Myers' class shows in mile

ANDREW GORRIE/Dominion Post

TROOPER: American champion Rob Myers did his best to thrill the crowd by storming home to win the $3000 exhibition mile race in Petone.

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There was no Nick Willis and no sub-four-minute mile, but American champion Rob Myers did his best to thrill the crowd by storming home to win the $3000 exhibition mile race in Petone.

Myers, ranked in the world's top 20, kicked in the final 100m last night to edge out promising 20-year-old Wellington runner Hamish Carson for the $1250 top prize.

Carson, who upset some of the country's top runners, claimed the $1000 second prize, while former Wellingtonian Gareth Hyett picked up $750 for his third placing in an exciting finish, made all the more thrilling by Willis' rousing blow-by-blow race commentary.

"I haven't done a road mile a lot of times so it was a little bit deceiving, but it was great fun and I'm so happy to be here in New Zealand," said Myers, who recorded a time of 4min 13s in windy conditions down Jackson St.

"The people here have been so welcoming and so nice to me, it's been overwhelming. It's a great place to try and get some base training in and also the sight-seeing, it's beautiful here. I certainly think we made it exciting for the fans."

Asked whether he thought he could have beaten his training partner, Willis, who missed the race with a hip injury, Myers said: "Nick's a really tough competitor, I train with him on a daily basis, so who knows, but it would've been fun."

Carson was ecstatic with his run, before a good turnout of more than 1000 people.

"I didn't expect to be so close to such a world class miler," he said. "And to beat some of New Zealand's best runners at the moment, it was awesome."