Yet with no-one to work off, Hammond completed her own solo run in 3h 7m 6s, over 15 minutes ahead of the runnerup and first man home in Palmerston North's Denis Owen.
The overcast conditions fluctuated towards the end of the marathon as the 5km and 10km course entrants made their way to the finish line near the Union Boat Club on Somme Parade, with warm temperatures and spots of rain.
A number of runners were still setting off on their fourth lap of the 10.5km course as Hammond crossed the line just before 10.40am.
"I'm a bit off where I want to be," Hammond said.
She had run a 3h 4m 52s time in the Lydiard Legend Marathon in the Waitakere Ranges in September.
Hammond said this was the first time she had entered the 3 Bridges race because it would usually clash with her entering the Taupo Half Ironman on the same weekend.
"[My goal], just to enjoy the day, it's like going back to your roots, I suppose.
"This was supposed to be training. I was really hoping to have some company to run with - lift the pace [with] one of the guys. But no."
Hammond had also hoped to have a shot at beating the women's record for the marathon - 2h 50m 6s, set by Melanie Burke in 2005.
In the end, the times of both Bourke and overall record holder Peter Handcock (2h 42m 37s in 2005) were quite safe.
Being the first of the men home in 3h 22m 56s, Owen was happy enough with his efforts, being the first time the men's winner was the overall runnerup.
"Not bad, I did the one in Auckland a couple of months ago. I love the course."
It was his fifth entry into Whanganui's marathon, three of which were in the half distance.
The challenge of the 3 Bridges event, especially with the other categories like the half marathon and the 5-10km distance races being so popular, is that around 9am onwards the full and 3/4 marathon runners and walkers, who started from 6.30am, find themselves in a lot more traffic.
Featherston's Carl Laffen and Masterton's Nigel Udy came in around the same time for second and third in the men's race.
The 3/4 marathon run was won by Germany's Dirk Wehner, who crossed the line around 10.09am and was rapidly joined by large groups of the shorter distance runners and walkers.
The full marathon walk was won by Napier's Jeff Hulbert in 4h 48m 46s, with Chris Maxwell the first woman home in 5h 12m 39s.
The pace was tough for some and one woman slipped after completing a lap and received treatment for a cut hand, while another man in the 10km run staggered to the finish and was helped to an ambulance to recover.
The event was sponsored by Property Brokers and seventeen other local businesses.
