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.

“In the end we decided to finish together. If it had been a straight sprint he would have walked me down!”