Heard about the New Zealand soldier who did his Ironman training on an exercycle and in a small pool?

Or the 69-year-old former Navy diver who started the first Ironman race on these shores back in 1985 and hasn't missed a single event since?

While the focus is on the professionals, the essence of the Taupo Ironman is the weekend warriors; the age-group athletes who are the heart and soul of the event, when sometimes just getting to the start line is an achievement.

Major John Humphries, serving in East Timor with the New Zealand defence force, is one of those stories. Home on leave, he competed yesterday after an unique training routine.

"You can't cycle on the roads there - there are potholes everywhere, livestock wandering freely and fairly dodgy drivers," laughs Humphries. "I also planned to do some swims in the ocean, until I spotted some crocodiles."

Instead, Humphries has endured marathon six-hour sessions on an exercycle and trained for the daunting 3.8km swim across Lake Taupo with endless laps of a 17m pool.

Running wasn't always easy either - he has been chased by a pack of wild monkeys as well as endless stray dogs, in extreme temperatures and high humidity.

"It's been an ordeal at times," admits Humphries, "but it was all worth it."

Humphries finished last night in 14h 37m 24s.

Meanwhile, Mike Ramsay - proudly displaying his special '1985' bib - lined up yesterday for his 30th Ironman NZ race, the only person to achieve the feat.

"It doesn't seem like 30 years," said the 69-year-old. "You just keep on, plugging away. The record keeps me going."

The 1985 race was the first Ironman event outside Hawaii and local competitors were venturing into the unknown.

"We didn't have a clue," says Ramsay. "No one knew what to expect."

Ramsay even consulted chemists at the Chelsea Sugar company, trying to develop the prefect fructose blend for his own energy drink in the days before commercially produced electrolyte drinks.

"In the early days, we also tried eating peanut butter sandwiches, potatoes, kumaras," laughs Ramsay. "I once made a 'miracle' fudge which was a bit of a failure but anything was worth trying."