Surf Lifesaving: Cochrane has Monster's measure

Winner Ben Cochrane, left, from Omanu with runner-up Mason Bryant from Papamoa after the Mount Monster held at Mount Maunganui on Saturday. Photo / Andrew Warner

Ben Cochrane returned home in glory to take out the four-legged Mount Monster surf spectacular on Saturday.

Just a year ago he finished as head boy at Mount Maunganui College and left the Omanu surf team to try his luck with Queensland's famed Northcliffe Club. There he was mentored by world champion ironman Shannon Eckstein while juggling full-time university studies, working part-time and training three hours a day.

"When I moved a lot of people were critical about how big the step was," Cochrane, 19, said. "But it has gone better than planned and I am planning on being there for another year at least."

Cochrane and Papamoa clubbie Mason Bryant, 19, battled throughout the event's four gruelling stages with Cochrane only taking the lead in the final 6km board paddle around Rabbit Island to the finish. The other race legs were a 5km beach sprint, a swim leg including leaping off the blowhole on Moturiki Island, and a gut-busting 12km ski leg to Omanu and back.

Cochrane won in 2hr 20min 14sec to claim New Zealand's richest surf sport event despite severe cramping that threatened to derail his race halfway through.

"I couldn't feel my legs at all and around the turn at Omanu I was thinking, 'I'm in trouble', because I kept collapsing and couldn't feel it. It was only when I picked up my board that I could feel my legs," Cochrane said.

Bryant was rightly proud of his performance, which followed last year's sixth place and included a 5min time penalty.

"That is probably the best race I have done and the most tired I have ever been afterwards. Ben was just a better competitor on the day so he deserves it. This event is awesome. It has got everything and that jump off the rocks makes it that much more exciting," Bryant said.

"I extended the lead when he got cramp. I just went for it, and coming back in he slowly caught me and obviously had that extra bit of strength in him."

Ben Gillies from Piha was third (2:20.47) with Bethlehem College student Hamish Miller taking fourth place (2:20.49).

In the women's race, defending champion Kirsty Wannan from Piha (2:33.20) overcame a tough start to beat clubmate Hannah Williams (2:34.34). "I went out with my own race plan and was confident in the training that I'd done that it was enough to get me over the line," Wannan said. "I definitely learned lots from last year."

Mount Maunganui's Jessica Miller, who had also been training with Cochrane in Queensland, impressed finishing in third place (2:36.46).

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