"From what I heard, it was bad weather here [in Rotorua] but it was even worse over there. The toughest part was probably biking 60-odd km into a headwind during the first lap."
Townley planned to finish his first lap in time to join the start line for the official race on Saturday morning. He made it with 40 minutes to spare.
"I got back to the van and had 40 minutes of sleep, which was good."
He said to his knowledge he was the only person to attempt the feat in the 20-year history of the event.
The Motu Challenge included a 65km mountain bike, 17km run, 52km road cycle, 27km kayak, 8km road cycle and 3km run to the finish. The official men's race was won by Richard Ussher and the women's race by wife Elina Ussher.
Townley said his next big adventure would be a 24-hour race in Rotorua later this year.