Marathon: Milestone mission completed

Rotorua's Colin Smyth completed his 50th consecutive Rotorua Marathon on Saturday. Photo / Stephen Parker

While his achievement may never be confirmed as an official world record, Colin Smyth will always look back and be satisfied with what he has done in the last 51 years at the Rotorua Marathon.

Smyth, 76, completed his 50th consecutive Rotorua Marathon on Saturday. It is a feat which many are speculating to be a world first at any marathon around the world.

Athletics New Zealand said it was more than likely a world first but the records were simply not there to verify it.

Smyth, originally a top runner, has never missed the Rotorua Marathon since it began in 1965, and has been walking it for the past 10 years because of a knee injury.

Lung troubles meant he could do very little training in the build up to this year's marathon, so he chose to start early on Saturday to give himself plenty of time to get around Lake Rotorua for his milestone 50th.

"I asked Murray Fleming if I could start earlier or else I would have needed a torch," he said.

"I parked my motor home down there [near the start] and I thought I could just come out and get started in the morning."

He said he got a bit of surprise when 30-odd people met him at the start line to send him off on his way at 6am.

During his 11-hour journey to the finish he came across plenty of challenges but, with help from his wife Pat and plenty of friends and supporters, he made it through the tough Hamurana hills and out to Mourea.

"Once you get past there [the halfway mark] it kind of picks you up and you know you are heading home," he said. "Then once I got down past the airport I was thinking, gee, I'm going to do this."

Smyth said the crowds were great as he came towards the finish line and he even received a guard of honour from all the club members near Queens Drive.

"I got a bit emotional at the finish," he said. "All our club mates had their hands up for a guard of honour then they all came down behind us as I finished."

He said lots of people were there cheering him on.

"I have never had so many kisses in my life, it made me think about doing this again," he said jokingly.

Smyth said a big thank you to all those people who helped him.

"I just want to thank all the ones who got me through because there was no way I could have done it on my own."

Smyth said he was feeling fine yesterday just a couple of days after the mammoth challenge.

"I'm feeling really good, I'm quite surprised," he said. "My knee is a bit sore but that is common."

Saturday's event was the 51st anniversary of the Rotorua Marathon but the 50th staging of the event, after it was rained off in 1999.