When Glenn Daly heard the footsteps of Wanganui Masters Games legend Paul Forster gradually creeping closer on the second lap of the final day half-marathon, he had enough left to hit the afterburners and get clear again.
Daly thus repeated his 10km win over Forster, his winning time of 1hr 22min5sec being 95sec faster than the Kapiti Coast man - but the latter was content enough.
"I ran 6min faster than I did in winning in 2009, so I'm happy."
Daly led out immediately, with Forster in a gap in second and a larger gap back to a group of five which gradually whittled down, with Wanganui's Neil Mayo a clear third.
Daly led by 27sec at the second drink stop, had that whittled down to 13sec at the end of lap one and a little more halfway through the second lap.
But Daly heard him coming and put the hammer down.
"I felt really good," Daly said, "and put a bit of a kicker in halfway around the second lap. I actually heard him behind me - he must have been 15ft behind. So I thought I'd better put it all in to the end. And he didn't respond."
Daly has run 1min 17sec on a flat course, but the twists and turns of the Wanganui marathon route and the heat yesterday counted against returning anything like that.
Forster recorded 1hr 23min 40sec.
Daly will be back fulltime on the Wanganui harrier scene this season - and have a crack at the national cross-country championships.
