Almost perfect weather conditions and excellent race management saw an all-comers record of 67 minutes and 42 seconds set by visiting Kenyan Thomas Kiprotich at the Unicef Half Marathon on Lantau island yesterday.
Hong Kong record holder Chan Ka-ho also had a good race, improving his mark for the distance.
Kiprotich and Hong Kong resident Stefano Passarello, winner of last weekend's Nike 10km, set a blistering pace, the pair sticking together as far as the Sunny Bay station at 6km when Passarello realised the pace was faster than he had run over the 10km distance the previous weekend.
'We were running at about 3:05 per kilometre. The pace was too hot,' said Passarello, who is improving with every race this season.
The 21-year old Kenyan pulled away unchallenged to the finish line in a new Hong Kong all-comers record, taking 13 seconds off the previous mark set by former world and Olympic champion Gezahegne Abera in 2003 on the tough Brides Pool Mizuno Half Marathon route in 2003.
The modest Kenyan put his win down to the excellent weather and course, but gave credit to Passarello for his company over the early stages.
