F the sight of hundreds of competitors pounding the roads of Bermuda during International Race Weekend has not already inspired others to pull on their training shoes ? then the thoughts of two Bermudian runners who achieved noteworthy performances should.

Taking up running meant losing almost 100lbs in weight over the course of two years for Otis Robinson and improving his athletic ability beyond recognition.

And fastest Bermuda resident in the marathon this year ? Leon Bascome ? is proof that anyone can take up running no matter what their current fitness level.

The Paget man might be one of the island's brightest running stars today, but he can remember how he started out simply running between two street utility poles then walking between the next two, running the next two and so on.

As his fitness increased he was able to go further, running the distance between three utility poles before walking one.

As Robinson and Bascome recovered from the exertions of International Race Weekend they spoke of how running had bettered their lives.

Bascome is rapidly becoming the man to watch in Bermuda's long-distance road running scene. His two hours 52 minutes marathon last October in Chicago was only the beginning. In far tougher conditions he clocked 2:57:46 last weekend to finish eighth overall in the International Marathon.

Remembering the sporting glory days of school as he watched the May 24th race one year was the initial spur that got Bascome, 37, fired up to start running.

"I knew so many people who said they wanted to do that race but didn't know how to get started," he said.

"I had to start from somewhere but I knew I could not just go out and run six or seven miles without getting injured. So I did a little bit at a time. And that's what I'd encourage others to do.

"I walked one (utility) pole, then run to the next, then walk the next. That was my thing. Then I'd extend to running three poles and then walking one. A lot of people do not realise that I went through that."

After enjoying initial success as a runner, Bascome left the scene. When he returned he had to start from scratch, but this time he opted to do his stop-start walking and running method at the running track because if he was seen out on the streets walking between utility poles many people who knew of his past prowess as a runner would pass unfavourable comment.

Bascome adds: "And I didn't want people to see me when I wasn't in tip-top shape. So I went to the track and would run half-a-mile and walk half-a-mile. I would encourage people to go to the track in the early mornings and do that to get started."

Bascome now does a lot of 5 a.m. workouts, focusing on quality miles and avoiding what he calls 'junk miles' in training.

Out on the roads he has experienced the camaraderie that exists between fellow runners, irrespective of their nationality, age, race or ability.

He has exchanged water station drinks with rivals during international races when only one of a bunch of runners managed to grab a drink but shares it with others.

And even during last weekend's marathon Bascome made an unspoken pact with Ukrainian international Victoria Ganuchshina as they both battled the lonely and windy North Shore Road during the final quarter of the race.

"There was an unspoken respect. I caught her up and the wind was blowing us so much that it was like an unspoken gesture between us to work together to get through the rest of the North Shore," he explained.

"I didn't make any attempt to drop her because she was depending on my company as much as I was depending on hers. We had been alone in the race for so long up until then.

"Even though we were competing it got to the point where we also had a common goal to reach the end. She ended up pulling away from me at the end, but I did not mind as I had the title sewn up."

In the coming months Bascome intends to shift his training to fast, speed work with a view to being a contender in this year's May 24th Marathon Derby.

For fellow runner Southampton electrician Otis Robinson, 32, one of the most remarkable changes the sport has brought has been a reduction in his weight by 100lbs over a two-year period.

It might seem to hard to imagine, but the man who finished a top 10 resident in this year's Front Street Mile, 10K and marathon, once tipped the scales at around 240lbs!

He now fluctuates between 145 and 148lbs.

Football was once his main sport and he played for the National Under-21 squad before finding work commitments and shift patterns prevented him from attending training sessions.

It was his girlfriend's father who got him interested in running when he took him out on four or five mile training runs.

"I was always competitive and he would challenge me and kept leaving me behind," said Robinson.

"Then I started becoming more consistent in my running. It is a good de-stresser putting on running shoes and going out. You get a high from it and find you are getting fitter and faster."

Easing up before Race Weekend was like "putting on the hand-brake" and Robinson found it hard to keep himself from going out for his regular training runs. So eager was he to run that his Front Street Mile appearance saw him running side-by-side with eventual record-breaker Lamont Marshall at the quarter-mile point in around 58 seconds.

Robinson paid for the over exuberance as he tied up near the end of the race, but held out for 10th place, and followed up with 24th in the 10K and 19th in the marathon.

He is now resting before resuming training with the May 24th race the big focus.

He intends to concentrate on shorter distances and "leave the marathon alone for the next 10 years."