And it's evident by the success of Friday's, Saturday's and Sunday's races that the weekend continues to be as popular as ever.

Fears that this year might not have produced the overseas talent which has perennially invaded our shores were unfounded. A cosmopolitan field, including some of the world's best, resulted in a Kenyan, a Mexican and two Englishman taking the major honours.

Overall entries, meanwhile, exceeded those in 1994 after some concern only a week ago that this year's field would show a marked decline.

And there were some world class performances, not least Kenyan John Kipkoskei's half marathon victory which carved almost six minutes off the previous record and Englishman Peter Whitehead's stunning solo run in Saturday's 10K -- the fastest in Bermuda in 13 years.

What was also impressive was the organisation by an army of unpaid volunteers who contribute every bit as much to this event as the runners themselves.

Without the likes of Phil Guishard, Stanley Douglas, Mike Charles, Steven DeSilva and Eileen Murray to mention but a few who devote untold hours in the days, weeks and months leading up to International Race Weekend, the event simply would not happen.

An argument has been put forward by some, including top runner Mike Watson, that road running has flourished at the expense of track and field. That simply isn't true.

Road running's popularity stems from the fact that it caters to all shapes, sizes and abilities. The tall, the small, the fat, the thin, the best and the worst can all rub shoulders together in the same race, each with their own personal goals.

Track and field, while a delight to watch at international level, really only caters to the very fit, and the most talented. It doesn't foster the same infectious community spirit associated with road running.

Many of those from overseas who competed during the weekend have been coming back for years, and have already pencilled Bermuda into their 1996 calendar.

The vast majority will never take home anything more than a commemorative T-shirt and a finisher's medal, but they'll tell you there's few places in the world where road running is as enjoyable as in Bermuda.

One of those will likely be American Clarence Stanback who took seven and a half hours to hobble around Sunday's marathon course -- an experience made worse by the fact that he took a wrong turn and ended up completing 29 miles instead of 26.

Of course, there's always room for improvement. And certainly Race Weekend would be better served by improved communication over the airwaves and through the various PA systems.

While radio and TV commentators such as Mike Sharpe, Greg Hopkins, Joe Lopes, Larry Dunlop, Steve Burgess and Bob Oliver generally do a good job keeping the public informed, there are too many self-declared experts who come out of the woodwork each year, grab a microphone and proceed to confuse all and sundry.

They know nothing about the sport, can't pronounce names, can't identify numbers, and are about as adept at interviewing as a drunken sailor.