Horse has triumphed against human once again at the Only Fools and Horses running race in Wedderburn.<\/p>\n
Lake H\u0101wea\u2019s Matthew Gummer completed the 40km course in a time of 3hr 15min but was beaten by Ginny Sutton and her horse, Sass, by four minutes.<\/p>\n
Fresh off victory at the Northburn 100 \u2014 a 100-mile ultra marathon \u2014 just three weeks ago, Gummer, 39, said he had been drawn in by the \u2018\u2018super-cool concept\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Tearing across mountains, chased by a horse \u2014 it was all just good fun,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
The event, now in its second year, begins with runners setting off first before being chased down by horses which set off 15 minutes later.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s result represented significant progress for humanity, with Gummer\u2019s four-minute defeat a significant improvement on last year, when the horse finished about 30 minutes ahead of the leading runner.<\/p>\n
Honourable mention went to Pascal Saker, who took on the near-marathon length course in a crude knight\u2019s costume aboard a hobby horse.<\/p>\n
The course begins near the Wedderburn cottages, traversing private farmland, following historic water races and climbing steep ridge lines with sweeping views of the Central Otago landscape.<\/p>\n
Event organiser Steve Tripp said animal welfare remained a top priority, with additional vet checks carried out during and after the race.<\/p>\n