Multisport: Walker pencils in holiday after endurance win

Auckland athlete Gordon Walker is ready to rest his weary legs after a busy multisport season which ended on a high note.

Walker, 32, yesterday won the Mt Cook to Christchurch multisport endurance race and declared his body was ready to "go on holiday".

"Even walking up and down stairs at the moment is a bit of an effort," he said.

"I've got to listen to the body and take it easy for a while now."

Making his first appearance in the 12-stage three-day multisport event from Mt Cook to New Brighton Pier in Christchurch, Walker claimed the spoils by just under six minutes ahead of Queenstown athlete Richard Ussher.

Athletes run, kayak, cycle and mountain bike the 450km distance.

It was a reversal of placings from this month's Coast to Coast which Ussher won ahead of Walker.

Southland competitor Tim Pearson was third and Christchurch's Neil Gellatly was fourth.

Walker - who comes from a cycling background - built a 13-minute buffer on the first two days and then "defended" his advantage on the closing stages. "I thought if I could get out ahead on the last mountain bike stage and get some time without going crazy then I'd really attack," he said of his final day's strategy.

"But I didn't get that break so I then thought it was up to defending the lead that I had."

Ussher was faster over the final 20km run to the finish line at the pier but he was unable to slash enough off Walker's 12-minute lead.

"I knew if I was running OK he wouldn't put 12 minutes on me so I just had to keep telling myself that," Walker said.

He said he would be keen to defend his title next year, having got a taste for the endurance element of multisport racing.

"Body willing I'll be back. I hadn't done a multi-day race before and I thought that every day it would get progressively a lot harder.

"It was more intense racing than I expected but I was happy with how things went."

Salley Fahey was too strong in the women's field, winning each day ahead of Christchurch athlete Sia Svenson, and was first individual female to reach New Brighton.

Fahey was second at the Coast to Coast but led from start to finish in the Mt Cook to Christchurch event, and received a warm welcome at the pier yesterday.

- NZPA