University of Canterbury runner Daniel Balchin won the senior men’s 10km race in 35min 3.50sec at the Waikouaiti Racecourse.
The former Caversham runner was 16 seconds ahead of the second-placed Josh Baan (Hill City-University).
It was Baan who took the Otago title, though, as Balchin was unable to win because he was not registered to an Otago club.
The race was the 28-year-old’s first cross-country in Otago in about seven years, and he enjoyed being back.
Having moved to Alexandra — where he now has a job as an engineer at Fulton Hogan — from Christchurch, he decided the race would be a good build-up for next month’s national championships.
After finding himself in a group with Baan, Jacob Priddey, Jared Monk and Blair Martin early on, Balchin picked up the pace in the second lap.
Only Baan was able to keep with him, but Balchin kept the pressure on and was able to open a gap which he maintained through to the end.
It showed he was tracking well ahead of his bigger goal in two weeks’ time.
"It’s going good," he said of his preparation for the national championships.
"That Otago crosser was just a bit of a tester, just reminding me what a cross-country is all about.
"I’ve finished runner-up at the national cross-country the last couple of years, so I’m hoping to go one better.
"It’ll be tough but that’s my goal."
He expected some hard competition and said Otago’s Oli Chignell — who did not run on Saturday — will be among the top contenders.
Despite his move, Balchin was set to continue representing his Christchurch club.
However, he would keep up plenty of running, as the road race national championships and Dunedin half-marathon were on the horizon.
"Running is the one constant.
"You can run anywhere you go, so I’ve got the same routine, just different scenery.
"The running’s definitely going in Alexandra, it’s just good country to train in and I’m enjoying that side of things."
In the women’s race, Rebekah Greene put on a classy display to claim a near-six-minute win.
Greene finished the 10km course in 39min 43.40sec, ahead of the second-placed Sharon Lequeux.
