At the age of 72, running legend Ray Swan has reignited his passion for competitive racing after finishing Monday's May 24 Half-Marathon Derby in a remarkable one hour, 46 minutes and 56 seconds.

And the Island great intends to better that time next year in order to put his over-70 record as far out of sight of any rival as his national marathon record – now 29 years old – has proven to be.

"I'll train for nine months before next year's race. I'll run on the beach and on the golf course. I really, really want to do a better time. If I can run something like 1.29 or 1.30 that would do it. No man over 70 can do that," he said.

The fastest half-marathon achieved anywhere in the world by a man of Swan's age is reputed to be Canadian Ed Whitlock's 1.28.37, achieved in Buffalo, New York State, in 2003.

Swan's effort this year will already take some beating on the gruelling route from Somerset to Hamilton. He was two-and-a-half minutes faster than the time achieved by American multi-national age record holder Sid Howard in the 100th anniversary May 24 race last year. Howard was 70 at the time.

At his home in Warwick yesterday, he reflected on his running exploits and why he feels he has what it takes to set another long-lasting Island record.

A former Olympian, Swan is also a two-time May 24 winner with victories in 1978 and again in 1981, when he was a masters' category athlete.

He was twice the male masters' (over-40) runner-up in the most famous marathon of all – the Boston Marathon.

Despite being a late starter, having only taken up running in his 30s after being inspired watching his wife, Burnette, compete, he quickly established himself as one of Bermuda's greatest distance men.

His talent took him to third place in his first half-marathon, in 1.18. He followed that with a third place in the first Bermuda International Race Weekend Marathon in 1975, running a debut of 2.43.14.

A year later he was part of the Bermuda team at the Montreal Olympics, competing in the marathon in 2.39.18. Remembering that experience he said: "Everybody treated me good. I was excited and I was shaking. I went out too fast and my feet starting hurting."

Reaching that sporting pinnacle proved a perfect answer to various athletic coaches who had more or less dismissed Swan when he started showing up for training at the old national stadium. The coach who devoted time to Swan was the late Clive Longe, and Swan continues to speak highly of his running mentor.

"The others thought I was too old and weren't bothered. But Clive was excellent. He taught me how to do all the stretches. Clive was a coach who was understandable. I would never have made it without him," he said.

And he laughed as he remembered Longe crashing through some trees on his bike near Whale Bay while riding alongside giving instructions as Swan trained.

From the mid-1970s until the early 1990s, Swan shone. He competed in the 1978 Commonwealth Games, the same year he finished fourth in the Bermuda International Marathon behind world legend Ron Hill.

At the time Swan was living in Flatts and would clock up more than 100 miles in training each week – including a weekly long run from Flatts to Dockyard and back.

In 1981, he re-wrote his own national marathon record, coming runner-up for a consecutive time in the Boston Marathon masters' division in 2.26.37. In the intervening 29 years no Bermudian has gone quicker.

In the early 1990s Swan stepped away from running, staying fit at the gym instead. But he returned to run the 100th May 24 Half Marathon in 2009 and then again this year, improvinig his over-70 time in the process.

"Running made me stay in and save my money. It has kept me young," he said.

He now hopes the May 24 race organisers will introduce a prize category for over-70 runners in recognition of the growing number of athletes, like himself, who are still going strong.