Kim Smith set a new New Zealand record of 1:07:55 at the Mardi Gras Half Marathon in New Orleans, Louisiana this morning. [And to think I'm excited about finally breaking two hours -- Dave]
Smith set the early pace through 5km and 10km in 15:48 and 31:47 as she attempted to break away from eventual winner Ethiopian Berhane Adere. The pair stayed together with Smith leading almost the entire distance finishing only three seconds apart at the finish with Smith's time being the third fastest by a female on American soil.
The previous NZ record was set by Smith in Birmingham in 2009 at 1:09:35 and she remains the only New Zealand Woman to have run under the 70 minute barrier. The 5km and 10km splits in New Orleans were also faster than any other Kiwi Women over those distances in more than a year.
See NZRun.com for Results, links and further information.
Top 10 Women
| # | Bib | Name | Country | Time |
| 1. | 251 | Berhane Adere | Ethiopia | 1:07:52 |
| 2. | 253 | Kim Smith | New Zealand | 1:07:55 |
| 3. | 252 | Azalech Maresha | Ethiopia | 1:09:46 |
| 4. | 255 | Lisa Paulson | 1:13:15 | |
| 5. | 261 | Ramilya Burangulova | Russia | 1:13:38 |
| 6. | 257 | Diane Nukuri | 1:14:25 | |
| 7. | 2733 | Erin O'Mara | USA | 1:21:08 |
| 8. | 1785 | Sarah Skotty | USA | 1:21:18 |
| 9. | 1690 | Varinka Barbini | USA | 1:22:20 |
| 10. | 1682 | Elizabeth Chenoweth | USA | 1:23:05 |
