Mike Phillips has etched his name further into IRONMAN New Zealand history, claiming his third title in Taupō this afternoon with a record-breaking performance.
Phillips completed the course in 7 hours, 45 minutes and 45 seconds, demolishing the previous record of 7:54:17 set by Joe Skipper.
Great Britain's Skipper finished second in 7:48:46, while Auckland's Jack Moody took third place with a time of 7:49:10. All three athletes finished under the previous course record.
The New Zealander was among the leaders throughout the race, exiting the water with the front pack before making a decisive move late in the bike leg to establish a small lead heading into the run.
"I didn't actually really try to ride away at the end but I found myself with a wee gap and thought it's probably a good chance to get a wee head start on the run," Phillips explained afterward.
Perfect race conditions in Taupō contributed to the fast times, with Phillips noting the "nice glassy swim" in Lake Taupō and commenting that the famous "Taupō westerly" wind was present but manageable. "Oh yeah, still came blowing a little bit but I guess I'm used to it now after racing here for sort of 6 or 7 years," he said.
Phillips was effusive in his praise for the local Taupō support. "It's always awesome coming back here, you know the community gets behind this event, all the volunteers that make the event happen," Phillips said. "Racing in Taupō is always special like the crowd really gets behind us Kiwis and racing along the foreshore here with everyone cheering is something we don't get anywhere else in the world."
Despite being pursued by strong runners Skipper and Moody, Phillips maintained his advantage to the finish line, completing what he described as an evenly paced effort across all three disciplines.
"Every discipline was fast," Phillips said. "The swim was 47 something, we did the first lap of the bike in about 2:03, and the run was pretty much bang on 2:40."
Phillips, who will remain in Taupō until Monday before returning to Christchurch, wrapped up his third IRONMAN New Zealand title wearing the traditional korowai during the podium celebrations.
