BUCKSPORT – At the starting line, the tall, slender woman was just another runner out to compete in the 22nd Tour du Lac 10-miler.

Maybe her muscles were a little more defined than many. Perhaps her shoulders-back, chin-high demeanor exhibited a little more confidence than her fellow runners showed.

But behind her sunglasses, Anne Audain was still anonymous.

At least she was until race director Fred Merriam blew her cover with his bullhorn.

After Merriam’s quick introduction, the 41-year-old former world record holder at 5,000 meters smiled and nodded to the applause.

And then she proceeded to conquer the hot weather and hilly course around Silver Lake, running a course record 1 hour, 1 minute and finishing fourth overall.

Retirement has been kind to Audain, who ran for New Zealand and is now an American citizen living in Evansville, Ind.

In 1982, she set a world record of 15:13 at 5,000 meters. At her peak, Audain had elite-level times at distances from 800 meters (2:03) to the marathon (2:31).

The men’s winner was 24-year-old Justin Valliere, who held off a late-race challenge from Dedham’s Tim Wakeland for the win.

Valliere, of East Corinth, ran 55:42 to win the second race in the Saucony/Sub 5 Track Club Road Race Series, while Wakeland ran 56:06.

Audain, who was in Maine to work at Andy Palmer’s running camp at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, made the trek as a combination work trip as well as a vacation and honeymoon.

In between, she found time to fit in a race. And though her weekly mileage is down from the 75-80 she ran when racing at the elite level to the 35 she musters now, she’s still fast.

And she knows it.

“It’s just enjoyment now,” Audain said of her running. “[I’m] still obviously very talented.”

Katrina Bisheimer of Bangor, who finished second in the women’s race in 1:07:04, said she spoke to Audain briefly before the race and found out a little bit about her background.

Despite Audain’s reputation, Bisheimer chose to stick with her for a while.

“I hung with her for about two miles, then decided I would either blow up or run my own race,” Bisheimer said. “I ran my own race, and it was good.”

Audain said she loved the hilly course.

“This is typical New Zealand terrain, so it doesn’t frighten me,” she said.

But on a day when the temperature approached 90 degrees, Audain said she was pleased with her run, even though she made some concessions to the heat.

“I was thrilled, actually, because it’s hot, and I stopped at every water station to drink – and I’ve never done that in a race in my life,” Audain said.

Up front, Valliere took control early, building up a 50-yard lead and holding an eight-second bulge at the halfway point.

Wakeland began to make his move at eight miles, when he steadily reeled Valliere in. But after pulling to within 10 yards just before the nine-mile mark, Valliere responded.

Valliere unleashed an almost reckless sprint down a short, steep slope at the nine-mile mark, re-establishing a lead Wakeland wouldn’t chip away at again.

Valliere said before the hill, he wasn’t sure how close Wakeland was, but he knew the former Iowa State star had closed on him.

“I was trying to listen for him. I could hear him breathing a couple of times,” Valliere said.

Then came the hill, and his chance to escape.

“I was a little bit out of control and I knew it, but at that point it was a risk that I was willing to take,” Valliere said.

Wakeland said that last surge was indicative of the entire race.

“He was a lot better on the downhills today than I was,” Wakeland said. “I had to make up a lot of the ground on the uphills and flats, but he did a good job.”

Wakeland said he was happy with his run, which he said he treated as a good hard workout.

“This was my first race back in about two years and I didn’t really consider it a race,” said Wakeland, who pointed out that family and work have reduced his training and kept him out of racing.