honours in yesterday's Fidelity Couples Race.

De Ste. Croix was the third male finisher of a five-mile course in 26 minutes and 23 seconds and Sousa more than played her part by completing the women's 5-K segment in 19:26, seventh fastest, for a combined time of 45:49.

De Ste. Croix and Sousa were well over a minute better than second-placed Jamal Hart and Jennifer Fisher who clocked 47:15.

Fisher finished second amongst the women in 18:28 but Hart could not keep up with the more accomplished men's field and had to settle for ninth in 28:47.

The day's fastest time belonged to married pair Brett Forgesson and Anna Eatherley. Forgesson was the fourth man in 26:57 while Eatherley easily outdistanced the women's field with a fine time of 17:48.

The pair were unable to contest the open division of the event because they are highly-seeded road runners.

Third place in the open category went to Simon Groves and Lynn Kynoch, who nipped Glyn Sexton and Annette Booth by a mere second.

Groves (29:08) and Kynoch (18:36) combined for 47:44 with Sexton (28:54) and Booth (18:51) coming in at 47:45.

The masters division was hotly contested with Jim and Debbie Butterfield (48:28) winning over Jeremy Ball and Peggy Couper (48:43).

Ball was the fifth man to finish in 28:00 and he held a 91-second lead over Jim Butterfield, but Debbie's advantage over Couper -- 19:07 to 20:43 -- proved the difference.

Mark Perry was the first man across the line in 26:04 as he and De Ste. Croix upstaged British master Nick Rose who was third in 26:53.

Junior honours went to Garon Wilkinson and Velvet Smith who combined for 40:10. Mark Constable and Tamika Williams were second in 43:49. The junior runners, aged 12 to 15, all ran over 5-K.

Fidelity catered to a record field of 254, which included 27 walkers.

Tracy Wright achieved what he set out to do on Saturday when he met the qualifying standard for the CAC Senior Championships when he ran the ADT Bermuda Half Marathon course in 1:10:57. The qualifying standard is 1:14.

Wright now joins Kavin Smith, who qualified during the Marathon Derby when he ran the race in 1:10:45 and Anna Eatherley, who ran the Derby in 1:21:11, on the Bermuda team.

Wright made the most of his opportunity, easily making up for his fourth-place finish in the Marathon Derby where he ran the course in 1:15:18.

OPEN DIVISION CHAMPIONS -- Neil De Ste. Croix and Claire Sousa.