Chayce Smith and Erica Hawley are the new men’s and women’s Healthy Choice 5K road race champions.

No sooner had the starter’s klaxon sounded than Smith made his intentions known as he led nearly 100 runners along Orange Valley Road and Middle Road in the early stages of the annual race in Devonshire. The 28-year-old increased his lead further on the course that included hills along Parsons Lane, Frog Lane and Montpelier Road.

Smith crossed the finish line in 16mins 35sec, ahead of Evan Naude and the 2012 and 2013 champion Tucker Murphy.

Naude, who was celebrating his 39th birthday, said: “Chayce pulled away and after that I was running for second place with Tucker.”

The pair ran together until the midway point on Palmetto Road, where Naude opened up a gap. “I tried to save something for Frog Lane. I ran at a steady pace and I’m happy with my result.”

Naude’s time was 17:19, some 54 seconds ahead of Murphy, who competed for Bermuda in last month’s NatWest Island Games triathlon in Jersey.

The women’s race saw Erica Hawley, Martina Olcheski-Bell and Melissa Logie in close contention early on. By halfway Olcheski-Bell, who also competed in the Island Games triathlon, had a small lead on the other two. However, Hawley showed superior strength in the closing stages to secure victory in 22:16, with Olcheski-Bell second in 22:20 and Logie third in 22:50.

Hawley, 17, used the race to sharpen her running speed ahead of an upcoming triathlon event on Quebec, Canada.

She said: “It was hot and hilly. My time was a little slower than I have done before, but it was a nice challenge. I have a new coach and the training is paying off.”

Olcheski-Bell, who is training for a half-Ironman triathlon in Turkey, said: “I haven’t done this race before, so I did not know what to expect. I tried to stay with Erica at the end.”

The road race attracted a wide age race, with 12-year-old Iziah Tucker finishing fifth overall in 19:53. The youngest competitors were Liana Medeiros and Emma Osborne, both 11, who finished in 34:42 and 34:44 respectively, while the oldest competitor was Reggie Young, 82, who finished in 36:11.

Gilda Cann won the 5K walk in 37:32, ahead of Louise Treacy in 38:41 and Juliana Burgess in 42:27.