Under normal circumstances heavy rain would put paid to any record breaking attempts, but maybe Dmitry Maximov and Mary Ptikany just wanted to get out of yesterday's torrential downpour as quickly as they could, for both shattered long-held marks in the International Race Weekend half marathon.

It was a fitting end to a dream weekend for Russian Maximov who became the first man to do the double-double - taking victory in both the 10K and half marathon in successive years.

Maximov crossed the line in a time of 1:05.27 - just over a minute inside Kenyan John Kipkoskei's 1995 record of 1:06.34.

Ptikany, meanwhile, demoted Anne-Marie Letko of the USA's mark of 1:16.06, set in the same year, when she came home in 1:15.21.

Maximov, who speaks very little English and was not aware he had broken the record, had pushed the pace from the off, his only real challenger being American Kyle Baxter who gave it his all but was not prepared for what the Russian had to offer.

Baxter, who finished in 1:06.55, said: “I was a little disappointed with my last four miles.

“We went out pretty hard and I was pushing the pace. I felt pretty good early on and I was throwing out all kinds of surges to try and drop him and he wasn't going anywhere.

“That was a little frustrating and then at about six miles he dropped it up the hill, surged quite a bit and although I stayed quite close to him in the last four miles I just fell apart and tightened up. It was pretty brutal over those hills.”

Maximov, who previously indicated a love for uphill running, overhauled Baxter coming out of Flatts Village after wisely letting the American do the early hard work.

By the time the rains came Baxter said he was already out of contention, his hopes that Saturday's exertions had taken something out of his rival proving fruitless. Instead, Maximov seemed reinvigorated by the showers, increasing his lead over each of the remaining six miles back to Hamilton.

“I knew he ran the 10K yesterday so I was hoping he was a little tired, maybe he was, I don't know, but he ran a really good race - he is a tough guy,” said Baxter.

Dutch runner Neals Strik came in third in 1:09.07, admitting he did not have what it took to stay with the lead pair.

“After the first two miles they had already gone,” said Strik, who also finished third last year. “The American guy was pushing and I had to drop back and run the whole way alone.

“Last year we had a group of five people and it was better - especially in the wind when if you are not feeling so good you can stay behind. But when you are alone you have to keep the pace up yourself.”

Strik said he tried to relax and keep eye contact with those in front.

“But after four miles I didn't see them any more,” he said.

His attention then turned to those behind him.

“For the first five or six kilometres I heard someone behind me but I didn't look back,” he said. “In the last three or kilometres the group came close and I was a little bit worried. I had to push it a bit and they dropped further behind so it was OK.”

Ptikany had local runner Tracy Wright for company for the opening stages of the race.

“I said ‘come and then you can give me some help',” the African said.

However, after about four miles Wright found the pace too much and Ptikany was forced to go it alone in the inclement conditions.

“The rain affected me a lot,” she said, motioning that she had to keep rubbing her eyes to keep the water out.

The athlete said she had found the course much to her liking and that had helped her set such a fast time.

“It was a very nice course. I knew it was up and down like Kenya,” she said, adding that she was looking forward to returning to Bermuda next year to defend her title.

Wright, meanwhile, having seen Ptikany take off found himself overhauled by the local duo of Jay Donawa and Terrance Armstrong, who finished seventh and eighth respectively, Donawa in 1:17.54 and Armstrong in 1:17.55.

“I haven't been training for while and it felt like I had run a whole marathon,” said Wright, who finished 11th in 1:21.40.

“I ran alongside (Ptikany) for the first three miles but that was as long as I could hang on.”

Wright said he had not deliberately set out to help her.

“I was just trying to get out there and see what I could do. Her pace was just helping me to get a lead and hopefully I could hold on,” he said.

But it was not to be.

“Jay and Terrance passed me on North Shore, just past Flatts and I was hurting,” he said. “Jamal (Hart) was coming closer towards the last mile and I was barely hanging on - I was seeing spots.”

On the women's side, Lynn Patchett was not even scheduled to run the race until a last minute change of plan.

But she was glad she did after coming home ahead of Anna Eatherley in 1:25.28.

“I stuck to the pace that I thought I could run and went with a group of local guys that I knew could hold a certain pace and worked with them on North Shore Road,” she said. “That helped and allowed us to support each other. The puddles were quite deep and you really had to conserve your energy as much as you could.”

Patchett said it was the first time that she had beaten Eatherley during Race Weekend, the latter crossing the line in 1:31.59.

While pleased with the achievement she also found time to pay tribute to her rival saying: “She is a strong competitor and she will be back I'm sure.”