Surf lifesaving: Cory shows his versatility

Cory Hutchings has been back in action in the surf. Picture / Bay of Plenty Times

There's the Cory Hutchings version of fit, and then there's the mere mortal version for all the rest of us.

The ironman legend's version means that, even six months away from what he'll consider his "peak", he can go out on any given day and compete against the best surf lifesavers in the country, even when he's training for a different sport.

Hutchings has set his sights on representing New Zealand at the 2008 Olympics in flat-water kayaking.

It would be a brave punter to bet against the 33-year-old, who retired nearly two years ago after a glittering surf lifesaving career which included three world ironman and 11 national ironman championships.

Last weekend, Hutchings dipped his feet back into surf's competitive waters at the Northern Regional championships in Mt Maunganui.

He won the double ski with Midway teammate Andy Kinsella and was second in the board race.

For anyone else, that would have been a notable achievement - for Hutchings, it was bordering on a lark.

"It was all a bit of fun because I'm not doing much of this any more," Hutchings said. "I just wanted to remind myself a bit about that, to get myself back into that zone of looking at the guy next to me and saying, 'I want to beat you'.

"That's what it all about - and it's only going to help my kayaking to get back into that frame of mind.

"The close-quarter racing brings out emotions that I used to feel. I'm so competitive - it doesn't matter who I'm racing or what I'm doing, I want to win."

Hutchings has been training hard and it's obvious he's in great nick.

He could slot into any of the eight teams competing in this weekend's Lion Foundation surf league at Mt Maunganui - but has been contracted to do the television commentary instead.

"I would love to - if I didn't have other commitments, I'd be more than happy to do it."

The kayaking nationals are in five weeks' time.

Hutchings is racing the K1 races to get his name into the frame but knows a spot in the Beijing team boat is probably his best option.

He'll also compete in May's Molokai Canal Ski Challenge in Hawaii, a 55km open-water gutbuster regarded as the unofficial world endurance paddling championships.

"I had a year off and when you do that, it takes a lot to get back to my fitness again. I'm positive that within six months, I'll be able to have a really good indication of whether my dream of going to the Olympics is going to pay off."

- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES