Ethiopian Elfenesh Alemu put in the performance of the weekend to shatter the International Half-Marathon record by the best part of five minutes yesterday.

And not to be outdone, Russian Dmitry Maximov returned to winning ways after the relative disappointment of second-place in the 10K, by scooping both his third successive half-marathon title and a new record, coming home in 1:05.13, 14 seconds faster than the mark he set last year.

But it was Alemu whose time of 1:10.57 destroyed the previous record set last year by Kenyan Mary Ptikany of 1:15.21 which most impressed the bystanders who lined the Island?s roads to bask in the sunshine and the weekend?s warmest temperatures.

And Bermudian Jay Donawa ? the first local across the line ? will be taking some of the credit for her time as he ran with her throughout the winding 13.1 mile course, even getting drinks for the elite runner.

The Ethiopian, who finished fifth in the World Championships in the marathon in Seville five years ago, will be taking her good form to the Olympics this summer ? where there will be fewer hills with which to contend.

?Yes, the feeling is very good,? said the 29-year-old.

?The course is a little bit hilly but the weather was very nice which helped me. I am very happy.?

Just as the women?s race turned into a procession, so did the men?s with the early bunch of four elite runners failing to stay together much past East Broadway.

The quartet, Maximov, Australia?s Phillip Sly, Kenyan Joseph Mutinga and Lithuanian Mindaugas Pukstas, set a hot early pace, but Sly fell back after two miles with Mutinga disappearing by Spittal Pond.

Maximov finally shook off Pukstas in Flatts to romp home with ease, with only one bad motorist on St. John?s Road and the clock to beat.

?Yes, yes, I am very happy,? said Maximov, who bagged his third half-marathon title in a row but missed out on the ?triple double? by eight seconds to Patrick Nthiwa on Saturday in the 10K.

?Very good, I feel very good.?

For the second year in a row it was the Press who had to tell him he had broken the course record at which point he broke into a bigger than usual smile. ?A record? Good. I happy,? he added before disappearing into a conversation in Russian with runner-up Pukstas.

Aussie Sly, who picked off the Kenyan with four miles to go to clinch third place, admitted he felt ?stale? in the race and was disappointed that he couldn?t get properly involved to challenge, finishing in 1:07.59.

?It can happen sometimes in athletics where you just don?t feel right,? said Sly, who also finished third in the 10K and failed to emulate the achievements of his room-mate James Thie, who retained the Front Street Mile title on Friday.

?I felt stiff and sore and couldn?t keep pace. I then just had to settle down to a marathon rhythm and make the best of it. But the crowd was great. The locals were out in force and it was good to see. It is a lovely course and Bermuda is a great place to come and run.?

Donawa, whose brother Michael had competed in Friday?s Mile, was a delighted runner after beating his personal best coming in 1:10.53 ? adding to his sixth-place overall in Saturday?s 10K.

?This is always a great event for us to test ourselves against the elite runners,? said Donawa, who strained to finish just ahead of record-breaker Alemu.

?I tried to keep up with the marathon runners and I was also running with the Ethiopian girl. She was inspirational and I stayed with her, helping her out where I could, getting water for her.

?She kept me going as well, and I think I beat my best time by a couple of minutes ? but I made sure I stretched and finished ahead of her in the end, I wouldn?t have heard the end of it otherwise.?

Donawa edged out Terrance Armstrong, who came in second among the locals in 1:16.21.

First of the local women was Anna Eatherley, whose husband Brett Forgesson triumphed once again in the marathon. Eatherley came in at 1:29.57, two minutes ahead of Joanna Shillington, who was also runner-up to Ashley Couper in Friday?s Mile.