of her training schedule for next month's world long distance championships in Spain was the 12th best woman in 5:43:20 and fourth in the Vet 1 women's category.

North Harbour 82-year-old Garth Barfoot was the oldest competitor in the 273-strong field and he completed the Aquabike (swim and cycle event) in 5:56:45.

Triathlon Hawke's Bay general manager Bruce Richardson said while conditions were a little cooler than the previous two years they were ideal for the run.

"We got a lot of positive feedback with many of the out of towners saying it was the best event they had competed in and that was great," he added.