North worked his way up through the field in the five-leg race to win in a time of 50 minutes and eight seconds.

The Bathurst triathlete saw off Mudgee's Matt Webster (50:36) and Orange’s Jack Bilton (50:43) to the top podium spot.

Jimmy Byrne was in the hunt throughout the race but had to settle for fourth place, not far away in a time of 50:51.

The ‘grand prix’ format saw long course competitors take on a 2.5 kilometre run, 200 metre swim and 16km bike leg followed by further 200m swim and 2.5km legs to finish.

It was on the second swim leg where North propelled himself into the lead, after bouncing around inside the top five throughout the race.

“To be honest wasn’t 100 per cent during that race. That first run I knew would be fast and I knew I’d just have to be patient and get into my own rhythm,” he said.

"When you get in the water after the first run and the ride your legs are just lactic and you can’t use them. With strong upper body I was able to muscle my way through the first swim and get into a rhythm on the bike.

“It didn’t take them long to catch me though and the attacks were flying left right and centre. We all came together on the bike and I just had to remain confident in my swimming ability.”

Dean Windsor powered ahead to arrive back first on the bike but the top five were bunched close together going into the final two legs.

Jimmy Byrne, North, Webster and Bilton all followed close behind.

However, North’s following swim leg gave him a comfortable margin over Bilton going into the run for home.

North managed to do both swim legs in an identical time of 2:50.

Using the pool to his advantage was a necessity for North, who was well aware of his opponents’ strengths.

“I ran scared. I was hurting but just had to grit my teeth and get away,” he said.

“My running and riding are probably not up to the level of some of these guys. The WIndsors can ride and Matt Webster and Jack Bilton can run so I had to use my strength, and that’s swimming.”

The win is a great sign for North on his continued recovery from a training accident on the bike in October.

“It’s good to get back-to-back wins and it’s my first competitive race back after four months off. I couldn’t be happier,” North said.

“I don’t think I’ve seen a stronger, faster and more competitive field in an interclub race. The level has gone up tenfold. It’s unbelievable.”