His two remaining closest challengers in Christchurch’s groundbreaking endurance test ran empty as darkness fell over Spencer Park.
It wasn’t a walk on the beach for Harvey and 118 other participants in the Krayzie Midwinter Backyard Ultra, the first time the last man standing format was staged in the city.
Harvey achieved that lofty status, 28 hours 41 minutes and 28 seconds after the field completed its first 4,706km loop at 7:30 a.m. last Saturday.
The 29-year-old Sumner-based ultra-distance runner eventually completed 35 loops, one more than Queenstown’s Brandon Purdie and Dunedin’s John Bayne.
Harvey had the relative luxury of riding to the finish line on Sunday night, despite needing run repairs deep into his 234.85km journey.
“When I went through that little moment of tenderness, I think it was the 180km, a callus on my big toe came away.
“I had a piece of meat that rubbed into my shoe.
“I thought, ‘This could be my race,’ but I came into the race base, tore off my shoe, wrapped it up and went back out.
“There was no pain. I thought, ‘You great motherfucker, you got it sorted’ and I just continued with the positive self-talk.
“I found my groove and it was my race from then on as far as I’m concerned,” he said.
While excellent fitness was clearly a requirement, Harvey was bolstered – and paralyzed – a month earlier by a 10th-place finish in the South Sydney 24 Hours Ultra, winning the mind games was also essential.
“I think if you go through a lifetime of suffering or mental hardship, it prepares you very well for this,” he said.
“I’ve been fighting demons at night, especially on Sunday mornings.
“Going in with the rig that was already busted and broken (from Sydney) gave me a pretty good handicap.
“The voices in your head start to say, ‘You’re not good enough’ or ‘Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if you quit’.
“‘Your family will still love you’ – that sort of thing.”
But giving up was never an option for Harvey, who managed to rehydrate at the end of each circuit after making sure to conserve enough energy when his rivals wilted.
“It’s better to just go slow, take it easy and not hurt your body too much, and take a short rest at the end of each round.”
Runners had an hour to complete each loop, which gave Harvey a manageable target.
“Because this course was so much flatter, I tied my knot back and did my casual 52-minute loops and let the bravado boys do their 45-minute loops, which eventually stung them.”
Harvey’s next assignment is the New Zealand leg of the Backyard Ultra World Championships in October, where 15-man teams from each country will compete simultaneously on their home track.
Although it is a team event, the frontrunner from each country will be rewarded with participation in the 2023 Backyard Ultra World Championships in the United States.
Harvey completed his first ‘last man standing’ event in Auckland last year, although his interest in long-distance running dates back to his teenage years.
“I played rugby and I did boxing and triathlon. They require running and that’s what I’m really best at, so that was my focus,” he said.
“All roads led back to running.”