Beesley, who is a 10-year veteran of the event, was taking part in the 30th Speight's Coast to Coast at the weekend.
A journey which started from Kumara Beach near Greymouth and finished 243km further on at Sumner Beach in Christchurch, it included a 3km run, 55km cycle, 33km mountain run, 15km cycle, 67km kayak and 70km cycle.
In the one day event known as "The Longest Day", Rotorua's Becky Law finished a credible 96th overall and was the 13th fastest women home in a time of 16h 46m 21s.
Unfortunately, for Rotorua District Court judge Chris McGuire he was unable to complete the event although it is understood he did manage to finish the arduous 33km mountain run. However, The Daily Post was unable to contact McGuire to find out why he had to retire from the race.
The 63-year-old was competing in the vintage men which was taken out by Invercargill's Joe Sherriff.
The overall competition One Day individual men's and women's divisions was won by husband and wife duo Richard and Elina Ussher, who became the first husband and wife to win the event in the same year.
Racing started torridly in the one day event, when race favourite Ussher instigated a breakaway on the opening 55km road cycle.
The lead bunch of four started the following mountain run section together but it didn't last long, with Methven's Braden Currie pushing the pace straight away to open a two-minute lead over Ussher halfway through the rugged 33km run over Goat Pass.
Meanwhile, Lower Hutt builder James Coubrough was storming through the field from the chase bunch to catch Ussher as they started the last haul to the top of Goat Pass.
Coubrough, the New Zealand mountain running champion billed as an outsider to upset Ussher after winning the Speight's Coast to Coast two-day race last year, looked likely to catch Currie as well. But Currie found a second wind on the downhill off Goat Pass, finishing the run at Klondyke Corner near Arthur's Pass with a two minute buffer over Coubrough, and a further minute back to Ussher.
As the race turned to a 15km road cycle and 67km kayak, Ussher's experience started shining through.
He caught Coubrough on the short cycle and started the Waimakariri River kayak section just two minutes behind Currie. Low water levels and a steady head wind turned this white water section into a race of attrition.
Coubrough stayed close and they both passed Currie, and starting the final 70km road cycle to the finish line on Sumner Beach, just six minutes separated all three.
On paper the race was anybody's. But Ussher's experience and class shone through as he slowly pulled away, clocking 40km/h into the head winds. Behind him Coughbrough and Currie were caught in their own battle. Currie moved into second when Coubrough was forced to stop and fix gear problems on his bike. But Dougal Allan came from sixth to fourth on the kayak, then passed them both on the final cycle to claim second place for the third consecutive year.
In third place, Braden Currie matched the effort of his older brother Glen the previous year.
Ussher's winning time almost 20 minutes a head of Allan was 11h 33m 24s.
The race worked itself out pretty well for the Ussher family. After a torrid battle in the opening cycle and first half of the mountain run, Elina Ussher established a lead that grew steadily all day to become one of the biggest winning margins in the history of the Speight's Coast to Coast.
When the Finnish-born Nelsonian eventually crossed the finish line in 13h 25m 24s, she had won by a massive 38 minutes. While smiling from ear-to-ear, she was visibly exhausted and started shivering immediately.
Results Speight's Coast to Coast One Day event;
Run 3k/Cycle 55k/Run 33k/Cycle 15k/Kayak 15k/Cycle 70k
Open Women; Elina Ussher (Finland) 13:25:24, 1; Fleur Pawsey (Christchurch) 14:03:25, 2; Rachel Cashin (Taumarunui) 14:05:54, 3; Myriam Guillot (France) 14:17:15, 4; Anyika Thomsen (Taumarunui) 14:29:36, 5; Camila Nicolau (Brazil) 14:39:33, 6; Tanya Maitland (Hokitika) 14:41:05, 7; Louise Hales (Wellington) 15:01:31, 8; Sonya Bower (Auckland) 15:21:09, 9; Kate Woods (Rangiora) 15:27:52, 10; Ailsa Rollinson (Wanaka) 15:31:37, 11; Kellee Sandilands (Auckland) 15:56:10, 12; Rebecca Law (Rotorua) 16:46:21, 13; Nikki Mackintosh (Australia) 16:47:28, 14; Amy-Jane Millward (Wellington) 16:54:01, 15.
Open Men; Richard Ussher (Nelson) 11:33:24, 1; Dougal Allan (Wanaka) 11:52:03, 2; Braden Currie (Australia) 11:57:46, 3; James Coubrough (Lower Hutt) 12:00:27, 4; Carl Bevins (Christchurch) 12:21:42, 5; Jeremy McKenzie (Blenheim) 12:41:45, 6; Bernard Robinson (Queenstown) 12:59:26, 7; JJ Wilson (Christchurch) 13:01:33, 8; Grant Suckling (Australia) 13:03:45, 9; Seamus Meikle (Greymouth) 13:06:01, 10; Graeme Hill (Greymouth) 13:21:14, 11; Gavin Mason (Wanaka) 13:24:47, 12; Jacky Boisset (France) 13:35:14, 13; Hadleigh Miles (Christchurch) 13:35:43, 14; Ryan Thomas (Nelson) 13:36:13.
