He continued to excel in long distance at Humboldt State University,[4] where he won the NCAA Division II 6 mile/10000 metre Championship twice.[5] In 1972 he began a string of three straight wins in the famous Pikes Peak Marathon, he added a fourth victory in 1976.[6][7] He has completed the race six times, the most recent as a 57-year-old.[8] He also won the Avenue of the Giants Marathon in 1974[9] In 1980, he was runner up at the Chicago Marathon.[10]
In the 1970s he was one of the early luminaries of ultramarathoning,[11][12] yet as a Senior athlete he is not above sprinting 100 metres.[13] He was twice ranked in the United States top ten in the marathon.[14] He continues to be active, winning the M60 division of the 2012 USA Masters 5 km Cross Country Championships in October 2012.[15]
Smead has been credited with spreading the sport of ultramarathoning into Europe.[16][17][18]
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