The 2002 Junior Sportsman-of-the-Year covered the distance in 15 minutes, 43 seconds, ahead of the Trinidad and Tobago pair of Kern Ramdin (16:13) and Jules La Rode (16:16).

The 5K was the undercard in the 21st running of the region's top athletic event, and Forde enjoyed himself in the cool conditions which prevailed in Port of Spain.

The ‘Rolls Royce’ Guyanese athlete demolished a field of over 1 200 runners, the largest ever since the inception of the 5k a few years ago.

Forde collected TT$500 for his winning effort and won praises from the talent scouts who came from the United States of America and the large crowd which gathered at the finish at Traggerete Road outside the Queen's Park Oval.

In the ‘Blue Riband’ event, St Vincent and the Grenadines' Pamenos Ballantyne broke his own course record of two hours, 15 minutes and 37 seconds he established in 1998.

The 28-year-old Ballantyne clipped seven seconds off the old record, which attracted close to 450 international and regional competitors, including defending champion John Muriuki of Kenya.

It was an unprecedented 6th Clico Marathon win for the long-striding Vincentian runner.

Muriuki ended in second place, while Juan Carlos Cardoza of Columbia was third.

In the women's category, Gitte Karlshoej of Denmark emerged as winner and also set a new course record.

Karlshoej, the 41-year-old lone competitor from Denmark, smashed the course record set by Salina Chirchir by almost eight minutes to place first among the women and 12th overall.