South Otago High School teacher Jason Palmer made it a rare double when he won the open men's half-marathon title yesterday.
Palmer crossed to win the title at the Cadbury-sponsored event in 1hr 13min 19sec, two years after winning the full marathon in Dunedin.
He had to fight off a strong challenge from former international and national junior steeplechase champion Kerry Faass (Christchurch).
The two were locked together until Palmer pulled away on the run up Roseneath Hill.
''Kerry kept surging on me, and I kept thinking: `Well, that's me, I'm gone','' Palmer said at the finish.
''But I pushed through and managed to get him. Only just, though - he's a really tough old man.''
The 1627-strong half-marathon field encountered nothing like the weather conditions early on that the full marathon competitors had to endure.
Palmer said conditions were perfect and the wind behind ''made a huge difference''. He added it felt very easy running along the cycleway, and a mark on his shoulder dropped by a seagull was considered a sign of good luck.
Palmer has targeted the Auckland marathon on November 2, and is seeking coaching advice from Warwick Lightbourne.
''That's the big goal. That's what I'm aiming for. I hope to give a time of 2hr 30min a bit of a shave. I've been doing some real good-tempo runs down south that are an indicator that I'm in that shape.''
Palmer, who a week ago recorded the second-fastest time in the Port Chalmers to Dunedin road race, added that he was not expecting it to be as hard as it turned out, as Faass really kept pushing things up front.
Faass (48), second in 1hr 13min 32sec, showed he had lost little of his competitive edge despite a 20-year break from running. He has a best half-marathon time of 1hr 7min 52sec.
Shireen Crumpton made it three Dunedin half-marathon titles in succession, when she held out a strong challenge from national masters cross-country and road champion Louisa Andrew.
Crumpton, who set the open women's race record on the old half-marathon course of 1hr 15min 5sec when she won the New Zealand title in 2004, lowered her own record for the new course by 50sec, crossing in 1hr 22min 51sec.
Second-placed Andrew recorded 1hr 24min 6sec and Otago triathlon champion Susannah Lynch was third in 1hr 27min 47sec.
