He may have been running within himself ahead of International Race Weekend, but Jay Donawa was still in seventh heaven yesterday at the end of the 29th annual Fairmont to Fairmont road race.

Sweeping aside all-comers for the seventh straight year, Donawa cantered languidly across the finish line at the Whaler Inn in a time of 38 minutes and three seconds ? over three minutes ahead of triathlon specialists Riaan and Evan Naude from South Africa.

With one eye on this weekend?s 10K and Half-marathon, Donawa had intended to use yesterday?s popular 7.2 mile race as a relatively gentle warm-up.

But he found the going harder than expected thanks to the high winds and torrential downpours that plagued the entire morning.

Yet even with his ideal running rhythm proving somewhat elusive, Donawa demonstrated conclusively once again that he is untouchable over this distance in Bermuda.

?It wasn?t easy out there but I?m still pleased with my time and the win,? he said.

?My plan at the outset had been to run the first three miles hard and get a bit of space between myself and the leading pack. But it was difficult the whole way because I was running into a pretty strong wind most of the time and it burns up a lot of energy having to fight your way through that. I don?t usually mind running in the rain, but it rained so hard that my feet were soaking wet from the very beginning which made them a little heavy and it was even tougher.?

While most of the runners in the middle or at the back of the race rely on camaraderie and the challenge of beating the person in front to spur them on, Donawa rarely has such a luxury.

The self-discipline required of any runner so far ahead of everybody else makes for an almost constant mental battle, Donawa admitted.

?Running in race conditions by yourself is a challenge which I have learned to deal with over the years,? he said.

?When you?re running with other people it is easier to push yourself when things get tough. When you?re alone it?s totally up to you and it?s all about putting aside all the little mental demons which creep in from time to time. At the moment though I?m really enjoying my running and even though I?ve won the race seven times, the motivation is still there because I just love the sport so much.?

In the women?s race meanwhile, Victoria Fiddick triumphed in a time of 47 minutes and 29 seconds, which placed her 20th in the race overall.

And while most of the runners found the conditions tough to handle, Fiddick made light of the brutal elements and said she is usually at her happiest competing in the teeming rain.

?I absolutely love running in these sorts of conditions,? she said.

?It was a little slippery on some parts of the course so I was a little tentative about where I was putting my feet, but overall I?m very happy when its raining because I feel fresh and cool throughout the whole race.?

Fiddick was over two minutes ahead of the second-placed woman Rosa Peichoto who completed the race in a time of 49.42. Anna Eatherley was third in 51.59, finishing 37th overall.

In the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts three kilometre junior race, Aaron Evans was victorious in a time of eight minutes and 30 seconds, 40 seconds ahead of Justin Burke. Trey Simons came in third in a time of nine minutes and 20 seconds.