Watching the youngsters run a two-mile race is the perfect build-up to the main event on Bermuda Day and this year’s 15th Heritage Junior Classic race should again produce plenty of excitement, according to Lee Tucker, the race organiser.

So far more than 80 youngsters between the ages of eight and 15 have signed up for the invitations-only race, and Tucker, who is organising the race along with Clarence Smith and Anthony Raynor, expects between 90 and 100 will be at the starting line outside the SuperMart on Front Street.

Some of the top junior runners over the past decade competed in this race, including present Athletes of the Year Tyler Butterfield and Flora Duffy and Junior Athletes of the year Kyrah Scraders and Tyler Smith, who won last year in a time of 10min, 58sec but is now too old, and will make his debut in the Half Marathon from St George’s.

Selah Tuzo was the girls winner last year in 12:48, beating Jade Johnston by ten seconds and the two primary school students will be two of the favourites. “That was an exceptional time for a ten-year-old, just over a six-minute-mile pace,” said Tucker.

“Jade has defeated her a couple of times on the track and this should be a good competition between those two.”

Some of those who have competed in the race include Larry Marshall of Whitney Institute and Elisha Miller of Saltus who were the overall winners of the inaugural race in 1997, also held on a Monday that year.

Marshall’s winning time in the boys 13-15 race from Front Street to Bernard Park was 10:47, beating Jeremiah Smith by eight seconds while Tyler Butterfield, who completed the cycle race from Somerset to Hamilton a half-hour earlier, finished third in 11:02. Miller finished ahead of Patrina Swan and Allison Petty to win the girls 13-15 race in 12:54. Henry Talbot, meanwhile holds the record of 10:16 set in 2003.

Since then Lamont Marshall, Juma Mouchette, Trey Smons, Shaquille Dill and Dage Minors have all competed along with sisters Ashley and Megan Berry and Alexis and Taylor Ashley Bean. Duffy won the first race for the 9-10 girls in a time of 13:33 while Terrence Dill won the 9-10 boys event that first year in 12:12.

“This is a good breeding ground for our top young runners for later years, after they get a taste of this they want to compete in the 24th of May and other events,” Tucker said.