After a string of near misses, an emotional Sean Trott won his first Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby on Friday morning.

Trott, who had finished third in the previous three years, made the crucial break from Ryan Outerbridge by Christ Church in Devonshire and quickly kicked clear of his younger rival to win in 1hr 14min 31sec.

Outerbridge finished runner-up for the second successive year with Thomas Mills third. Defending champion Lamont Marshall could finish only fourth with Sammy Degraff rounding out the top five.

Trott, who has been running the race since 2006, was thrilled to record his maiden victory.

“This win means everything to me,” the 35-year-old told The Royal Gazette.

“I always believed it was possible, I just kept putting in the work. Last year, I came into the race sick, this year I was healthy, so that made a big difference.

“My preparations were better than the years before. I did more miles and speed sessions, so I was able to benefit from that hard work.”

The new champion felt that staying patient and focusing on his race secured him his first title.

“I didn't run anybody’s race this year,” he said. “Last year, I think I got caught up running other people’s races.

“I knew my strength was hills, so the flat part of the course I stayed back. People might have thought that I was falling back, but that is when my race was just starting.

“Running those hills, I was putting in a few tests. When I hit the big hill on mile ten, no one came with me, so I just ran the rest of the race hard and enjoyed the support from the crowd.”

Outerbridge, runner-up for the second straight year, was hindered by discomfort in his calf, which he blamed for his defeat.

“I was feeling good for the majority of the race,” he said.

“Unfortunately, around mile nine I started having problems with my calf. I ran it off a little bit, but it came on again when I got to Front Street.

“I feel like I could have hung on for a little longer and I believe the calf problem is a result of a long season I've had. My time will come and I’ll come back stronger next year.”

Mills improved from fifth a year ago to secure a spot on the podium. The 42-year-old was happy to conserve his energy at the start of the race before pushing at the end.

“There are better athletes that finished behind me, but they all raced each other earlier on,” he said.

“I set out a little bit steady and it was nice to hold my pace for most of the way and catch a couple of runners towards the end. It’s nice to get on the podium against such really good athletes.

“If I manage to train well and stay injury-free, maybe I can get on the podium again next year but it all depends on who shows up. Dage Minors might come back, Sean is not going to stop running, Lamont will want another crack and Ryan is still young, so this year might be the best it gets for me.”

Christ Church was also the venue for the decisive turning point in the women’s race with Gayle Lindsay kicking clear of Christine Dailey at the same point on the way to winning her third title.

Lindsay crossed the line in 1:26:38, which was enough for thirteenth overall.

“I’m really excited to win the women’s race three times in a row,” Lindsay said.

“Hats off to Christine, she ran a gutsy race. On a number of occasions I tried to get past her but she wanted to dominate, so it was an absolutely great run from her.

“I tried to not let her open a huge gap. Coming up that hill towards Tee Street and the Arboretum, I managed to pull away and built a gap from there.

“The crowds were phenomenal and the support gives you energy to keep going. The last couple of miles I just had a lot of fun running by myself all the way to the finish line.”

Dailey was content despite finishing runner-up to Lindsay for the third year in a row.

“I have high expectations for myself so to come second is incredible,” the 38-year-old said.

“I was comfortable for the better part of the first half of the race. I started getting uncomfortable going up to the Arboretum and that’s when Gayle started making a move.

“It’s always good to have the competition between Gayle and I. I’m grateful for it although it would have been sweet to get the win, but she ran a good race.”

Teresa Ruiz, who again finished third was delighted to shed more than five minutes from her time.

“It’s such an honour to run this race and to finish in the top three,” she said.

“What makes me happy is that I did better than last year and I managed to reduce my time by six minutes.

“I could see Christine and Gayle at the start, but I lost complete sight of them. I knew they were competing against each other, so I left them to do their thing while I focused on enjoying my race.”