Morresey (43), a courier driver who has only been walking competitively for the past two years, produced a marathon effort just to get to Dunedin.
He started work at 3am on Friday to be ready for a 3pm flight to Dunedin. Because of crew sickness, the flight was cancelled and he was diverted to Auckland, before being flown to Wellington for a connecting flight to Dunedin. Arriving at 10.30pm, he had little time to think through a race plan.
Morresey has come a long way in a short time after being disqualified in his first masters race in Wellington.
Coming from a running background, Morresey said he tried to go too fast in that first race. He returned to the event last year and passed the judges with flying colours, clocking 52min 14sec for the 10km.
On Saturday, Morresey recorded a personal-best for the 10km, and broke through the 50min barrier for the first time, clocking 49min 29.51sec. Mike Parker, seeking a fourth straight title, was second in 50min 51.15sec.
Morresey planned to sit behind Parker, but struggled to hold back.
''My fitness and brainstorming is not the best when I'm racing. I hear a gun and I go.''
Another walker ending a streak was Kate Newitt (Canterbury), who ended Otago runner Rozie Robinson's four-year hold on the national crown.
Newitt (23), with numerous junior titles to her credit in her teenage years, recorded 52min 27.58sec, with Robinson second in 53min 37.27sec. Newitt took the race to Robinson from the start.
''My race plan was to just stay with Rozie and see what I could do from there. It felt easy at 6km so I thought I'd take the lead then and try to keep it.''
Both Newitt and Morresey will contest trials in Auckland in December in an attempt to qualify for the Transtasman Cup in Hobart.
