Lamont Marshall has smashed the national 10K road record, becoming the first Bermudian to break 30 minutes for the distance.

The landmark time of 29min 49sec was set in Toronto on Sunday, where the Devonshire athlete finished third in the Younge Street 10K.

He is now seriously considering a tilt at this year’s Bermuda Day Half-Marathon Derby title, having last competed in the Island’s signature road race in 2011.

Marshall, 30, is coached by his father Larry, who said: “It was a tremendous breakthrough. He bettered his own Bermuda record, which was 31:02. He went straight through to a sub-30 time. To me it is his best accomplishment.”

He likened the new record to a “Roger Bannister moment” for the Island, saying that a Bermudian breaking the 30-minute barrier showed what is possible and raised the standard for others to follow.

He believes it was a change in the approach to training and racing that allowed his son to knock more than a minute from his previous national record, which he set in Washington DC in 2009.

“The hard work is paying off. We have backed off from anaerobic workouts, such as intervals, both in quantity and quality,” said Marshall Sr.

“He was overtraining and it was taking too much out of him when it came to races. So we have backed off from the anaerobic training. The hard work has been done. It is about fine-tuning and not training hard through the racing season.”

Marshall said his son was ecstatic after running the 10K. He kept an even pace, running each kilometre in about three minutes, and en route went through 5K in 14:52, just a shade outside his national record.

“It was the most even-paced race of his life,” Marshall Sr said.

The race was won by Canada’s Eric Gillis in 29:15.

Marshall is seeking to qualifying times for the Pan Am Games, which take place in Toronto this summer. His next race will be either a 1,500 or 10,000 metres track race in London, Ontario, early next month. The Pan Am qualifying time for the shorter race is 3:49, while for the longer race it is 30:10.

His father said the 10K record was an excellent tune-up for the Bermuda Day Half-Marathon Derby.

“In all probability he will be running May 24. The last time he ran it was in 2011. He wants to do it coming out of St George’s and be part of what will essentially be a historic race.”

Marshall has finished runner-up in the Derby race on a number of occasions. His older brother Larry won the 2007 event.