It was the Mother of all 10Ks.

One by one, competitors in Saturday's International Race Weekend 10K staggered across the finish line at National Stadium. Many later called it one of the toughest races they had ever run.

A glance at the times produced by a field of international professionals ought to tell all you need to know about what the hilly course, combined with debilitating 30-knot winds, did even to them.

Men's winner Charles Mulinga arrived in 30 minutes and 15 seconds, equalling the second slowest time in the 19-year history of the event and a full two minutes off Geoff Smith's 1982 record.

Women's winner Salina Chirchir arrived in 35:15, the second slowest the event has seen since 1988 and three and a half minutes off Greta Waitz's record, also set in 1982.

Mulinga, 27, and Chirchir, 29, were 1996 Olympians for Zambia and Kenya respectively. The former has a 28-minutes flat 10K to his credit; the latter a 31:35. Don't talk to them about slow times yesterday.

"They don't mean anything, especially with that wind,'' said Chirchir, who ran the entire last half of the race with not a challenger in sight. Second placed Carol Howe of Canada laboured home almost a minute later in 36:05.

Mulinga had a far tougher battle, chased as he was by Rueben Chesane for the last kilometre, and admitted later he almost didn't hang on. Closing a 50-metre deficit to eight at the finish, Chesane, who was third in Friday's night's Bank of Butterfield Mile, looked the stronger of the two as he clocked 30:19, just four seconds behind the winner.

Mulinga was the 1996 winner -- in 29:55 -- and Chirchir was third a year ago.

Mulinga and Chirchir's knowledge of the Middle Road-Flatts Village-North Shore Road route was invaluable, they said. As a result, each had similar strategies.

"I know the course is hard,'' said Mulinga. "But I remembered the first half is easy and downhill. The second half is very hard.'' Not to mention against the wind, or in, the case of Frog Lane, just prior to the Stadium, both uphill and against the wind.

Added Chirchir: "If you run the first half hard, no-one will will catch you in the second half.'' It was that simple.

Mulinga took off after one mile, producing a 4:39 split for the second mile and recording a 23:50 after five. But the pace -- and hills -- caught up to him over the last mile and Mulinga said his biggest worry then was back pain.

"When I looked back after four miles, I could see (Chesane) running very hard to catch me,'' said Mulinga. "But there was a head wind and a hill so I knew for him to catch me he would have to work very hard and he would probably get tired.'' Chirchir said the wind was so strong in spots "it was pushing me from side to side.'' But she had built up enough of a lead by that time that she could shift into cruise control. "It allowed me to relax (and) just run comfortably.'' This was Mulinga's first race of the season and came after a three week holiday he took in December.

He said he "thought about winning'' when he first entered but arrived a little more unsure of his chances, wary of Paul Freary and Kenyans Johnstone Kipkoech and James Bungei. As it turned out, none, apart from the first two miles, when Freary stuck with Mulinga, were a factor.

Canada's Christian Weber was third with a time of 30:50.

Chirchir was also confident, acknowledging "the field was not as strong as last year'' when she was beaten by Elana Myer and Carol Zajak.

CHAMPION -- Zambian Charles Mulinga (2) breaks away from England's Paul Freary early, on his way to victory in Saturday's 10K.