"I’ve just got back under way," he said of returning to training.
"I thought instead of doing a time trial at home, I’ll jump in here, even though I’m not fit. But it’s a good starting point."
If there was any doubting Wreford’s fitness, it was far from apparent, as he quickly established a commanding lead, despite battling into a strong northeasterly on the run north to Port Chalmers.
"It was quite strong. Tough going. So I chucked the watch out the window, so to speak, and just tried to focus on a good rhythm and do the best I could."
Yesterday was Wreford’s first big hit-out since winning the Christchurch Marathon in 2014.
After that, he had a break from running only to be hit with a series of niggling injuries and illness since returning to training last year.‘‘It’s been a bit of mixed bag,’’ he said.
"But you’ve got to start somewhere," he said of returning to make his mark in the Dunedin event.
As for what the future holds running-wise for Wreford, he said it was just a matter of seeing how well he bounced back.
Opting for a late entry because of an injury concern, the Jim Baird-inspired Katrina Andrew overcame a strong challenge from Sabrina Grogan to win the women’s section of the half-marathon in 1hr 25min 5sec.
Hoping to go sub-1hr 25min, Andrew fell victim to the strong northeasterly off the harbour.
"That head wind off the harbour was horrible," she said.
"I started off pretty well, but the second half was tough. I really wanted to go under 1hr 25min," Andrew said afterwards.
"But with that wind I have got to be happy with it."
Andrew plans to take a break from running now before considering a return to track and field competition over the summer months.
Grogan finished second to go one better than last year, when she finished third.
In the associated quarter-marathon, promising middle-distance runner Oli Chignell burst away in the final 2km to secure victory.
Chignell mixed it up early in a three-way battle with Sam Hopper and Ioan Fuller in which Fuller took the brunt of a strong head wind.
The three remain locked together until the 5km mark when Fuller began to fall from the 3min 30sec pace, leaving Hopper and Chignell to trade blows.
With the pair enjoying a comfortable lead over the opposition at the Roseneath Hill, Chignell upped the ante.
"Oli just took off at the hill," Hopper, who finished second, said afterwards.
"I just felt as if I was going backwards."
