Chayce Smith and Ashley Estwanik retained their RMS Construction 20K Road Race titles with impressive displays of front-running that kept them well-clear of their nearest rivals.

Smith made his intentions known from the start as he powered away from the field and was soon a lone figure stretching his early lead along North Shore Road in Pembroke to the point that second-place runner Ryan Wilson lost sight of him after the four-mile mark.

Taking two minutes off his 2014 winning time, Smith, 27, crossed the finish line in 1hr 10min 32sec.

Runner-up Wilson, 30, said: “Chayce went out real hard and I had to let him go and run my own race. I was trying to run a bit faster than I did, but it was not terrible.”

His finishing time of 1:15:26 was less than a minute outside his performance a year ago, when he was third.

“Temperature-wise it was great and the wind was more helpful than a hindrance,” he said.

Looking forward to next month’s Bermuda Day Half-Marathon Derby, he said he anticipates runners will find the course from St George’s more of a challenge than the traditional Somerset to Hamilton route.

Women’s winner Estwanik, 37, was third overall, finishing in 1:22:03, which was just under two minutes slower than her winning time the previous year.

However, she has been getting over a cold and did not feel 100 per cent prepared for the race.

“It was a tougher day than last year, and I have more work to do,” she said.

The four-times winner of the May 24 women’s title is looking forward to next month’s race and has trained on part of the new route, focusing on the mid-race hills between Flatts Village and Hamilton. She said it will be a challenging area for runners, but also a great place for spectators to watch the race unfold.

Second and third women in yesterday’s 20K were Krista Dyer, 11th overall in 1:28:33, and Vivienne Lochhead, 17th in 1:32:14. Third in the men’s race was Philip Mace in 1:22:33.

Race sponsor Ricky Sousa, 52, won the award for first runner over 40 to finish the race. He was seventh overall in 1:26:49.

A 10K race, held in conjunction with the longer event, was won by Larry Marshall Jr, 32. He has been mostly absent from the local road running scene since winning the May 24 title in 2007, but he returned to winning ways to secure the 10K title in 38:36, ahead of Corey Brunton in 38:44, and Sammy Degraff in 38:55.

The women’s title was won by Rose-Anna Hoey, 33, who was making a comeback appearance after suffering a stress fracture and breaking a toe. As she ran up the hill on Palmetto Road yesterday, she felt a sharp pain and momentarily stopped as a precaution, but she was able to continue and finished seventh overall in 42:34.

Hoey and 20K winner Estwanik ran together for the first three miles, before Estwanik moved ahead. Hoey said: “I did my best and wanted to see where I’m at. Cardio-wise I felt very strong.”

She was aware of second-placed Tamika Williams not far behind, and this kept her working all the way to the finish.

“Tamika is a strong runner and she’s had a better season than I’ve had,” said Hoey, who intends to compete in the half-marathon at the Island Games in Jersey this summer. But first she must complete the Bermuda Day Half-Marathon Derby.

The former Derby winner has trained on sections of the new St George to Hamilton route and said the mid-race hills would hit runners when they were already likely to be fatigued.

Third woman in the 10K was Martina Olcheski-Bell in 45:31.

In the 10K competitive walk, Gary Young was first in 1:12:28, followed by Gilda Cann in 1:17:04 and Gina Bradshaw in 1:17:27.

n A number of runners from Bermuda took part in yesterday’s London Marathon. Among them were: Jeremy Burnham, who finished in 3:41:19, Sharon Craig in 3:45:20, Mark Harris in 3:57:18, Gemma Gowrie in 3:59:04 and Caroline Kompsoch in 5:03:30.