The pastry-loving competitor has just cycled more than 1500km from Auckland, over 10 days, to get to the event.
"It's a wonder what a double-hit of ... [an energy drink] can do for you," Taylor (38) said yesterday afternoon, shortly after arriving in Wanaka after his epic journey south, during which he averaged 170km on the bike each day, with only a single rest day.
The incentive for the pre-race bike ride came from a pastime known as "pie runs", invented by Taylor and a friend known only as "Mad Dog".
"We get on the bike, and the further you ride the more pies you get to eat. We like our pies," Taylor said.
"That actually culminated last year when we rode from Auckland to Wellington in four days." That particular ride earned $50,000 for the New Zealand Down Syndrome Association and plenty of pastry. This time around, the pies were again a welcome form of sustenance.
"I had at least one pie a day, if not two pies. When you're chewing through as many calories as me you can eat whatever you like."
Taylor has competed in triathlons for about six years, including nine iron distance events.
He is a "part-time lawyer", who knocks off work at 1pm each day to run, bike, swim and surf.
This year will be the first time he has entered Challenge Wanaka, prompted by friend and coach Bevan McKinnon, whose company provided the event's official training programme.
While Taylor's Challenge Wanaka bid had long been common knowledge among his peers, his method of getting there was not.
"I didn't tell anybody until about December, apart from my wife when she walked into my shed and I had a map of New Zealand out and she said, 'What are you doing?'
"People think you're nuts and stupid ... this one [ride] was just a little bit out there so I didn't really want to tell anybody or bring anybody along, in case I didn't make it."
Taylor did have wife Alison and stepdaughter Tyla (11) as support crew through the South Island part of his journey, but the North Island leg was a solo effort.
Despite his quads being "absolutely shot", Taylor was confident he would be in reasonable form again for tomorrow's 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42.2km run, although he was putting no pressure on himself.
"Normally when I turn up, I'm trying to beat a certain time or whatever, but I have no expectations other than to finish."
