starting teams to win the Bank of Bermuda Team Triathlon yesterday.

Smith's fastest run split of the day was the major factor in the victory of the trio, who afterwards dedicated their win to swimmer Duncan Newby, coach of all three, who despite serious illness competed in yesterday's event.

Defending champions Kevin Insley, Greg Hopkins and Brett Forgesson were their closest challengers, but eventually lost out by nearly 90 seconds.

Annette Budge, Melanie Claude and Lynn Patchett enjoyed an equally emphatic triumph in the women's event, though a strong run by Anna Eatherley cut their margin of victory to less than a minute.

The race for top men's honours was neck-and-neck over the swimming and cycling legs.

Cowen emerged from the one-mile swim with Insley and then Hopkins was unable to shake off Henry during the 15-mile bike ride through the wet and slippery streets of Hamilton.

The two cyclists handed over to their runners within seconds of each other.

Smith, in dominant form on the Island's running scene, excelled again, increasing his team's lead on each of the six one-mile laps.

Smith ran 31 minutes, 49 seconds, and was the only runner to better Forgesson's 34:22.

Smith brought his team home in one hour, 25 minutes, 44 seconds, with Insley, Hopkins and Forgesson about a minute and a half behind.

Third place went to the dark horse team of Shaun Wilson, Steve Millington and Donald Bowman, who produced a good all-round performance. Wilson was out of the water in 18:21, while Millington recorded the fastest bike split in 36:40 and Bowman ran 36:53.

Bowman just managed to hold off a fast-finishing Neil de Ste Croix, who raced with Steve Castret and Jonathan Herring and placed fourth.

The women's race was all but over after the bike as Claude handed over to Patchett with a commanding three-and-a-half-minute lead.

The team had got off to an excellent start as Budge recorded the ninth fastest swim of 18:34 to open up a one-minute lead over Jesica Marwick, herself no slouch on the swim leg.

As expected, the in-form Claude, fresh from her triumph in the CD&P Grand Prix last month, had a great bike ride, finishing in the ninth fastest overall time of 38:13.

Patchett saw her lead whittled down by Eatherley, whose time of 36:38 was one of the fastest run splits of the day. In the end, Eatherley ran out of miles to catch the leader.

Jim Hinton, Martin Bolton and Sylvester Jean-Pierre took a closely contested men's veteran title.

Hinton gave his team a great start and a two-and-a-half-minute lead as he handed over to Bolton.

In the bike leg, Bolton saw his lead wiped out by top veteran cyclist Jeff Payne, who had taken over from swimmer Newby and gave his runner Harry Patchett a 30-second lead going into the run.

But Patchett was unable to stay ahead of the in-form Jean-Pierre, who took the lead on the second lap and never looked back.

Patchett still had work to do to hold off Andrew Doble, who with swimmer Eloy Castroverde and cyclist Steve Petty took third place. The top three veteran teams were separated by just 51 seconds.

The women's veteran title went to Rexanne Burns, Whillimae Dunkley and Edwina Arorash.

In the junior boys division, Michael O'Connor and Matthew Herring gave their runner Chris Conway more than a five-minute lead over second-placed finishers Roy Allen Burch, Adam Petty and Henry Talbot.

Talbot made up some ground, but Conway still ran a fast leg for his team to give them the junior title and seventh place overall in 1:36:25.

The girls junior division looked to be heading for a close finish as Ashley Robinson trailed Melanie Fullerton on the swim by 20 seconds.

Robyn Dickinson took over from Fullerton and chased down Ashley Robinson Roberts before being stalled by a flat tyre. Dickinson changed the wheel and continued, handing over to runner Chloe Kempe, but by then the race was over and Tiffany Eatherley extended her team's win on the run.

The company division was won by a Saltus school team of Graham Smith, Brian Steinhoff and Mark Morrison, who beat the Horizons team of Paul Oliver, Giles Marchand and Luc Laurent into second.

Tyler and Jim Butterfield came out top in the family division, but with Jim doing two legs, the bike and the run -- replacing wife Debbie -- the title may end up being awarded to second-placed finishers Mandy, Midge and Bob Oliver.

Triathlon's last race of the season, the rescheduled National Championships, will take place this Sunday at Clearwater Beach, along with Beginners and Tiny Tots events.