"Halfway into the bike I probably went a little too hard and I didn't know how I was going to pay for it for the rest of the race but I was lucky to have the running legs to finish it off, and I'm pretty happy with that race. That was awesome.
"It's mainly nutrition when it comes down to the run and I've got a tendency of getting that wrong. But today I think I got it reasonably right and it's probably the first race where I've been able to race the entire distance so I'm very happy with that and hopefully that sets a plan for the future now.''
He said the win was "quite easily my best'', despite the frustration of having his handlebars break early in the bike leg.
"The extensions just cracked off so I was basically holding one with one hand while I was trying to ride along for about 150km. It was a little bit of a bugger, so I just had to mentally compose myself and not get too angry . . . I could still use them so I just had to keep going as best I could.''
While disappointed he couldn't successfully defend his title, Whyte was pleased with a day that saw him racing solo much of the distance and unable to pick up the pace on the run as he had hoped.
First out of the water were quick swimmers Doe and veteran professional Bryan Rhodes, who covered the 3.8km in Lake Wanaka in just under 48min, putting both under the swim course record of 49min 97sec.
Nearly 3min behind was Farlow, trailed by Whyte, Courtney Ogden (Australia), Jimmy Johnsen (Denmark), Keegan Williams (New Zealand) and Petr Vabrousek (Czech Republic).
Once on the bike, Doe and Rhodes drove the pace early, with Farlow, Whyte, Ogden and Johnsen rounding out the front-runners.
Farlow bridged the gap to the pair, joining Doe at the 70km mark, while two flat tyres saw Rhodes' race end about 150km into the cycle.
Farlow then made what turned out to be the decisive move with 30km left to ride, overhauling Doe and coming into the second transition area with more than 2min in hand as the gaps widened behind them.
Farlow ticked off the first 21km of the marathon in 1hr 28min 27sec and had 6min on Whyte, with Doe another 3min back. Ogden and Johnsen finished in fourth and fifth.
The women's race was dominated by three-time Challenge Wanaka champion Gina Crawford (31), of Christchurch, who has returned to fulltime racing after giving birth to her first child six months ago.
Crawford exited the water in 54min 21sec and was never under threat, reaching the finish in 9hr 44min 06sec after holding off a hard-charging Britta Martin on the run.
After a strong bike, Crawford arrived in the transition area well clear of fellow New Zealander Julia Grant and Germany's Martin, a rising triathlon professional now based in Nelson.
Crawford stormed on to the run course and burned through the first 3km in 11min on the way to a determined and speedy marathon.
Behind her, Martin _ winner of last year's Challenge Wanaka half-distance race gained ground but could not overhaul her.
Crawford finished 2min 30sec ahead of Martin, with Wanaka's Simone Maier, second last year, finishing third.
The race saw 1234 athletes from 26 nations competing in the half-distance and full-distance triathlons.
