HAMILTON, Bermuda (CMC) — Jamaican Stephen Allen, a 34-year-old Bermuda-based policeman, celebrated a second success at the Bermuda Marathon Weekend by winning Sunday’s half-marathon after edging out Jay Donawa, another local runner.
Allen, who won the local men’s mile race on Friday night, and Donawa, 42, decided to share the glory.
Allen and Donawa ran side by side for almost all of the 13.1 miles in the absence of any elite runners, with Donawa helping push Allen to a personal best (PB) time of one hour, 12 minutes and 33 seconds.
The pair linked hands as they approached the final straight on Front Street, only splitting moments before reaching the tape, with Allen declared the winner, although the pair recorded the same times.
“It doesn’t really matter about the winning,” Allen said afterwards. “We both did well and ran together from start to finish, working as a team.
“I was great to get a PB and I always look forward to this event. I won the local Front Street mile, had a PB and two victories — it’s been a really good weekend for me.”
Added Donawa: “We pretty much worked together as there weren’t any elite half-marathon runners to push us.
“We had to help each other and I was actually able to pull Stephen to a personal best time. I think somewhere along the way I went through a bad patch, and having him there gave me a lift. If I’d been by myself I would have backed off.”
Bryan Huberty of Miami followed up his Fairmont to Fairmont Road Race win in Bermuda last weekend with a third-place finish in the half-marathon, crossing the line in 1:14.47.
Heather Kampf, 28, of Minnesota, completed a trio of race weekend victories after finishing as the first woman in the half-marathon in 1:18.05, having won the elite women’s mile on Friday night and the 10-kilometre women’s race the following day.
Late entry Benjamin Meto, of Kenya, won Sunday’s full marathon race at the first attempt to cap an impressive Bermuda Marathon Weekend debut — 40 years after the first international marathon was staged here.
Meto romped to victory in two hours, 28 minutes and 20 seconds to add to his triumph in Saturday’s 10K and deny his compatriot and training partner Richard Kessio a third straight victory. Kessio came second in the 26.2-mile race in 2:30.01.
The two Mexico-based runners ran side by side for nearly 14 miles before Meto made the decisive break.
Canadian Wesley Banks was third in 2:57.28.
Olympic cyclist Lyne Bessette, of Canada, claimed the women’s marathon title in 3:10.17 after finishing seventh overall.
Finishing second behind Bessette was compatriot and 2011 winner Stephanie Hodge, who was ninth overall in 3:16.45.
Rounding off the top three in the women’s division was Laura Wright, who was also the first local female to finish, in a personal best time of 3:31.44.
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Jamaican Allen adds half-marathon to mile success
