It was a banner afternoon on Saturday for all the right reasons for the Whanganui police as their staff members claimed the major line honours at the NZMG's triathlon.
In a strong turnout of over 50 individual and team competitors - a rare increase in numbers for a specific sport compared to the 2015 games - it was Paul Baskett who blitzed the field and broke the hour mark with a finish of 58m 35s.
Following was his subordinate in the detective branch Craig in Jackson, while the NZMG duathlon winner and Palmerston North police officer AJ Cornwell also made up the fastest finishing individuals with multisport veteran and 2015 winner Rob Gemmell.
At the start underneath the Aramoho rail bridge, a strong current heading downstream saw competitors clinging to the support beams or waiting to the last possible moment to get in the water and conserve strength.
But when co-ordinator and fellow policeman Jason Page let everybody go, the current shot the competitors along a high pace, with Baskett having covered the 750m back to the club rooms in less than four minutes, having to run past his toddler daughter who was delighted to see him.