Mid Canterbury competitors in this year’s Coast to Coast have been resting their tired bodies after mammoth efforts over the weekend.

Mayfield dairy farmer John Verney finished 95th in the gruelling one-day event, after a disrupted preparation which included a chest infection.

He finished the journey in 16 hours 56 minutes.

A Mid Canterbury contingent entered into the mountain run featured on the podium with Ashburton College Year 12 student Matt Clough first in the schoolboy section and second overall, cutting out Goat Pass in 3 hours 34.18 minutes.

Tim Silva was second best veteran in 3.58.59 and fourth overall.

The mountain run featured celebrity sports stars Richie McCaw and Gemma Flynn; McCaw’s time over the 33km run was 4.20.01 and Flynn’s 5.18.40.

The run, with an elevation of nearly 800m, is a test of co-ordination and strength, as well as speed.

Hamish McFadden was 64th in the two-day individual event, running up the finishing chute at New Brighton beach in 17.19.51.

Verney said he was back at work yesterday and already thinking about next year’s race.

The step up to the one-day event was a challenge, and made harder by feeling unwell at the start of the race.

“The first one and a half hours on the bike I was vomiting, then once I got off the bike I pulled a muscle in my thigh.

“It was painful.”

It also meant the mountain run took an hour longer than expected and he then had to race the clock to meet cut-off times at each of the stages to avoid being disqualified.

“The bad start put me under pressure for the day.”

He made it to the end of the kayak leg with 15 minutes to spare and finally reached the finish line “nearer to 11pm”.

“I kept saying to myself, this is one day out of your life, it is hurting now but if you give up you will regret it.”

Verney said he rewarded his determination to finish with a visit to McDonald’s and a bottle of cider after the race.

And he’s already thinking about lessons learned in transition and on the course for next year.

Verney’s pregnant wife Melissa, who was due on the day of the event, obliged by not going into labour.

By Linda Clarke © The Ashburton Guardian - 14 February 2017