HE dived into the water off Yorkeys Knob before the sun had risen on Sunday and took his final steps over the finish line long after it had set.

With a time just shy of 17 hours, John Hook was the last person to complete the gruelling Challenge Cairns triathlon about 8hr 45min after the winner.

But with fireworks lighting the night sky overhead and the supportive roar of spectators cheering him on, Mr Hook said he felt the same exhilaration as those competitors who had finished hours before him.

“I was coming back along the pier just as the fireworks were going off, so I had a great view and that was pretty special,” he said.

“You get a bit depressed on the last lap, but it’s always exhilarating when you enter the finishing chute because of all the crowd support you get.”

Mr Hook’s clubmates from Warringah in New South Wales were on the Cairns Esplanade to cheer the 60-year-old IT worker over the line during the inaugural Challenge Cairns – his 11th iron distance triathlon.

He recorded a personal best time of 14hr 33min at his first iron-distance triathlon in Western Australia and has since competed in Brazil and Kentucky.

“This was my slowest one, but given my age and weight, it’s a pretty good time, and considering that my training has dropped off a bit too,” he said.

“It’s a very scenic course – the prettiest bits are on the bike, of course, riding on the highway between Cairns and Port Douglas.”

Mr Hook started training for triathlons more than a decade ago to combat obesity, and his success on the course has inspired other well-known amateur competitors.

“Tony Abbott gave me credit for getting him into triathlons,” Mr Hook said.

“I’m involved with the Liberal Party office in Manly and when Tony saw me after a triathlon in Busselton, he said I was looking trim so then he gave it a go.”

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