KEY POINTS:
Nina Rillstone, in only her third marathon, was satisfied with her 13th place at the world championships in Osaka yesterday.
"I'm happy enough - but if I'd managed a place in the top 10 and I would have been really, really happy," said Rillstone.
The 32-year-old went into the race ranked 33rd and ran a well-controlled first half, before dropping off the leading group at 25km.
Rillstone recorded 2h 33m 58s - just 3m 21s behind the runner she predicted would win, Catherine Ndereba of Kenya.
At 19km Rillstone was at the front of the leading pack, was in the top 12 at halfway in 1h 16m 34s, held fourth at 25km, but by 30km was 18th.
She recovered to be 12th at 40km, and back in the stadium for the finish was passed by Gudnara Vygovskaya of Russia in the final 50m.
Rillstone said that she went through a bit of a bad patch between 25km and 30km. "At midway, I was quite a bit in front, which I was loving, feeling very comfortable.
"Unfortunately, through the Castle area on the course, I just didn't quite have the wheels to go with the girls when they made their break," said Rillstone.
The full-time runner said that she felt she still had a bit left. "But then I just starting struggling a little bit with a side stitch.
"When I was really at ease I would pick up two runners, but when the stitch dug in again they'd pass me, so we sort of played cat and mouse.
"I had two more places right there really that I was disappointed not to have caught, because I was in front of them for a lot of the way."
The marathon started in 27C, with 77 per cent humidity. By the finish, the temperature was up to a steamy 34C.
Rillstone said she was pleasantly surprised with the time, as the first half was slow.
Rillstone already has an Olympic Games qualifying time and her top 16 placing in Osaka, automatically qualifies her for selection under the Athletics New Zealand selection criteria.
Meanwhile, a bitterly disappointed Tony Sargisson was forced to withdraw from the 50km road walk on Saturday.
With severe cramping in his stomach he decided to call it a day at 32km, as he came past the New Zealand drink station.
"The wheels just started falling off, I started getting cramps in my stomach and I decided to take it easy for 3 or 4km, just to see how it felt. I took it easy and just never really recovered from it," said Sargisson.
The Melbourne Commonwealth Games silver medallist was cautious from the start at 7am, with a temperature of 27.5C and humidity of 70 per cent, and was in last position at 5km.
By 10km he had improved to 41st, and was up to 38th at 15km.
After receiving a caution Sargisson took a turn for the worse at 18km, he had dropped to 46th at 20km and at 25km was back in last position. His pace then dropped further, he picked up another caution, and after passing the 30km mark in 2h 33m 27s, decided to call it a day at 32km.
Sargisson, the New Zealand team captain, said the hot conditions didn't really affect him.
"By the end of it I was starting to feel a bit warmer, it wasn't as hot and humid as it has been, I'm not sure whether the weather played a part in the race," he said.
Australian Nathan Deakes, who Sargisson finished second behind at the Games in Melbourne, won in 3h 43m 53s, 29 seconds ahead of Yohan Diniz of France with a further 16 seconds to Alex Schwazer of Italy.
Of the 54 that started only 31 finished. Nine were disqualified and 14 did not finish.
