plummeted back to earth on Sunday at the Warwick Wright Peugeot Perivale 10K in Middlesex, England.

Smith, who clocked 30 minutes, 29 seconds a week earlier on the track while winning his section during the Northern County Championships in Grimsby, could manage only 31.50, good for seventh out of some 400 runners, as he struggled in heavy air conditions.

However, he was not alone in his time of difficulty as several of the competitors came away complaining of respiratory problems.

"I felt fine in my legs, but I couldn't breathe and that was the general consensus among everybody,'' said Smith.

"Going in I knew that things could go either way, either I felt good and would go out hard or just run easy, which is what happened.''