istory was made in 1964 when twin brothers Neville and Neil Virgil claimed first and second placed honours in the annual May 24 Marathon Derby ? a feat unparalleled to this day.

Nephews of legendary late cricketer, Nigel (Chopper) Hazel, the Virgil twins captured the admiration and respect of their rivals and fans alike competing in Bermuda?s premier road race over a period spanning some three decades.

Having entered the world on April 9, 1945 ? two minutes earlier than twin brother Neil ? it was only natural that well-known taxi driver Neville broke the tape first in that 1964 race.

A year later he repeated the feat.

And while Neil never savoured a marathon win himself, he did place consistently among the top three for several years.

The Virgil twins are largely credited as being the first competitors to don colourful attire ? complete with their trademark white gloves ? in an annual event which celebrates its 96th anniversary tomorrow.

?When we realised we were in position to achieve it, we decided to go for it (first and second). Neville came in first and hit the tape and then turned back around and ran in with me. It was a great feeling and really something considering we were twins and very young (19) at the time,? recalled Neil, now 61.

?It wasn?t planned because during those days Ed Sherlock (multiple winner) and Mack Smith and all of those fellows were running. They were there before us and we were the underdogs.

?But that achievement really put us on the map and helped to lift the race up because during that time you only had about 40 to 60 people competing.?

he Virgil twins? rise to local stardom began at Southampton Glebe Primary and the former Cunningham Secondary School in Prospect and later at Somerset Cricket Club where Neil played as a centre-half and brother Neville as a ?keeper for the Somerset Colts.

?We used to compete in a lot of cross-country races during our school days before later switching over to running marathons,? Neil added.

?We pretty much dominated all of the school races.?

The Virgil twins were also trend setters.

?That year (?64) we were the only runners wearing the proper running attire. When the race first started runners would wear ordinary white pants and the individual who introduced us to coloured shorts was Gary Turner.

?At the time he worked on the (ocean liner) and when he found out we were running, especially from Somerset, he decided to deck us out. He bought our running gear in from New York.

?We were the first to wear coloured clothing (red and blue). Neville went on to win the race two years in a row while most of the time I either finished in second or third.?

Neil, who claims to have visited every cricket Test ground in the world, and is perhaps the only Bermudian to have done so, is delighted to see the Marathon Derby continue to go from strength to strength.

?When we were around there were no water stations,? he explained. ?You had to make your own arrangements and the streets were not as congested as they are today.

?You either had to bring your own water with you or people would throw water on you or even offer you a cold beer. We would just goggle it and then let it go down . . . the great Stanley (Sir Stanley Burgess) had his own mixture.?

In those days the annual race began on Court Street and later Bernard Park and ended at either St.George?s or St.David?s Cricket Clubs before the course was altered to its present route.

?One year we came from Somerset and actually finished up at Devonshire Recreation Club,? Neil recalled. ?And later on the race course was changed (from Somerset to Hamilton) to keep the airport and Causeway from becoming congested.

?But we were very popular during the races and people used to look out for us, especially the elderly people we grew up around. They always made sure we acknowledged them, myself and Neville on either side of the street just putting our hands out for them to touch as we ran past.

?To finish a race like that makes you very proud . . . it?s a part of your heritage and to this day I still look forward to it.

?I think the race, how it is managed today, is first class. Today you see all sorts of nationalities involved and the race has become integrated. And that is very nice to see.?

Two-time winner Neville remembers well his and his twin?s historical achievement in 1964.

?I don?t think anybody has achieved that feat since. We?ve had brothers running before but none of them ever finished first and second,? he said.It was a big honour to come first and then go back out and help my brother to place second. To me the marathon is like Cup Match, and I can always tell when May 24 is around the corner because everybody sings out to me . . . ?twin, are you ready?.

?And one thing I never forget are all of the other runners who helped us to come along, the Sherlocks, Lee brothers, Whitecross brothers and especially our coach Conrad Simons and David Cann. We?ve had some very great runners out in the past.

?To actually win the race is a great achievement . . . but then again everybody who finishes is also a winner and deserving of credit.?

ith the annual running spectacle fast approaching its centenary, the twins are contemplating once again making the gruelling trek from Somerset to Bernard Park in 2010.

?I?m hoping to come back to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary,? Neville said. ?I have been thinking about doing that lately and that?s one of my goals.

?I?m thinking about bringing my white gloves out of retirement and see what I can do.?