Lamont Marshall and Gayle Lindsay defended their crowns in the 115th Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby.

Marshall pulled away from gallant runner-up Ryan Outerbridge at Bernard Park and sprinted clear to cross the line at the restored finish on Court Street in a time of 1hr 14min 27sec.

Outerbridge, 21, ran one of the best races of his young life to finish second in 1:14:43. Sean Trott claimed third position in 1:17:32.

Marshall, 39, who was declared last year’s race winner despite being second across the line behind Dennis Mbelenzi, was pleased with the new rule that banned non-residents from competing.

“I'm definitely happy for an eventful victory and this is what the people deserve,” Marshall said.

“After last year, the people deserved to see three Bermudians on the line going toe to toe, right to the end.

“It was really good, Sean helped put a good race in perspective and that’s what the people deserve.”

Marshall conceded that he did not have a great start and commended Outerbridge for pushing him all the way.

“I struggled coming out of Somerset, it was extremely hot,’’ he said. “I didn't know I had the victory until I hit Court Street.

“I had a hard time coming through Dutton Avenue. I started cramping up, the humidity didn't allow me to breathe and I fought to the end.

“Ryan pushed me to the end, he never gave up. He had a chance and he honestly would never understand how close he was to beating me, I was so close to throwing in the towel.

“Congratulations to him, his mother, his father, and his coach. He has a bright future, he graduated two weeks ago. Congratulations to him athletically and intellectually.”

Outerbridge, who recently graduated from Franklin Pierce University in the United States, was delighted to push the experienced Marshall all the way.

“It feels amazing and I'm very happy with my performance,’’ Outerbridge said.

“This is a very historical race for Bermuda and to come second at 21 years old, I’m very happy with that and it shows I'm not too far off.

“I still have a lot of time on my side, I’m still young. I’ll come back again next year and give it another shot. I don’t see why I cannot win this race next year.”

Outerbridge, who failed to finish the race last year, came into the race with just the intention to stay with the leading pack.

“I’m pretty happy with my race and I spoke to my coach a day before and he told me to just try to lock in to 5:30 pace,’’ he said.

“They just so happened to be a bit slower than that, so I got pretty comfortable from the beginning. I just wanted to hold them for as long as possible and see what I got.

“Last year I dropped out after seven miles because my legs were fatigued. I just couldn't handle the hills and started to feel the long track season.

“This year, I’ve been focusing on track events and I just finished my track season on a high with three gold medals. I sat down with my coach and we discussed a few things. He asked me if I wanted to run the race and I said I’d give it another go.

“After conference season I upped my mileage a little bit and then gave it a shot. I arrived in Bermuda last week on Wednesday, I was trying to get used to the heat and the humidity.”

Trott, who came into the race eyeing a maiden title, had to be content with finishing third.

“I definitely have a lot of positives to take from the race,’’ Trott said.

“Looking at last year and this year’s race, I made it further into the race. I pushed harder and put my mark on the race. I'm happy to finish third and I’ll look at what I could do better next time. Hopefully, we can improve next year.

“I gave everything to get that elusive win and I pushed really hard. There were some really fast miles in there, and some really strong pushes.

“I wasn’t far off the top two and I could see them on Front Street. I think they had more speed in their legs because they were both racing on the track.

“That’s the only weakness I have, it’s the lack of speed, but that’s something I can continue to work on. It’s not the end for me, I’m only 34 and I still have more years to go.”

Trott had some praise directed at Outerbridge for the progress he has made, as well as his achievements in the US.

Lindsay was trailing for much of the race before catching Christine Dailey approaching the Birdcage on Front Street. The two of them then fought it out until Lindsay pulled clear on the run through Bernard Park.

Lindsay, 35, finished eleventh overall and stopped the clock in 1:26:37, faster than the 1:29:22 she ran last year.

“I'm over the moon and delighted to defend my title,’’ Lindsay said.

“The race was tough and I knew going into it that it was going to be tough. Christine has been running really well and I’ve been running well. She’s such a strong runner and I’m delighted to have won against her.

“I started off conservatively and she took an early lead. With 5km to go, I had a lot of work to do to get ahead of her. In the end it was pure grit and determination to get across the line.

“I would put this win to a lot of hard work and I had a really good block of training. I managed to avoid getting any injuries this year, which is the first year in a couple of years I’ve not had to take a break because of injury.

The 37-year-old Dailey finished twelfth overall in a time of 1:26:55.

“It was such an awesome race and I had a lot of fun,’’ Dailey said. “Obviously I was hoping to finish first, but Gayle had a really strong finish.

“I was pretty happy with my race and my performance. I tried to stay strong coming into Hamilton and I tried to do a little surge on Front Street, but she came in hot.

“She made a strong move and I tried to hang on but my calves started ceasing up, so that was it, but I still finished stronger.

“This is my second year of coming second. I've to stay consistent with the training and I’m in a good place right now, it’s definitely the fittest I've been running wise.

“I think consistency over the next year will do for me and I can only get stronger from there.”

Kavin Smith, a nine-times champion, showed there is still plenty of speed in his 57-year-old legs, finishing eighth in 1:23:37.

“I had a great time, it’s been years,’’ Smith said.

“I've had some ups and downs, four months of training but I’ve been racing. I got on the podium in the bike race last year, so what more can I ask for? The Lord has blessed me.

“I'm excited to get into the top ten and I know my body, I don’t have to fight too much and get caught up.

“I ran faster than I've run, I've been running since January and I ran within my range. I have my speedometer for heart rate, so I ran within that and I came out safe.”