About 150 competitors took part in the annual Crush the Cargill endurance race at the weekend, in which runners run up and down Mt Cargill — about 8.5km and 570m elevation — as many times as they can in 24 hours.
Dunedin resident Theo Atkinson took the top spot by completing 17 laps within 24 hours. Lydia Patillo was the top woman and completed 15 laps.
Organiser Steve Tripp said the competitors were "obviously a wee bit crazy" but the challenge was all about having fun.
"It’s exploring how far you can go in terms of physical and mental endurance, especially when it goes overnight."
Rather than racing each other, people were trying to see how far they could push their own boundaries.
"It’s more a race with themselves."
During daytime, it was just about getting the job done.
However, when it got dark, the mood changed and people had to battle the urge to go to sleep.
"At 2, 3, 4 in the morning, it can be pretty tough. People get sleep deprivation problems.
"Some people have hallucinations, which is quite entertaining."
The village at the base of Mt Cargill had tents set up for runners to rest in, and Scrabble and beer were the go to keep spirits high at night.
In the 100-mile (160km) challenge, where competitors aim to complete the course in the quickest time, Dunedin’s Rocky Allan finished first, completing the track in 31 hours and 15 minutes.
The first woman to finish was Storm Sinclair, who was also the first woman to complete the course in the past three years.
The challenge had added a 200-mile race this year but no-one signed up for it officially.
One participant was unofficially attempting to have it done by the end of the challenge but he had begun running four days before it started, Dr Tripp said.
It would require a person to run up and down Mt Cargill 38 times.
The present record for laps run at Crush the Cargill was 18 and it was completed by Chris Bisley in 2018 and Brandon Purdue in 2022.
"Multisport athlete" Pascal Saker, 47, ran the event while carrying a hurdle on his back to add to the challenge.
He said he had created his own event, the 100km hurdle, because he was a multisport athlete.
In his "hurdle challenge", he managed a respectable 76km.
He carried the large hurdle the entire time, placed it down on the ground every time he finished a kilometre and did a hurdle.
In the past, he ran up and down the hill carrying a surfboard. Another time he competed while wearing flippers.
