"There was a bet on the line during the week so there will be a few free beers this afternoon I think," he said with a laugh.
"It was quite a tough race though. I ran first and came in fourth but I knew we had a strong team."
Pakuranga's second runner, Brent Henley, recorded the fastest lap of the day (15 minutes 54 seconds) on the 5km course, racing into first place at the end of the second lap.
The Auckland team held on to the lead for the rest of the race winning comfortably in the end in a time of 1h 22m 30s.
Defending champions Lake City Athletic Club, featuring Sjors Corporaal, Sam Osborne, Adrian Lysaght, Steve O'Callaghan, and Jason Steyn-Ross, finished second in a time of 1h 26m 12s.
Meanwhile, the women's open title was won by the Hamilton City Hawks with Lake City Athletic Club second.
Hawks runner Ciara Gyde, 15, said she really enjoyed the 5km course.
"I raced here last year. It is a good race and a really nice course," she said.
Lake City Athletic Club, who host the event each year, won one title this year - the masters women category.
The relay started and finished next to the Redwoods Visitor Centre on Long Mile Rd.
For many teams, the event is a warm-up race to the national relay championships in Christchurch on October 5.
