Placing the distraction of political unrest back home firmly behind her, Kenya's Florence Jepkosgei led from start to finish to take women's honours in Saturday's 10K.

Jepkosgei broke the tape at the National Sports Centre in a winning time of 34.16 - but finished well outside the race record (31.41) set in 1982 by Norway's Greta Waitz on the 6.2 mile course.

Second-placed honours went to Jepkosgei's compatriot Janet Cherobon (36.33) while Bermuda's own Ashley Estwanik (36.59) set a new personal course best on her way to finishing third.

In warm and humid conditions, Jepkosgei overcame a stomach bug as well as a strong challenge from Cherobon before eventually taking line honours in her first attempt at running the course.

And while the race record may have eluded her, the 23-year-old full-time runner said the long journey across the Atlantic was well worth the effort.

"I feel very happy because it's very far from here (Bermuda) to Kenya. It was certainly worth the trip," she added.

Failing, she stressed, was never an option.

"You have to go back with good results," Jepkosgei added.

For the most part the Kenyan had things all her way but was forced to shrug off a strong challenge from her compatriot Cherobon who, at one stage, managed to close the gap.

"She (Janet) caught me up but I was able to break away from her on a hill," said Jepkosgei, who attacked the course's inclines to distance herself from the rest of the field.

"The hills are always an advantage for us (Kenyans) because there are many steep hills in Kenya where we train," she said.

Adding to Jepkosgei's impressive achievement was the fact pre-race preparations back home were impacted by outbreaks of violence in the wake of the recent election.

"Preparations were going along nicely until the trouble started, which affected us for the last two weeks," she said. "We had to be air lifted to a small airport in Nairobi because the roads were impassable."

Meanwhile, Bermuda's Estwanik also had good reason to be happy, having set a new personal best just hours after competing in the Front Street Mile.

"I was tired after last night (Friday). But it was good and I ran my best time for this race, which I'm very happy about," she smiled.

"It was a bit windy and for some reason I didn't find a group to go with. So it was hard to find a good rhythm and keep focused all the time.

"But overall I'm pleased with my performance and who knows . . . maybe next year I'll try the half-marathon."