She's a kayaker and top surf lifesaver – now 16-year-old Otumoetai College student Jess Gadsbey is making a name in multisport.

The Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service member took out the New Zealand under-19 multisport title at the weekend, winning her division in the 25km race at the Thermotech 3D Multisport Festival.

Otumoetai College student Jess Gadsbey at the Thermotech 3D Multisport Festival. Photo: Steve Knowles/Sportzhub.com

Gadsbey blitzed the opening 4.5km kayak leg in 25 minutes and 57 seconds, faster than any other female on the day and beaten by only three of the males of any age group.

A solid mountain bike and a sharp run leg brought home the title and was good enough for second overall, behind former Tauranga swimmer Lydia Hale, who won the novice adult section.

Rotorua woman 30-year-old Nic Leary became the first-ever local winner of the 50km feature race at the multisport festival.

The Rotorua physiotherapist out-dueled two-time winner Elina Ussher to finish in three hours, 10minutes and 12 seconds.

With surf lifesaver Danielle McKenzie blowing the field away in the opening 9km kayak on Tikitapu, Leary relied heavily on her mountain biking experience to claw back the deficit, before out-gunning Ussher on the run.

"Danielle smoked it at the start and I didn't even get a glimpse of her,” says Leary. "When I jumped out of the boat and they said I was seven and half minutes down, I thought she was gone.

'I could see Elina ahead of me but I knew I had a lot of work to do. I was catching a lot of guys on the bike but didn't know if I was going well or not until I caught up with Elina.

'We hit the run together and I've never out-run her before but today I felt really good."

So good, in fact, that by the end of the 11km run, she'd put more than three minutes on Ussher, who couldn't add to the titles she won at the 2011 and 2012 editions of the event.

Auckland's Emma McCosh cruised home comfortably in third, posting three hours, 20 minutes and 41 seconds, while McKenzie – though she couldn't maintain her valiant early charge – was still good enough to hold onto fourth in three hours, 26 minutes and 47 seconds.

The men's race was far closer, with Australian Jarad Kohlar needing a last-kilometre kick to get in front of Nelson's Trevor Voyce.

Kohlar had a memorable day, falling out of his kayak near the end of the first leg and losing a drink bottle on the mountain bike – but he held his composure and had enough to withstand Voyce's challenge.

"I was running a bit dry at the end but sat on Trevor's heels for the last lap and put the pressure on up the final little hill," says Kohlar, who was third in the 2011 race.

"I'm pretty happy to win because the standard is so high on this side of the Tasman."

The 31-year-old crossed in two hours, 46 minutes and eight seconds, with Voyce finishing just 27 seconds back, keeping his streak going after finishing fourth in 2012 and third last year. With Kohlar ineligible, Voyce also claimed the NZ multisport title.

"I had a good ride with Jarad and felt pretty consistent on the run," Voyce says. "I didn't do anything special and it was my strongest performance at 3D, although I'm definitely gutted I couldn't get Jarad near the end.

"He had a great burst of speed and deserved to win."

Whakatane's Sam Clark made the early pace with a slick kayak and a solid mountain bike but a niggling groin injury returned to haunt him on the run. He eventually finished fifth, behind young guns Sam Manson from Hawke's Bay and Rotorua triathlete Ollie Shaw.

Bay of Plenty pair Lewis Ryan and Lydia Hale, meanwhile, wrapped up the titles in the 25km grassroots multisport race.

Results:

Men: Jarad Kohlar (Australia) 2hrs 46mins 8secs 1, Trevor Voyce (Nelson) 2:46:35 2, Sam Manson (Hawke's Bay) 2:52:47 3, Ollie Shaw (Rotorua) 2:54:14 4, Sam Clark (Whakatane) 2:58:42 5, Hamish Fleming (Wellington) 2:58:52 6, Rob Creasy (Cambridge) 3:01:57 7, David Blundell (Auckland) 3:03:41 8, Peter O'Sullivan (Palmerston North) 3:05:36 9, Travis Mitchell (Mairangi Bay) 3:06:41 10.

Women: Nic Leary (Rotorua) 3:10:12 1, Elina Ussher (Nelson) 3:13:11 2, Emma McCosh (Auckland) 3:20:41 3, Danielle McKenzie (Mairangi Bay) 3:26:47 4, Sia Svendsen (Christchurch) 3:41:12 5.

For full results, click here: