Ashley Berry continued her impressive form by shattering the Bermuda women’s 3,000 metres record at the Watford Open meet in England at the weekend.

Berry, who was the second women’s finisher at the Appleby Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby, broke the record held by Merenette Bean since 1981 with a time of 9min 45.25sec. The previous record stood at 9:48.65.

The 23-year-old, who is completing her Masters in pharmaceutical science at Loughborough University, finished second at the meet.

The former Flyers Track Club runner said she was pleasantly surprised with her impressive performance as she expected to still be tired after the Half-Marathon Derby.

As it turned out, she had no reason to be worried at all.

“I was a bit worried about competing, however my coach [Bill Foster] was eager for me to run,” said Berry, who shaved ten seconds off her previous best.

“It went really well, as the girl who won the heat was being paced for a fast time of 9:40.

“I decided to stick with her for as long as I could. I was a little scared as it meant working harder in the earlier parts of the race than I usually do.

“To be honest, I was too tired to be excited at first, it was definitely one of the hardest races I’ve done. Once I’d caught my breath I was surprised as I hadn’t expected to have run that fast.”

Berry admits it has been a challenge to balance her running with her university commitments.

“It was hardest to do during my undergraduate years and often meant sacrificing social time for time in the library,” said Berry, who helped Bermuda win gold in the 4x100 relay at the 2013 NatWest Island Games in Bermuda.

“But I had great team-mates who were in the same boat, so we would make a trip to the library a social event and study together.”

Berry has now set her sights on the Bermuda women’s 10,000 record.

“At the start of the season I hadn’t really planned on racing competitively, so I didn’t really set any firm goals,” she said.

“However, I’m fitter than I had expected to be, so I’m considering having a go at the women’s national 10,000 metres record. I hope to continue improving and running good times, but I’m not pressing for any specific goals.”