Chris Estwanik and Nikki Butterfield are the new Bacardi 8K men’s and women’s champions after producing commanding performances in the ninth running of the popular road race.

Estwanik chalked up his fourth Bacardi title as he made a welcome return to the local racing scene.

The 35-year-old has been sidelined in recent months with an Achilles injury. He is still on the road to recovery and decided to use yesterday’s race as a test to see if the injury is now behind him.

“I’ve got to start somewhere. This was my first race in four months,” he said.

After a slightly cautious start, he ramped up the speed and was soon running at a pace that took him clear of early leaders Evan Naude and Spencer Butterfield.

By the time he ran up the hill from Spanish Point, around the halfway mark, he had opened up a sizeable gap on second-place runner Naude.

Estwanik went on to claim victory in 25 mins 56 secs. He previously won the event in 2010, 2011 and 2013.

“I tried to race as hard as I could from the gun. It was hard. Now I will wait to see how I feel in the morning,” he said, referring to his Achilles.

The six-times Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby winner said he has been maintaining his fitness using a cross-training regime. Having enjoyed an injury-free career until three years ago, he is wary of aggravating an injury during the rehabilitation process. That means balancing his ambitions as an elite-standard marathoner with his wish to be able to continue running for many more years.

“As much as I want this next year badly, I don’t want it at the expense that I’m not able to continue running,” he said.

Naude was second in 28:33, followed by Spencer Butterfield in 29:12.

Naude, who has twice finished runner-up in the event, said: “I could not believe how fast Chris was going. It is something very special to see him run like that. I lost sight of him after he got to the top of the hill.”

In the women’s race Butterfield, 33, arrived just moments before the start and slotted into the middle of the pack at the starting line. However, once the race was under way she quickly moved through the field and was ahead of early leader Deon Breary by the time they reached the one mile marker.

“I did not know what shape I was in. I wanted to run at a fast pace, but not so fast that I would blow up,” she said.

She found the short, steep uphill at Berkeley Road to be testing, and she lost a few seconds retracing her steps after taking a wrong turn near the finish. However, she was pleased with her victory in 32:17, finishing ninth overall.

Butterfield is the wife of Bermuda’s Olympic and World Championship triathlete Tyler Butterfield. When time permits, between looking after their children and horse riding near their home in Colorado, she occasionally joins her husband during his training sessions.

Runner-up Breary, who was the fastest woman in the cross-country race at Chaplin Bay on Saturday, finished tenth overall in 32:25.

“I was running behind Nikki and she opened up a gap,” she said. “On Berkeley Hill I could see she was getting tired. I was getting stronger and tried to pull her in. I’m happy with my time, which is a personal best.”

Third woman was three-times former Bacardi race champion Victoria Fiddick in 34:31.

Among the 302 finishers was a group of runners wearing replica team kit of English Championship side Burnley Football Club, including Bermuda’s top woman triathlete, Flora Duffy. The reigning Xterra world champion crossed the finish line in 39:22 running side by side with her father Charles, a keen supporter of Burnley.

The 8K walk was won by Robert Thomas in 54:41, followed by Howard Williams in 54:49, and Joseph Matthew in 56:18. The top three women were Rebecca Perry in 56:21, Gilda Cann in 59:12, and Carol Redahan in 59:23.