Sam McCutcheon took the advice of a friend and responded with a win in the Dunedin marathon yesterday.
McCutcheon (22), a commerce and law student, was urged to run the marathon by friend Rosie Hodson, after she had told him of her experience in the Motutapu event earlier this year.
The pair began training together but Hodson picked up an injury and was unable to start.
McCutcheon is a keen swimmer and member of the St Clair Surf Live Saving Club, and his fitness background stood out from the start of the Moro-sponsored event yesterday.
As the field quickly spread out, Will Smith, last year's runner-up, set the pace, with McCutcheon sitting in behind.
As the field travelled down Portobello Rd, Smith could not shake the nagging presence of McCutcheon, with his lead fluctuating between 30sec and 45sec.
Despite McCutcheon not being "too happy" when the course turned into the wind, Smith's lead remained steady at 32sec as he journeyed around the harbour basin.
McCutcheon slowly ate into Smith's lead and got to the front at the Ravensbourne railway station.
From there, Smith appeared to battle into the northeasterly breeze, while McCutcheon drove into the wind to hold a 24sec lead at Maia.
He then lifted his pace as he neared the finish at Watson Park, crossing in 2hr 39min 23sec, 4min 36sec clear of Smith.
Third was veteran Michael Beaumont in 2hr 51min 3sec.
A talented all-round sportsman, McCutcheon is also a keen social football player, but his running talent might have been inherited from his father, Brian McCutcheon, who has completed three marathons and run a personal-best time in the Kepler Challenge of 7hr 5min.
"He's got incredible discipline and is superbly fit," Brian said of his son's first marathon.
First in the open women's section of the full marathon was Sue Cuthbert in 3hr 12min 33sec.
Although unable to compete last year, Cuthbert has had a remarkable run of success with the event. She won the open women's title in 2007 and finished runner-up in 2008 and 2009.
Because of the injury that kept her out of last year's event, she did not think she would run another marathon.
But an encouraging result in the Naseby 30km two weeks ago was all the prompting she needed to compete yesterday.
It was the first time she had run more than 20km in over a year.
"I just expected to get through. I didn't expect to win," Cuthbert said.
"The time's not that flash, really. But it was a terrible wind."
Cuthbert was always aware of the presence just behind her of second-placed Maggie Corr, from San Francisco, who kept on Cuthbert's tail the whole way to finish in 3hr 13min 46sec.
Third was Meg Christie (Christchurch) in 3hr 23min 57sec.
