Gallardo (38), an olive tree farmer from the south of Spain, said the opportunity of running his 118th marathon and rediscovering Dunedin was too good to miss.
He discovered Dunedin earlier this year when his wife, Marta Rossell (37), took up a post as a Spanish language teacher.
The couple then moved to Christchurch at the completion of the first term, where they will be based until returning to Spain at the end of the year.
Gallardo competed in his first marathon in 2000, when he ran 2hr 45min 40sec in Barcelona, finishing about 60th in the 5000-strong field.
He ran his 100th marathon on the course last year, running with his wife and clocking 3hr 45min in a field of about 10,000.
"I never ran anything until I met him," Rossell said of her husband.
"For him, it is an excuse for travelling. He will look at a map and say, 'Where can I run the next marathon?'."
The couple have run most of the major marathons in the world, with a special liking for Boston.
"It's just one big party when that's on," Gallardo said of the Boston marathon.
"It's a kind of religion there and, besides, it's the oldest in the world and everyone just wants to celebrate."
Gallardo has best times on the Boston course of 2hr 53min and 2hr 57min.
"I used to train serious for these, but now I just want to enjoy them and have fun," Gallardo said of his relaxed preparation to marathons.
This approach paid off for Gallardo yesterday when he finished in 3hr 31min 45sec.
