Timaru’s Sam Wreford lived up to his pre-race billing by blitzing his rivals to win in a record 2hr 27min 56sec.
That is despite the 33-year-old treating the race as a "training run" after suffering from the flu in the preceding days.
"I’ve been very, very crook — like almost vomiting."
He was still doubtful about his fitness on the morning of the race, but the devotee of Lydiard training methods decided to go ahead and treat it like one of his regular 42km training runs.
He had to pull out of last year’s race because of injury and it was perfect preparation for his biggest race of the year, the Singapore Marathon, on December 3.
Wreford’s time was one of five race records set although the infamous Marathon Hill on Frankton’s Kawarau River Trail was no longer used for the race.
Wreford finished nearly 5min ahead of Christchurch’s Blair McWhirter in 2hr 32min 45sec, while Queenstown’s Jason Hall came third in 2hr 35min 19sec after edging Chilean Francisco Sanzana in a desperate sprint for the line.
For women’s marathon winner Hannah Oldroyd, it was her second surprise victory in three weeks.
Oldroyd overtook race favourite Mel Aitken with 9km to go and never looked back, winning in a record time of 2hr 52min 21sec.
The Auckland-based Brit, who moved to New Zealand with her partner a year ago, won the Auckland Marathon three weeks ago and the Christchurch Marathon in June.
The 30-year-old said she never expected such success in New Zealand.
"Especially not today, not with professional triathletes and Mel Aitken, who’s like a 2hr 45min marathon runner.
"And then there’s me, who just drinks."
Wary of the hilly course, she held back for the first two-thirds of the race, but gradually mowed down the field until she passed Aitken with 9km to go.
It was Aitken’s third runner-up finish in four years despite shaving 5min off her winning time last year.
American Marisa Ruhter was third in 2h56m8s.
Both men’s and women’s marks were also lowered in the half marathon. Christchurch’s Daniel Balchin won the men’s race in 1hr 7min 28sec while Josie Wilcox, of Palmerston North, motored away from her rivals to finish in 1hr 19min 28sec.
The men’s First Half half marathon was won by James Parsons, who won the inaugural marathon in 2014, in 1hr 19min 18sec.
The first woman home was Tanya Copeland in 1hr 34min 30sec.
In the men’s 10km race, Christchurch’s Dominic Channon shaved a minute off the record to win in 33min 28sec, while Karin Schank won’s the women’s race in 39min 2sec.
A record 9825 runners took part, up from fewer than 6000 in 2014’s inaugural race.
