Smiths first and second in Port race

It was a battle of the northern and southern hemispheres, a battle of the Smiths and a battle of attrition, but in the end, in this year’s Port Road Race, held yesterday, there was only one winner, Caversham’s Jonah Smith.

Fear of failure and the unknown ability of his British namesake Liam Smith was probably more of a motivating force for  Jonah on his way to winning his second title on the 12km course that traverses the old road between Port Chalmers and Dunedin.

First held in 1905, the race has been an annual feature of the Dunedin running scene since, playing host to many Olympic, Commonwealth, national and local champions.

Yesterday’s race was another classic encounter and one reminiscent of Jonah’s sprint-finish victory in 2016, when just two seconds separated him and Jason Palmer (Leith).

The two Smiths got involved early, in the nervous rush up the hill from the start on Borlases Rd. The two became a double act up front as the 160-strong field wound its way through Sawyers Bay. The two remained together until the course turned on to the flatter surface of Port Chalmers Highway at Maia, where Jonah made a break, opening up a 10sec lead he maintained to the finish on Butts Rd.

Despite opening up a handy lead over the final 3km, Jonah never felt comfortable with his lead.

"I thought he was right behind me. I swear I could hear his footsteps," a relieved Jonah said at the finish.

"I pretty much went for it on all the hills. I though my best shot was to gun every hill and hope I was a bit stronger at the end."

Jonah said that if he had not gone for it when he did, he might not have had the sprint in his legs that he did two years ago, after he contested the Big Easy Mountain Marathon in Wanaka last weekend.

"I didn’t have much of a plan coming into this race today. I just thought I’d have a go and see how I went. I had no idea where my speed and pace were at. I went by effort."

Jonah said that unlike last week, when his legs froze up on the downhill, they were "surprisingly good" this week, despite some worries after the hill stages, that he managed to overcome.

"Honestly, I was really surprised. I thought Liam looked really good and it was going to be another run involving a sprint to the finish. I was honestly really surprised that I was able to pull away. I really thought he was still there with me. I didn’t dare look back. I just went for it once I turned into Butts Rd."

Liam, who was in Dunedin to attend the wedding of his cousin Imogen Stockwell to Ben Jaquiery, thought he would take the opportunity to run the oldest road race in the southern hemisphere, despite nursing a recent foot injury and being out of season.

"It feels strange not being 5degC and involved in a cross-country," Liam said of competing in current English winter season.

Mostly a track runner, Liam (24) has a sub 32min 10,000m and a 8min 40sec time for 3000m.

"I’m OK but nothing too amazing," he said.

The evergreen Shireen Crumpton (Hill City-University) took the lead early in the women’s race and held off the constant threats posed by club mate Bella Bloomfield and Sharon Lequeux (Leith).

No stranger to the event, Crumpton still holds the women’s record in the event of 45min 55sec, set in 1997.