Swimming: Competitors battle wind, 1100 rivals and Rosie the labrador

Haydn Woolley takes out the 2.8km King of the Bays swim from Milford Beach to Takapuna Beach. Picture / Brett Phibbs

Former elite swimmer and triathlete Haydn Woolley won the King of the Bays Ocean Swim in difficult conditions off Auckland's North Shore yesterday.

Woolley finished the 2.8km Milford to Takapuna race in 35m 37s, beating a world-class field of pool and multi-sport swimmers.

"I sat back most of the way and in fact was eighth for much of the distance but felt strong as we turned the final buoy and headed for home," Woolley said.

"You never know until you get out of the water though. Guys can come at you from all angles in a swim like this so when I turned left and right and saw no one alongside me, I knew the race was mine."

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Moss Burmester was second and teenager Brett Henehan third.

Rounding out the top six were Graham O'Grady, Brent Foster and Dean Kent.

In the women's race, Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Helen Norfolk defended her title, finishing 37s clear of her Games teammates Melissa Ingram and Hannah McLean.

Conditions had a big impact on the race, with a north-easterly wind causing an onshore swell, making the journey to the first mark difficult for the 1100 competitors in the 2.8km and 1km races.

Times took a hit as a consequence, with the winning times two minutes slower than last year's.

Rosie the labrador, swimming alongside minder Belinda Carpenter, completed the race in 1h 4m 9s but like many of the competitors, her time was affected by the conditions and she was a little slower than last year.