The 18-year-old from Townsville completed the 800m swim, 25km ride and 5km run in a blistering time of one hour, nine minutes and one second.

Julia Creek township was crammed to 10 times its population of 300 for the event which is going from strength to strength with 363 triathletes taking part in the main event.

An overcast morning with little win gave competitors false hope it might not be as hard as usual but it wasn’t long before the temperature rose and the headwinds whipped out.

Not that it bothered winner McKay who first started competing at Dirt N Dust in 2012 when he was just 14 and finished with a creditable sixth. In 2014 he moved up to fifth before finishing third last year.

Now he’s on the winner’s podium and the quiet young student of physiotherapy at James Cook University said he was “delighted” with the win.

“I had an injury coming into the race so hadn’t raced competitively in seven months,” he said.

McKay showed no signs of his injury as he blitzed the field almost from the start of the swim leg and cycling solo into the headwind back into town before being carried across the line by the cheers of the big crowd of locals and visitors.

Second place went to Sydneysider Dean Degan, almost three minutes behind in a time of 1:11:44.

Third was another Townsville athlete Ben Cooper a further two minute’s back in 1:13:14.

In the women’s event Cairns Ironman champion Liz Blatchford justified her favouritism winning comfortably – and beating all but the top three men across the line – in a scorching time of 1:13:22.

The Gold Coast runner enjoyed her first visit to Julia Creek saying the course was “super hot and a whole lot of fun”.

Last year’s winner Mount Isa’s Amanda Gowing was second in a time of 1:21:24.

Third was Britanny Blanco of Ingham in a time of 1:22:46, also taking out the 20-24 category.