Win catches race veteran by surprise

Auckland long distance runner Ingrid Frost was so hyped with excitement she couldn't believe her ears after crossing the line in the mountain to surf marathon on Saturday.

Frost was catching her breath and celebrating a personal best time when an official told her she was the first woman home in the Bayleys Marathon.

Frost revealed she had no idea she was in front in the race.

"I thought I was 10th or something like that. I had so many ladies go past and that, they were probably from the teams' race. I didn't realise I was in front.

"Whoopee!"

Frost has run the mountain to surf eight times, with Saturday's win her first victory.

She said she was equally "stoked" to achieve a personal best of three hours, 15 minutes, two seconds.

"I can't believe that. That's two minutes better than what I did last year, which was my previous best."

Frost, who is married with a 21-year-old son and competes in the 40 years age-group, does not plan on taking things easy after her success – she plans to head to Queenstown this weekend for an off-road marathon.

"I'm very lucky, my boss lets me shoot off and do things like this."

One of the highest ranked runners Cheryl Leuthart, of New Plymouth, collapsed because of heat exhaustion, when up with the leaders near the end of the race, and needed medical attention.

Chasing Frost home and 1min11sec back in second place was Wanganui's Nelda Hazlehurst with Debbie Robinson (3hr17min10sec) third.

Race director Neale Parkinson said some athletes battled with the heat late in the morning, but other than that organisers were happy with how the event had gone.

"We had a good crew of St John ambulance and doctors out on the course and I gather other than Cheryl, no one got into too much trouble."

Parkinson said the field of 580 was the second largest the event had drawn in its 31 years and only slightly down on last year when it was a special anniversary celebration.

- © Fairfax NZ News