Former St Andrew High sprinter Mishka Hyde cracked the Jamaican record in the women’s marathon when she placed second in the AACR Philadelphia Marathon in 2:35.28 hours on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Hyde, who was running the marathon competitively for the first time, beat the previous Jamaican record of 3:08.47 held by Jill Vincent at the 2000 Negril Marathon in Jamaica.

Hyde also holds the national women’s half-marathon record. In December 2024 she ran 1:17:58 in a half marathon, faster than the 1:28.20 that Tamica Thomas registered in San Diego in December 2006.

Hyde, who competed in the 100m through to 800m and the 400m hurdles events through her high school and college careers, said it was that performance almost a year ago that convinced her that she “had real potential in the longer distances”.

Hyde said she is part of a group called RunBMT, and guided by coaches Seth Funderburg and Jermaine Lamar, and does not rule out representing Jamaica at the international level.

On Sunday, she was second overall behind American Anna Oeser (2:34.56), and just ahead of Irishwoman Orla Rocha (2:36.45).

“I was a sprinter, I mainly competed in the 400m and the 400m hurdles, and I never imagined I’d end up running long distances,” Hyde told the Jamaica Observer on Monday.

The talented athlete attended George Mason University on a track and field scholarship and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in biomedical engineering at the University of Central Florida.

She began to test her capabilities in the longer distances after graduating from George Mason in May 2024.

“My very first race was a 5K in June 2024, where I actually won the Best Dressed Chicken 5K. That race really sparked my interest in distance running and set the tone for everything that followed.

“The transition happened after graduating from George Mason University. Once my NCAA eligibility ended, I wanted to find something that still felt fulfilling and familiar. Running became that outlet. I started entering a few road races just for fun, and gradually I became more dedicated to improving.”

Her biggest test last year was the half marathon run in December, which cleared all doubt.

“That performance made me realise I had real potential in the longer distances. As I continued racing, the people around me inspired me to take the next step, which ultimately led me to training for my first marathon.”

Her first real attempt at the 26.2-mile run on Sunday came with great expectations, she indicated.

“I knew it would be both a physical and mental challenge. My main mindset going in was to stay patient, respect the distance, and trust the preparation I had put in a 20-week training block, so I knew I was ready. I just wanted to run smart, stay composed, and execute my plan mile by mile.”

She said she had been well aware of the national record going into the race.

“I actually set a personal goal of running 2:40, and I ended up breaking that by five minutes running 2:35.28. I knew I had the potential to lower the record by a significant margin, it was really just about staying composed, executing my race plan, and trusting the work I put in during training.”

With her first marathon out of the way, Hyde thinks she can run faster.

“I’m extremely happy with the time, especially for my debut, but I also believe I can run faster. This race showed me that there’s a lot more potential to unlock as I continue to build strength and gain experience at the distance.

“As for my next marathon, I haven’t finalised a date yet. Right now I’m focusing on recovery before planning my 2026 race schedule, but I definitely see myself lining up for another marathon once I’m mentally and physically ready to take on the challenge again. I also have goals in the 5k,10k, half-marathon and other distances so I want to ensure [I] have a balanced race schedule,” she said.

In this undated photo, Mishka Hyde competes for George Mason University. Photo: George Mason University

Mishka Hyde

HYDE… I just wanted to run smart, stay composed, and execute my plan mile by mile