Kavin Smith picked up another win on the road when he held off a challenge in yesterday's Lindo's 5-Mile road race.....not from one of the top local challengers, but from American Anne-Marie Letko.

Letko, who won the women's division of the ADT Bermuda 10-K and Half-Marathon last month, provided Smith's best opposition in the absence of defending champion Tracy Wright, Mark Perry, Brett Forgesson and Kevin Tucker.

But Smith, 26, proved too strong in the end as he led home the 120-strong field in a time of 26:36, just 29 seconds ahead of Letko in 27:05 with Neil de Ste Croix third in 27:27.

But the 23-year-old Letko pressed him hard for the win as the likes of Colin Swan, Jeremy Ball, Tyler Hall, Vernon Tankard, Harry Patchett, Paul Edness and James Butterfield all finished off the pace as they occupied the top 10 places.

Letko only arrived in Bermuda on Friday for what will be two weeks of training in preparation for the World Cross-Country Championships in Spain on March 28 and the US trials for the 10,000 metres of the World Track and Field Championships, which are scheduled for Stuttgart, Germany, in August.

Letko was a reluctant participant yesterday after an upset stomach had her feeling weak the day before.

"I was just happy to do around 27 minutes,'' she explained. "I was a little dehydrated and I had a bad stomach in the last 24 hours. My system is not used to the water here.

"I'm surprised I was able to do the race because this time yesterday I was pretty sick. I was losing a lot of fluid.'' Despite her condition Letko responded well to the challenge of the hilly course.

"I was hitting 5:15-5:20 for the first couple of miles but my third mile was pretty slow because of the hills. I just tried to do a hard effort. It was a beautiful day for running.'' The New Jersey resident does not plan to do any more races while she is here (until March 5), concentrating instead on "some good consistent training'' which will include 90 to 100 miles a week on the road and some track work.

"In New Jersey the weather is bad, so I'm just happy to be here,'' she explained. "This is like a second home to me. Everybody is so nice and I wish I could give back for what people have given me.'' Letko has been busy since her triumphs here last month, competing in a 5-K in Pennsylvania, the US Cross-Country trials in Portland, Oregon, and a 5-K in the Bahamas in successive weekends.

In the Pennsylvania race, which she described as a work-out, she ran 15:50 and the following weekend placed second on the west coast to make the United States six-member women's cross-country team for the trip to Spain next month.

In the Bahamas, she was second to Judi St. Hilaire in 15:34.

Second behind Letko in the women's 18-39 age group yesterday was Karen Adams, 11th overall, in 29:52 with Jennifer Fisher (24th overall) third in 31:33.

Top long-distance female runner Sandra Mewett won the 40-49 age group in 30:25 in placing 14th overall. Dorothy Gilchrist was second (40:58) and Judy Whayman third (47:42).

Ball was the men's 40-49 age group winner with his fifth overall time of 28:53 while Harry Patchett (eighth) in 29:18 and Jim Butterfield (10th) 29:45 completed the top three in that age group.

Alan Anderson won the men's 50-and-over category in 32:37 while Gorgio Zanol (33:12) was second. Anderson was 34th overall and Zanol 40th overall.

Anna Coulson was the leading women's senior master in 42:38 and Kelvin Bean was the top junior in 34:09.

KAVIN SMITH ANNE-MARIE LETKO -- In Bermuda for training.