A Tekapo-born athlete just missed out on winning the Coast to Coast.

Mitch Munro, 24, who now lives in Christchurch, finished second to Greymouth man Seamus Meikle in the open men's category in the gruelling 243km, two-day multisport event last weekend.

It was his second attempt at the Coast to Coast, after finishing ninth overall last year.

Mr Munro had the fastest time in the 67km kayak section, but faltered in the final 70km cycle stage. He completed the event in a time of 12:19:09, about 29 minutes behind the overall winner.

"I'm pretty pleased with how I went," he said.

"Working full-time as a builder in Christchurch, it has not always been easy to fit in a consistent training schedule but I was able to focus on a good balance between running, kayaking and cycling."

He had aimed for a top-three finish in the event.

"I mixed up my training a lot over the last year. I was doing up to 10 to 15 hours a week in between my work," he said.

"If there was a weakness, it was in my cycling. I was worried about my kayaking last time, but my legs just didn't quite have the stamina for the final cycle this time."

His friend Nathan Bell, originally from Fairlie, finished 19th in the open men's category of the one-day event.

Mr Munro said he wanted to have another go at trying to win the two-day event next year.

"I'm not sure whether I'm quite in with a shot for winning the one-day event yet. You never know who will turn up for that.

"I know I'm capable of winning the two-day event, and it would be disappointing not to give it another go."

- © Fairfax NZ News

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