LAUNCESTON multi-sport specialist Mark Padgett took out individual honours in the 2015 Ben Lomond Descent on Sunday.
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Padgett completed the 16-kilometre mountain bike leg, 11km kayak leg on the North Esk River and 9km run in a time of 2 hours 10 minutes and 59 seconds.
He justs edged out another multi-sport veteran in Hobart’s Dan Hall with Richard McNinn finishing third.
Padgett beat his traditional rival Hall in last year’s event by 20 seconds and this year there was only 13 seconds separating the two elite athletes after the three legs.
Padgett won his first 186km Freycinet Challenge multi-sport title in October last year.
The Ben Lomond Descent is a multi-discipline event with the emphasis on fun and participation for both elite and amateur competitors.
The 36-kilometre distance combines mountain biking, kayaking and running legs from Ben Lomond National Park to the North Esk Memorial Hall at Blessington.
Entrants complete each section in sequence, as an individual entrant, or as a relay team of two to three entrants.
Each section begins with a mass start, so entrants must re-group after each leg.
The team’s competition was taken out by the Nitro Revolution Mercenaries, made up of Jesse Webster, David Knox and Brad Gibbins who completed the legs in 2:42.15.
Second place in the teams event went to the Boags XXX team of Mark Barrett, Chris Flood and Andrew Stuart.
The junior teams winners were the FOT: div 2 made up of Jayden Johnson, Sarah Cook and Jack Woods.
About 60 athletes took took part in the Ben Lomond Descent in challenging conditions which included rain, sleet, cold winds, muddy tracks and a high water level in the North Esk.
The multi-sport event is put on by the Tamar Canoe Club.