The defending Marathon Derby champion is gearing up for Monday?s big race as if it were a trip.

For Kavin Smith, the vital thing is not to leave any necessities behind in his build-up.

?When you go on a trip you pack your bags. So I?ll just say I?m still packing and I hope I don?t forget anything.

?When the flight takes off, if you ain?t got it, you ain?t got it. So hopefully, before the plane takes off I will have packed everything I need.

?Hopefully I?ve got all my endurance training in and all my stamina training is packed away. Hopefully, I?ve got the right attitude and I?m cleaned up and fed well.

?All these things will be packed neatly into the suitcase for the day. If I have them all then that gives me a better chance of winning.?

Given the magnitude of this year?s trek from Somerset to the stadium, the 37-year-old would want to ensure he is truly well packed as he is pursuing an unprecedented tenth success and sixth in a row.

?If I win this year that it would make me the sole winner for the most in a row. Right now I?m tied with Ed Sherlock ? with five wins straight ? so if I win this year it would give me six wins in a row and ten overall,? noted Smith who also holds the race record.

As the countdown mounts, however, he conceded there?s a bit still to be done and cautioned jokingly that unlike really going on a trip ? where one can usually get forgotten items at their destination ? it would be ?too late? to fix any mistakes after the race.

Speaking with a certainty he usually avoids, Smith declared he is definitely going all out to wrest his tenth title and has been ?doing some good training? in preparation.

?I have what it takes but that?s not the issue. It?s about putting the pedal to the metal on the day. I?ll be racing for it.

?It would be good to have ten victories but sometimes when you really go after things the situation tends to be harder.?

His range of Marathon Derby experiences, he reckoned, will be very beneficial in trying to withstand the challenge of Jay Donawa, Terrance Armstrong and others.

?I?ve run that race with pain from start to finish; feeling great from start to finish; feeling bad from half-way to finish; feeling bad in the beginning and then feeling better in the end.

?I can make the commitment that if I?m hurting I?ll still race,? said Bermuda?s road-running icon.

Regarding his opposition, Donawa and USA-based Armstrong are the ones to watch, he noted, especially as both are in top shape and very motivated as either looks for his first win in the annual showpiece.

?They are running for number one and to get number one ? me ? so I?m sure they have a lot of motivation and will be coming out hard.

?I have a lot of respect for them, Jay in particular, as he is the one who is here and every year he states ?I?ll be back?. That takes a lot of guts because he is feeling a lot of pressure from the public.?

Not bothered by pressure himself, ever-cool Smith disclosed that, in fact, competition spurs him on.

That, plus countless fans encouraging him on Monday?s route, will add to his motivation as he goes for glory again.