Bermuda's top distance runner Kavin Smith achieved his goal of running a personal best when he competed against the world's elite in yesterday's IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Bristol, England.

Smith clocked one hour, eight minutes and 17 seconds over the 13.1 mile route, finishing 99th in a field of 117.

His previous best time for the distance was listed with the IAAF - athletics' world governing body - as 1:09.36, recorded in 2000.

The 34-year-old Bermudian reportedly finished strongly over the two-loop, mostly flat course, but came in more than eight minutes behind Ethiopian winner and pre-race favourite Haile Gebrselassie.

Gebrselassie pulled away from Tesfaye Jifar in the final 100 metres to win what was only his second race over the distance.

The 28-year-old clocked a personal best of one hour and three seconds, with Jifar just a second behind.

Britain's Paula Radcliffe retained her title in the women's race with a time of 1:06:47, just four seconds off the world best, easily beating Kenya's Susan Chepkemei. Radcliffe edged Chepkemei to win the championship in Veracruz, Mexico, last year.

Gebrselassie, the double Olympic and four-time world 10,000-metre gold medallist, was behind Tanzania's John Yuda for most of the 13.1-mile race, before hitting the front with around a mile remaining.

The top American finisher in the men's field was Scott Larsen, who ran a personal-best 1:03.08 for 33rd place. Milena Glusac was the fastest US woman in 1:11.34, good for 24th and also a personal best.

The International Association of Athletics Federations tested for the banned substance erythropoietin at the championships for the first time at a British sports event.

It was the same blood and urine test as used at the world championships in Edmonton in August. EPO, which boosts the production of oxygen-rich red blood cells, is believed to be widely used in endurance sports.