serving as the dangling carrot, raced unchallenged from start to finish to set a new record in the Marathon Derby yesterday.

The 26-year-old Smith, who knows the feeling of finishing second, finally got a taste of what it feels like to win this popular race when he led home the field in 1:11:27. It was over two minutes slower than the 1:09 he had hoped for, but extremely satisfying nonetheless.

Anna Eatherley also got her first taste of victory when she won the women's division in 1:21:58, which was 58 seconds ahead of Maria Conroy Haydon. (More on Page 25).

Smith refused to let an early stitch slow up his quick pace at the start as he went through the first mile in 4:47, the second in 5:13 and the third in 5:17 with his competitors already well off the pace and out of contention if Smith was able to maintain his blistering pace.

"I think this is the first time I've had stitches in a race,'' Smith explained. "It started building up around White Hill and I tried to breath through it.

"It could have come from the large amounts of water I had been drinking in the last few days. I didn't want to run into any dehydration.'' At the first mile Smith had already opened a lead of about 100 yards over the chasing pack of Brett Forgesson, Antonio Correia and Mark Perry with Tracy Wright further back.

Smith got a tremendous reception near his old neighbourhood of Scaur Hill where a large crowd had gathered.

Smith opened his lead on the declines and at the five-mile mark was leading Forgesson and Perry by about 300 yards with Correia falling back.

"My strategy was to run my own race, I wasn't too concerned about Mark, Brett, Tracy or anybody else,'' Smith said. "I knew what I was capable of and didn't feel I had to prove anything to anybody. I was looking for 1:09. "The race was just how I wanted it. I didn't pressure myself. Earlier in the week, Monday and Tuesday, I found the andrenalin flowing.'' Smith's determination to grab the title vacated by the injured Errol Cormack -- who greeted him near the Belmont Golf Club entrance on Harbour Road -- enabled him to keep the record in his sights. It was more than could be said of the runners behind him as the battle for second ensued.

"I just tried to hang behind him, hoping he would break down but he was in better shape than I thought,'' admitted Perry, who ran steadily despite knee problems to finish second in 1:12:50 which was good enough to qualify him as well as Smith for the upcoming CAC Track and Field Championships in Cali, Colombia.

"He (Smith) started to slow down at about three miles so I tried to hang in there,'' Perry added. "I just ran my own race.'' Perry said his knees bothered him just before Front Street. "I also had a little bit of cramp in my upper calves so I had to take it easy when I hit Front Street.'' Long before then the race was in the bag for Smith who went through Crow Lane, in front of the biggest crowd yet, in 56:28. Not even a red light on the junction of Victoria and Court Streets could stop the elegant Smith and when a massive crowd greeted him on Cedar Avenue the new champion loved it.

"I had it from the beginning, that was my attitude,'' said Smith. "I don't mean to sound boisterous or arrogant but I wanted this race and I just knew I was going to do it. I had no doubts.

"The crowd was great, the crowd is always great. My family was there and I think they broke the record for the noise,'' he said glancing in the direction of his wife Carla who made the most noise of all as she met him on different parts of the route.

"I can't forget my coach Duncan Newby. He's going to take me to the Olympics, no doubt about it.'' Forgesson finished third in 1:14:10 with Tracy Wright and Benjamin Dyer, this year's surprise, completing the top five finishers in 1:15:18 and 1:15:40 respectively. Correia had to settle for sixth in 1:16:25.

"My strategy went according to plan,'' said Wright who, like Forgesson is recovering from injury. "I planned to go out easy, I didn't want to go with the front guys.

"I was trying to get under 1:14. I did a marathon in November in 1:10 so they might take that into consideration,'' he said of his failure to get inside the CAC qualifying mark.

Dyer was delighted to erase five minutes off last year's time and with progress like that he could be one to watch in the future. "I've only been training two years, so hopefully I'll get better,'' said the Emory (Atlanta) University student.

Said Forgesson: "Kavin Smith ran too fast over the first mile. Mark Perry and I were together and we hoped that Kavin would come back but he didn't. "Kavin pulled ahead completely after six miles and Mark left me also.

After eight miles my calf got really sore and I was hurting bad and I suffered until the finish but I always knew I could make it.'' Allan Douglas, eighth overall in 1:18:27, was the first master (40-49 years), more than a minute and a half ahead of second master Harry Patchett who was ninth overall in 1:20:05.

Raymond Swan, a former open winner, went unchallenged in the senior (50-plus) class as he completed the course in 1:22:35, good enough for 25th overall.

Results, Page 24 YOU DID GOOD TOO, DAD -- Marathon Derby champion Kavin Smith shares a joke with rival competitor and father Clarence, long after setting a record of 1:11:27.