OLYMPIAN Martin Dent has smashed the men’s record for the Great Volcanic Mountain Challenge, clocking 44 minutes and 59 seconds in a blazing ascent of Mount Canobolas on Sunday morning.

A runner in the 2012 Olympic marathon in London, Dent had little trouble placing a decent gap between himself and the rest of the 1000-strong field for the 10th running of the 11-kilometre climb up Mount Canobolas, shaving an incredible 81 seconds off Matthew Do Canto’s 46 minutes and 20 seconds mark set in 2014.

Retiring from international racing following last year’s Commonwealth Games, Dent’s focus is now Australian-run events and, with one eye on Victoria’s Buffalo Stampede 75.5km ultra marathon on April 11, he viewed Sunday’s run as a warm-up of sorts.

“I was hoping I could run something around 45 minutes, I’ve got a big race coming up in a couple of weeks and I wanted to show some good form,” the 36-year-old said.

“Some of the climbs are a bit rough but that’s good training for me too.”

Matthew Cox, who won the event in 2013, ran second in a time of 46 minutes and 48 seconds, and in a reflection of the pair’s speed up Mount Canobolas, no other runner reached the summit in a time of faster than the 55-minute mark.

Dent said he planned on giving the record a serious nudge.

“I thought if I was going to run it, that was the plan,” the Canberra-based athlete continued.

“You’re never quite sure how you’re going. I was well ahead of pace early because it’s probably easier in the first half, but I ran a good time in the second half.”

Dent hadn’t conquered the Great Volcanic Mountain Challenge prior to Sunday’s scintillating run, but boasts some experience in Orange conditions having claimed the winner’s prize for the 2014 Orange Colour City Running Festival marathon event.

He was thrilled with his work climbing the city’s highest peak.

“It’s a good tester, it’s hard work,” he said.

“Some of it’s pretty fast, some good down hills where you can move well, and then some where they’re technical which were hard work and not very fast either, it’s a good mix.”