Multisport: Fouhy collapses with Coast to Coast effort

You don't become a world champion doing things by halves and Ben Fouhy showed world champion quality in a blistering kayak leg yesterday to ensure he and Jonathan Wyatt picked up the two-day teams' event at the Coast to Coast.

World kayaking champion and Olympic silver medallist Fouhy and four-time world mountain running champion Wyatt started day two seven minutes down on brothers and two-time teams champions, Mike and Graeme Causer.

But Fouhy powered along a low Waimakiriri River to give Wyatt the comfort of a 14-minute lead going into the final 70km ride into Sumner Beach. Wyatt, who had played down his biking abilities before the ride, extended the gap to finish 18 minutes ahead of the Causers.

More than just a winner's medal was at stake. It was also about personal pride in an event which Joe Public expected them to win easily. But they had entered only four weeks ago and neither Fouhy nor Wyatt relaxed against a wily pair who still hold the record in the teams' event.

Fouhy and Wyatt's combined time of 10 hours, 51 minutes and 33 seconds was less than a minute slower than the Causers' record, set in 1993.

"We didn't take it for granted because the Causers are pretty amazing athletes," Fouhy, 25, said. "It's really satisfying. I came here three years ago as an individual and got pummelled so it was good to win something."

The amount of energy Fouhy put into the 67km kayak leg told when he collapsed at the final changeover. "My arse was hanging out at the end - I was hurting," he said. "Here it's a mental thing as well, trying to hold your mind together for four hours."

Fouhy also revealed he was uncomfortable as nerves got the better of him. "Before the Olympic final I had about seven hours' sleep but last night I had about four or five. It's because you're in a team and you don't want to let anyone down."

Wyatt was also happy with his 33km mountain leg on Friday, finishing within seven minutes of Mike Causer, considering it was only his second time through the course and he got lost three times.

"Physically for me it's not very hard and I felt pretty good but I just can't run that fast over the rocks," the 32-year-old Wyatt said. "The guys who are used to it were always going to run away from me. My best expectation was to stay within 10 minutes of the leaders [at the end of the run] and we managed to do that."

Fouhy will defend his world title in August in Croatia. Wyatt will compete in the world marathon championships in Helsinki in August before going for a fifth world mountain running title seven weeks later.

Despite entering only last week, four-time women's champion Jill Westenra teamed up with Mark Beesley to finish fourth in the teams' event.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY