Joshua Baan is still adjusting to competing in the senior ranks.
The 20-year-old is set to compete in the senior field at the national road championships in Tauranga today, the same event he won the junior title in a year ago.
Baan also won national 5000m track and national cross-country titles as a junior last year, and said he felt ready to make the step up to seniors this year.
''It's obviously a bit harder, with further distances and you're competing against stronger guys,'' he said.
''You do have to get your body adjusted to cope with that, but I think I've done it reasonably well so far this season.
''I struggled a little bit at the [national] athletics championships at the start of the year, but I'm starting to adjust now.''
The Otago senior cross-country champion finished seventh in a tough senior men's field at the national cross-country championships in Christchurch last month, a result he was ''pretty happy'' with.
He finished 1min 12sec behind Malcolm Hicks, of Auckland, who will also line up for the 10km race in Tauranga today.
Aaron Pulford, of Waikato-Bay of Plenty, who finished third a year ago behind former Otago runners Callan Moody and Daniel Balchin, is also entered in the 20-strong field. Baan was not happy with his form in the Clyde to Alexandra road race last month, where he finished second in 32min 16sec, but said he has been battling fatigue.
''But this week I think I've hopefully recovered more and should hopefully be able to get a top-five result.''
Baan, a second year accounting and finance student at the University of Otago, plans to take a couple of weeks off after the race before the track season.
He will ''probably'' compete in the national road-relay championships in Christchurch next month.
Mel Aitken, the only other Otago runner competing today, will go into the masters 5000m 35-39 years race as firm favourite.
