Former elite rider Mike Crawford (2hr 18min) won the men's title, passing race leader James Williamson - who was on foot after breaking his chain - just 300m from the finish line.
Queenstown rider and national women's champion Kate Fluker (2:40:23) retained her Motatapu title.
The conditions were horrendous,'' she said, ''so hard on the legs.
''Every other year's been sunny, so it was good to do it differently. Wouldn't want it like that again, though. Pretty soul destroying.
''When I was going through the rivers, it was up to my ribs and pretty swift.
''They actually closed the rivers not long after me, which was a great decision, because it was getting pretty scary.''
Christchurch man Vajin Armstrong (3:26:26) and Dunedin woman Mel Aitken (3:25:18) won the off road marathon, while Wanaka's Dougal Allan (4:27:41) and Jess Simson (5:32:36), both pro athletes, won the triathlon.
Invercargill's Bruyas Maxence was fastest over the 15km (1:20:19), while Tania McWilliams (1:32:00) was fastest female.
Durango's Jason Schlarb won the arduous 51km solo adventure run in 7:13:28.
