Buchanan clocked a time of 29.05 minutes to be second to now three-time winner Brett Robinson, 28.37, in the race across Tasman Bridge in Tasmania's capital city.

A field of 1198 contested the Spectran Group-backed 10km run.

It was Buchanan's first hit-out in the Apple Isle classic.

"It was great to be back racing on the road," Buchanan said of his first road race since a half-marathon victory in Japan in December, 2019.

"I was really happy with how my race went.

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"The key focus is on a marathon at some stage this year, so this 10km run was a great way to gauge fitness and racing form.

"The course was really challenging and different to road races at Lakeside in Melbourne, or on the Gold Coast.

"There was not a lot of flat terrain, but plenty of rolling hills."

The Bendigo University AC star was also chasing Robinson, a 5000m specialist on the track who was 66th in the marathon at last year's Tokyo Olympics.

Robinson trains with Olympic team-mate and King Island champion Stewart McSweyn.

In terms of race tactics, Buchanan said hills were the key.

"Hill-climbing is a strength, so it's where I was aiming to gain or make up ground.

"It was a fairly big group up to the three kilometre mark, so I was working to tuck in behind the leaders.

"At the top of the first climb, Brett Robinson put in a huge attack and no-one could go with him."

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It was soon clear it would be a race to decide second in which Buchanan was up against Joel Tobin-White, James Hansen and Liam Adams.

"We have raced one another quite a few times on the track."

At 600m to go, Buchanan was able to surge clear of Tobin-White on another climb.

"It was a hill I did not know about, but Joel was tailing off so I knew an attack there might be able to get a break on him."

It would turn out to be a significant move by Buchanan as he claimed second place by just three seconds from Tobin-White as Hansen, 29.16, and Adams, 29.24, were next best.

After what he termed a "disappointing run" in last month's Zatopek 10,000m on the Lakeside track, Buchanan has fought back to win the 5km Frenzy in Bendigo, and now be second in Hobart's road classic.

Buchanan will race on home streets this Sunday in the 10km leg of the Bendigo Fun Run.

Distances are the 1km Children's Dash, 5km Fun Run/Walk, 10km Fun Run, and Half Marathon (21.1km).

All money raised goes to the Children's Ward at Bendigo Health.

The Rosalind Events-organised Fun Run starts and finishes near the city's heart in Rosalind Park.

Buchanan's next track hit-out will be on Tuesday, March 8 when he races the Box Hill Burn, a 5km duel under lights.

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