Brown and Reed posted almost identical times in the swim and cycle legs, but the 29-year-old Australian is a gifted runner and kept plenty in reserve. Reed finished the run in 1h 11m 47s, over a minute faster than Brown and 23 seconds faster than the second-placed Griffin, to close out the race with a time of 3h 49m 54s.
But Brown was more than happy with the way the race unfolded, given that it's early days in the 2015 season.
"It was great - very, very pleasing," he said. "[I] had a really good swim with the main pack and caught up to the front group in the first 10km [of the cycle].
"[I] probably had a slow transition running out, but slowly pegged my way back. I had a great run here last year and another good run today."
Despite his advancing years, Brown plans on another busy schedule for this season, including the full Ironman in Taupo in March.
"I had the Port of Tauranga race last week and didn't have much recovery, so to have a podium position here is pretty good. It puts me in great shape for Ironman New Zealand. That's seven weeks away so [I'll] just have a few easy days and then knuckle down to some really hard base training."
Fellow Kiwi Terenzo Bozzone, the top seed for the race, didn't have as much fun in the blazing Auckland sun, coming home in 4h 5m 46s.
The 2008 Ironman 70.3 world champion said fitness was his problem.
"I was hoping I would have a miracle race," he said. "I've only been training a few weeks. I guess I thought my fitness was up around 80 per cent, but realistically I'm around 50 per cent.
"There were a few periods where I really struggled. In the run, I felt good for the first 10km, but then after that I just wanted to get through the race."
In the women's field, Meredith Kessler of the USA won in 4h 20m 12s, more than three minutes ahead of New Zealand's Gina Crawford. Fellow Kiwi Amelia Watkinson finished third.
Crawford carried the local hopes, and at one point pulled ahead of Kessler on the bike after the American had a problem with her chain. But a mishap of her own shortly afterwards let Kessler retake the lead.
Crawford was happy with her performance, but knows she has work to do ahead of taking on her favoured full Ironman distance in Taupo.
"The first half of my run is not going well at the moment," she said. "I could keep going at that speed - I just don't have the spark to go faster."
She's confident that will come, however, and said she would be better for having the race under her belt.
Aussie says his win payback for Kiwis' success across Tasman
The Auckland weather turned on a vintage day for tourists yesterday, and the city's half ironman followed a similar script, with an Australian and an American claiming the spoils.
Australia's Tim Reed took out the men's event, while three-time Ironman New Zealand winner Meredith Kessler of the US was untouchable in the women's field.
Reed was delighted with winning a title on Kiwi soil, seeing it as something of a payback for the success Kiwis such as Terenzo Bozzone have enjoyed across the Tasman.
"I mean, normally it's Terenzo coming over to Australia and giving us an arse-whopping, so it's nice to come over and get one back," he said.
The 29-year-old is well known for his stamina in the run discipline, and yesterday saw him play to his strengths yet again.
"I really tried to get away on the bike there in the first 45 minutes, but it just wasn't happening," he said. "So I just had to rely on my legs. I run the same speed if my legs are tired or if they're fresh."
Kessler, who has won the full-length New Zealand Ironman three times, put in a classy display in the women's race, finishing three and a half minutes ahead of the second-place getter, New Zealand's Gina Crawford.
Kessler's dominance was such that she could even afford to lose time with mechanical problems on the cycle leg.
"The bike was going wonderfully until about 10 or 12km in," said the 36-year-old.
"I just dropped my chain, and lost a few minutes there because I couldn't get it back on."
Kessler had plenty of praise for the challenging course.
"I wanted to do this course because it's so technical and I'm very slow at turning. Even the swim's technical, with all the turns."
Reed echoed the American's sentiments.
"Mate, that course is one of the best you'll ever do," he said. "Going over the harbour bridge and around the suburbs ... was really cool, and then the crowd on the waterfront was special.
"Some races the atmosphere just lifts you to another level, and this was one of those."
