He may have lost his Marathon Derby crown but Kavin Smith is among the world?s best in a real marathon.

Within the past month he has placed in the top hundred in two of the most prestigious and demanding marathons ? first in Chicago and last Sunday in New York ? each boasting more than 30,000 runners.

On October 10, the 37-year-old was 66th out of 33,077 athletes in Chicago (57th among men) in two hours, 33 minutes and four seconds before placing 75th overall among 36,544 runners in the New York Marathon with a slightly slower effort.

Smith?s 2:35:53 earned him 63rd among men and 27th in his 35-39 age group. He was much higher in his age division in Chicago, placing seventh.

?They were good runs. I enjoyed them and I felt good for the most part,? recalled the long-distance veteran by cell phone as he boarded a flight to return home yesterday.

?I?m pleased with my result. I didn?t have any major goals that I was planning for.?

However, the Bermudian winced at memories of cramps in the dying stages of Sunday?s 26.2 miles through New York?s five boroughs.

?It was a decent time though I could have been a few minutes faster but when I got to mile 24 ? I was feeling pretty good ? but the good, old cramps hit.

?I was talking to my legs ?c?mon legs, don?t cramp? but that?s what happens in a marathon. Even though you feel good, when you start breaking down the potassium and the salts start disappearing, your body says cut me some slack. It lets you know,? said Smith who had trouble with both hamstrings, particularly the right one.

?It stopped me dead in my tracks. I had to stop. It was one of those cramps that went up in one big knot in my hamstring and I just couldn?t run.?

Determined to continue, he stretched a bit and, with assistance from some good Samaritans who applied pressure to the affected area, was soon back in the fray with the end in sight.

?I was surprised that my body caught itself the way it did after that because cramp usually hampers you and keeps coming back but I was able to get into a nice, little rhythm and run the last two miles quite comfortably,? he said of the outcome to his second New York Marathon.

Comparing the two races, Smith noted that given its flat, circuit-type terrain, the Chicago Marathon ? his first of that event ? was ?faster and more competitive? while New York was tougher.

?Chicago is a loop course while New York is a point-to-point. Chicago is more spectator-friendly and there are not as many long stretches.

?In New York you could be running down one road for four miles and there are a lot more inclines. They are not too steep but they are hills and you feel it. That?s what gets you when you get past the ten-mile mark and you?re in no man?s land.?

Another factor in the New York race was that, despite the race beginning at 10.10 a.m., competitors had to be at the start fours hours earlier.

?So really you?re up by 4.30 a.m. to be on a bus at about 5.45 a.m. and then you have to sit and wait when you get there. That doesn?t make it easy,? added Smith.

Asked about the immediate future, the ace runner revealed he was contemplating some duathlons and is still undecided about International Race Weekend in January.