Kenya's Philip Koech smashed the International Race Weekend Half-Marathon record yesterday to complete a double triumph following his 10K win on Saturday.

Koech broke the tape in one hour, four minutes and 27 seconds, comfortably eclipsing the previous record of 1.05.13, set four years ago by four-time winner Dmitry Maximov, of Russia.

The slender 21-year-old's time was all the more remarkable because he was running alone for much of the race and conditions were windy, with the relative humidity above 80 percent.

"I wasn't aiming to break the record," Koech said after his triumph. "I didn't have anyone to push me."

The elite runner, on his first visit to Bermuda, described the hilly course as "not very difficult" and said it had been pleasant to race the 13.1-mile distance to loosen up after Saturday's 10K.

In achieving the 10K/Half-Marathon double, Koech emulated the achievement of his training partner and compatriot Emmanuel Chamer last year.

Almost four minutes behind Koech in second place was American Edwardo Torres (1.08.20), who was in turn well clear of third-placed Evgeni Bozhko (1.11.13) of Ukraine.

The first two women to finish were also from Kenya, with Janet Cherobon clocking 1.18.23 to edge out Florence Jepkosgei (1.19.29), a reversal of their top two placings in Saturday's 10K.

"I was happy with my time, because it was quite a challenging course," Cherobon said. "The wind didn't help and there are many hills. It's a great event. The course is easy to follow and the people are very supportive."

Despite her 10K exploits, fatigue was not a factor, she added. "I did a marathon only two weeks ago — it's what I train for," she said.

Russia's Lioudmila Kortchaguina was the third female in 1.21.24, while Victoria Fiddick was the first local woman to finish in 1.27.39.

The first local resident and non-elite runner to finish was a newcomer to the Bermuda running scene, Stirling Slingerland. The South African clocked 1.22.46 to edge out Colin Swan (1.24.39) and Simon Ashby (1.25.10).

Slingerland, who works for Butterfield Bank, has lived on the Island for about a year, but said he had been running only for the past three months, after recovering from back pain.

"The sciatica stopped me running and has restricted me to cycling," Slingerland said. "Before I came to Bermuda, I lived in the UK and was a regular marathon runner. My personal best is 2.35, which I ran in Berlin a couple of years ago.

"So I've really been looking forward to this race, but I know I can run a lot faster. What impresses me about running in Bermuda is the amazing support of the locals. In other countries, non-runners wouldn't even come out of their houses to look.

"It broke my heart to watch the May 24 race and not be involved. I'm looking forward to May 24 this year and maybe I can take five minutes off today's time then."