fifth successive Race Weekend title yesterday.

The 30-year-old finished one-an-a-half minutes clear of top local runner Kavin Smith, who held off early pacesetter Levis Anyega by one second to claim second spot.

It was second time lucky for Freary, who had finished fifth in the 10K on Saturday, and his fourth successive half-marathon triumph, to add to his Front Street mile win in 1995.

Freary revealed he had almost given up hope of victory by the halfway point of the 13.1-mile course after Kenyan Anyega had surged into a big lead.

"I set out really wanting to win it, but half way through, it looked like it wasn't going to happen,'' said Freary.

"I set off doing a 5:20 pace and I thought that would be enough -- but the Kenyan was doing 5:10s.

"I thought: `he deserves to win if he can go at that pace all the way round'.

"I was struggling at six or seven miles, but at about eight-and-a-half miles, I caught a glimpse of him again and that really lifted me. I picked up the pace and got chasing him and caught him at about nine miles.'' For Freary, winning the race was more important than keeping up his remarkable run of successive titles.

"I always enjoy racing here and I always want to run hard because I appreciate the organisers have brought me here.

"The crowd were great today -- they really lifted me. Every year it seems that more and more people are shouting for me, calling me by my first name. I guess I've been coming here so many years people are getting to know me.'' Freary won in one hour, 10 minutes and three seconds, half a minute slower than his 1998 winning time.

Smith, who was also first local in Saturday's 10K, was delighted with his second place.

"I'm very happy, I've done what I wanted to do,'' said Smith.

"I caught the Kenyan just after the Hamilton Princess and I was surprised to do it. He had a minute on me after the first mile.

"I just went out there without any concerns, ran hard and had a great time.'' It was the fourth time in six years that Smith had been first Bermudian to finish the half-marathon and his time of 1:11:35 was an improvement of almost three minutes on last year.

Third-placed Anyega, who covered the first three miles in 15:20, had no regrets about setting off at such a hot pace.

"The last half-marathon I ran was back home in 1992, so I just wanted to see what I could do. I have been training for the mile, so I was surprised at how well I ran.'' Anyega's compatriot Jared Segera (1:12.59) was fourth, just ahead of locals Tracy Wright (1:14.27) and Sylvester Jean-Pierre (1:18.08), the first Master.

American Lynn DeNinno was the first-placed woman with a time of 1:20:10 to round off a fine weekend's work after her second place in the 10K.

"I felt I ran much faster in the second half of the race,'' said DeNinno, 37.

"When the cloud cover and rain came I was feeling great.

"My boyfriend is over here to meet me and I knew the faster I finished the sooner I'd get to see him!'' First local woman was Anna Eatherley, who finished in 1:25:50 in her third race of the weekend, after bagging second place in the women's mile and being first local home in the 10K.

Eatherley admitted her heavy schedule had taken its toll: "The older I get, the harder it gets and the more I feel it.

"I just set out to run steady 6:30 miles and to try and be first local and the conditions were perfect.'' Emily Ferguson, another to enjoy a successful weekend, placed second local in 1:33.17 after coming third in both the mile and the 10K.

Race Weekend photos by Tony Cordeiro, David Skinner and Arthur Bean SIX-PACK -- The leading group surges ahead in the early stages of Saturday's 10K. England's David Lewis (second from right) eventually overcame the challenge of America's Patrick Joyce (second from left) to win. Full report, page 25.