Conditions have to play ball and it’s not often that our Longest Day Men’s winners break the 11 Hour barrier. Last year, for the leading men at least, conditions did play ball, and Hamish Elliott smashed that mark.

So that created a whole world of pain for second placed finisher Alex Hunt. Around 2 and a half minutes adrift with a time a shade over 10 hours 51 minutes, most years that would have him standing on the top spot on the podium, but not so in 2024. The affable Tasmanian understandably , cut a sad- dejected figure at the finish line, so it’s something of a relief for fans of the Kathmandu Coast to Coast to see him back on the start line for 2025. 

“It wasn’t an immediate decision to come back, that’s for sure ! I’d told myself and my family that it was going to be the last one, but Maggie my partner was supportive and keen for me to go again.”

Hunt also had some support from one of best Coaches in modern sport, who also happens to be one of the great names of the Coast to Coast.

“When I spoke with Gordon Walker a couple of days after the race, he sort of said there was a lot we can improve on if you want to go again. He said he was happy to help out for another year and an athlete like me doesn’t get the opportunity to work with one of the best endurance sport coaches in the world that often, so that for me was it !”

The five times podium finisher was nearly five minutes behind Elliott running into Klondyke Corner. Hunt considers his run a strength and concedes to taking it a little more conservatively going up and over Goat Pass. For him, he sees the paddle as the opportunity for improvement .

“I think my performance on the Waimak let me down last year so that’s where we’ve been focussing the most of our attention. Gordy’s obviously a pretty good paddle coach and that’s what we’ve looked at the most over the last nine months.”

With a race as long as the Coast to Coast, most competitors will agree that no matter how well you’re going, at some point in the day you’re going to go through a dark patch or two. Hunt says dealing with that is one of the best things that Walker brings to the table.

“Race strategy has been a huge part of it for me in recent years. Just hanging in there when you’re not feeling good- when it’s just not working for you. Usually that time for me and a lot of others I’ve spoken to, is when you get through Red Bridge on the paddle. At that point you’re over 2 and a half hours in , but there’s still a lot of paddling ahead. I think if you start to lose focus there, you can bleed a lot of time.”

The return of four time winner Sam Clark adds another dynamic to the 2025 race, and Alex Hunt says he has nothing but respect for the Whakatane star who he has raced both with and against in many events over the years.

“He’s dominated the four races he’s won. He’s a unique beast. He prepares himself so well for Coast- he knows the course like the back of his hand.”

Alex Hunt was happy with his cycling improvements last year and with another 12 months training under his belt, he’s hopeful of going to the next level.

“I’d like to make a real race of it with Sam and Hamish.”

He also rates last year’s third place getter Ben Phillips. Other than an appearance back in 2013, the Ironman Pro hadn’t raced the Longest Day before. Hunt says Phillips is the real deal.

“He was solid in the boat. He bikes incredibly and he has huge aerobic capacity. He’ll be hard to beat as well !”