West Macs Monster Sees Record Turnout Despite Challenging Conditions

It was the West Macs Monster's biggest year ever.

The running festival along the snaking Larapinta Trail outside Alice Springs, through stunning Western Arrernte country, brings hundreds of participants from across the country, and came to an end on Sunday.

Despite a rainy, windy start to the weekend that created some tricky obstacles on the outback track, it was the event's most successful iteration yet, with a record number of competitors and volunteers.

All four race lengths — 231 kilometres, 128km, 65km and 25km — were completely sold out, with more than 550 runners taking to the track.

Northern Territory local Mathieu Pangrazzi won the 231km race for the second year in a row, in a time of 45 hours, as hundreds of other contestants across the four race lengths also crossed the finish line on Sunday.

Pangrazzi said despite issues with his foot and some cramping, as well as some dizziness that caused him to feel "down, mentally", he had pushed through.

"It's the achievement of running that distance. I love the outdoors, I love running," he said at the finish line at 6am on Sunday — hours before the next 231km contestant made it through.

Darwin woman Felicity Pidgeon Fong came first in the women's category of the 231km race and third overall across both male and female contestants.

The winner of the 128km race, Alice Springs runner Thomas Giles, said it had been a three-year journey towards reaching first place, upon crossing the finish line just after 6am.

"I'm pretty cooked, and just really stoked to have friends and family here and get a win," he said.

Despite the rainy conditions, which left water across the trail, the event saw one record broken, with Victoria Cole setting a new fastest time for women in the 25km race.

Across all distances, of the 573 runners who began the races, 529 finished.

In the 231km race, which usually has a 50 per cent finish rate, just 10 of the 24 starters completed the race.

Event director Simon Duke said it had been an "electric finish line" and organisers "couldn't be happier or prouder of the 200 plus volunteers that banded together".

Deputy event director Lachie Donchi said it was the first time rain had fallen during the West Macs Monster in the event's seven-year history, creating "fresh ground for everybody" and making the course harder than previous years.