Ashley Estwanik will not be defending her PartnerRe Women’s 5K title tomorrow, having still not fully recovered from an Achilles injury.

“Unfortunately, I’m not up to that quite yet,” Estwanik said. “I just starting running about three weeks ago. I’m not up to that kind of speed at this point.

“It is such a great race, I love that so many women come out. It’s got to be the biggest-attended race next to May 24; people come out regardless if they feel like runners or not.

“It’s a great feeling when everybody’s out there, but I’m going to be a part of it because I’m looking after some of my friends’ kids while they run.”

Tomorrow’s race is the 20th Partner Re 5K, an event where proceeds go towards women’s causes in Bermuda.

By noon yesterday, 878 runners and walkers had signed up, already exceeding last year’s total of 868 before the deadline for late entries today.

However, along with Estwanik, some of last year’s other top finishers may also be missing as Deon Breary, the 2015 winner, Jennifer Alen and Rose Anna Hoey had also not signed up by early yesterday. That would leave the race wide open.

Estwanik won the 2016 race in 19min 40sec, 38 seconds ahead of Alen while Breary finished third in 20:53. Melissa Logie and Catherine Mello completed the top five.

“We’re really excited, this is our twentieth year and it is all about women coming out to support an initiative that supports women,” Amanda Pacheco, of PartnerRe, said. “This year we’re supporting the Bermuda Heart Foundation. We’re looking forward to a great atmosphere on the day, with women getting together and empowering one another.

“We’re excited to see it grow, we’ve had strong numbers like this the past few years. We’re thankful for the community of women who come out every year to support the race. Without them we couldn’t have made it to 20 years.”

Estwanik, who has been doing triathlons and bike races this year while the injury heals, competed in a team with Flora Duffy and Martina Olcheski-Bell in the Tokio Millennium Re triathlon last weekend in Hamilton.

“Last weekend was great,” Estwanik said. “Flora is such a down-to-earth, normal person and it was really fun to race with her. She was great with the kids.

“I’m going to try to do a Half-Ironman towards the end of October in New Orleans, but the thing with that is I just need to be able to finish the 13 miles. Hopefully the swimming and the biking will keep me up close to the front of my age group and that I can pull off a decent half-marathon at the end of that.”

Estwanik is hoping to make a comeback to road running by Bermuda Race Weekend in January.

“I was thinking yesterday when I was doing my workout that hopefully by Bermuda Race Weekend, but I cannot get this injury to fully heal, so just have to manage it,” she said.

“Cycling has been fun, I’ve met a lot of great people and would love to see more women get out there and take part in cycling.”

Since 1998, the event has raised more than $400,000 for female-related causes in Bermuda, including programmes to fight heart disease, confront physical abuse, support rape victims, educate teenagers, combat breast cancer, and fund equipment and initiatives supporting the treatment of women’s health.

Some of the charities who have benefited since 1998 include King Edward VII Memorial Hospital’s Breast Imaging Centre, Women’s Resource Centre, Bermuda Cancer and Health, Family Centre, Centre Against Abuse, Bermuda Heart Foundation, Bermuda Diabetes Association and Action on Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

This year, all entry fee proceeds, matched by PartnerRe, will go directly to the Bermuda Heart Foundation.

Tomorrow’s races will begin at 8.30am with the 2k junior races before the adult 5k race starts at 9am, followed at 9.10 by the competitive and fun walks. The 5k course will take the runners and walkers from the Botanical Gardens to Lover’s Lane and back.