Kate McHardy, 17, has become the youngest woman to win the Mount Monster — the country’s premier Surf Lifesaving long distance race, in Tauranga — in the open women’s category.

The race is nearly 25 kilometers long and requires athletes to paddle on a surf ski for 12km, run 5km, swim 1.5km, and then paddle board the remaining 6km.

Kate, who is a member of the Lyall Bay Surf Life Saving Club, won the under-19 women’s category. She was also the first woman home in the open category, beating last year’s winner with a time of two hours 35 minutes.

The hardest part for her in the race was the paddle board, “just because it's the last leg and you're trying to keep going”.

Last year Kate was caught out in the last leg by another athlete who was a strong paddle boarder, so she said it felt amazing to win the top spot this year.

“I was stoked to take it out.”

The Lyall Bay Surf Life Saving Club was a great training ground, she said, and had great coaches such as Craig Jones and Ben Manners.

“She trains at least six times per week and is hugely committed both to her sport and to keeping swimmers safe as a lifeguard at Wellington’s beaches over summer,” Jones said.

Kate said she first started in the club’s “nippers” programme when she was 10. She joined because her father wanted her to feel safe around the ocean and comfortable in the water.

“I just really loved it and started competing. Now all my sporting focus is going from using my swimming into [surf lifesaving], which is quite cool.” The sport was great for water safety, as well as general fitness and community, she said. “I'm always confident at the beach now no matter who I'm with, I know I can support myself and help others if I need.

“It's so fun and inclusive and it kind of turns the sport into something really enjoyable that you want to turn up to every day.”

Kate said she plans to continue with surf life saving after she moves to Australia to attend Griffith University where she will be studying law and environmental science.

She plans to come back to New Zealand for the national championships in Mount Maunganui in March.