Australian Alex Hunt wins Coast-to-Coast Longest Day in NZ

Australian multi-sport* champion Alex Hunt has become the first non-Kiwi competitor in more than 30 years to win the gruelling 243km Longest Day event at the Kathmandu Coast-to-Coast race in New Zealand.

The Hobart dad, who moved his family temporarily to New Zealand for six weeks to prepare for the run, kayak and cycling event, was elated to cross the line first, after finishing third and second in two previous attempts.

“I have been working towards it for so long. I didn’t think it was possible. It’s been over 30 years since an international has won it,” Mr Hunt said.

“It’s tough to win this race from overseas. I’ve dedicated seven years of my life to it. This year I took three months off work, and moved my family over here for six weeks.

“I put my heart and soul into this race so I hope the Kiwis can appreciate the effort I’ve gone to.”

Mr Hunt paid tribute to his fellow competitors after crossing the line in 11hr 29min 20sec, just 4min 27sec in front of the second placegetter, Wānaka local and defending champion Hamish Elliot.

“To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. It feels unbelievable,” Mr Hunt said.

The Aussie said he pushed himself to the limit in the final 70km cycle leg.

“I was just burying myself. In the last 20km, I rode as hard as I could,” he said.

The race starts on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island* at Kumara Beach, and travels across the width of the South Island, crossing the main divide* and finishing on the east coast at the pier on New Brighton Beach in Christchurch. The 243km event is a huge test for multi-sport athletes, with alternating legs of running, cycling and kayaking.

After finishing second in last year’s Kathmandu Coast-to-Coast the 33-year-old engineer said it would likely be his final time competing.

“Last year really felt like the final one,” Mr Hunt said.

“And then it was only sort of chatting with my partner, Maggie Lennox, that she was happy or supportive of me going again; that kind of made me think about it.

“Then my coach sort of saw a lot of opportunities for improvement.”

But Mr Hunt has already vowed he will not compete in 2026.

“We’ve got another baby due in two months, and it’s just going to be too much,” he said.

“But I haven’t ruled out maybe 2027 or 2028.”

POLL

GLOSSARY

1. multi-sport: an athlete that is highly skilled in multiple types of sports
2. South Island: New Zealand is made up of about 600 islands, including its two main islands, the North Island and the South Island
3. main divide: a mountain range also known as the Southern Alps on New Zealand’s South Island

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QUICK QUIZ

1. How many kilometres is the race?
2. Which sports make up the race?
3. How many years has Alex Hunt spent working towards winning this race?
4. In which year did he come second?
5. Why did he decide to compete again this year?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Training for a big race
Alex took three months off work and moved himself and his family to New Zealand for six weeks prior to the race to train in that environment. What advantages would that have given him when it came to race day compared to staying at home to train. List the pros and cons below:

Training in New Zealand vs. Training at home in Tasmania
Pros:

Cons:

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
What might motivate Alex to train for and compete in gruelling races such as this one?

What are the benefits he might receive from winning the event?

How would his family feel towards Alex dedicating so much time and effort to his goal to finally achieve it?

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Imaginative dialogue
Imagine you were there during the event being discussed in the article, or for the interview.

Create a conversation between two characters from the article – you may need or want to include yourself as one of the characters. Don’t forget to try to use facts and details from the article to help make your dialogue as realistic as possible.

Go through your writing and highlight any punctuation you have used in green. Make sure you carefully check the punctuation used for the dialogue and ensure you have opened and closed the speaking in the correct places.