Tyler Butterfield will not be running in next month’s Appleby Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby.

There had been speculation that the two-times winner of the 13.1-mile road race would be among this year’s field after making his comeback from illness at the St Anthony’s Triathlon in St Petersburg, Florida, at the weekend.

However, the Bermuda triathlete confirmed his unavailability yesterday.

“May 24 is not on the schedule this year,” the Bermuda Male Athlete of the Year said. “I’m hoping to be able to do it next year.”

The son of Jim Butterfield, the former Olympic rower, is one of two high-profile athletes missing from this year’s May 24 Half-Marathon.

Chris Estwanik, the six-times winner and defending champion, has been sidelined by a stress fracture on his right foot which he picked up last month that has also dashed his hopes of qualifying for this summer’s Rio Olympic Games.

Estwanik’s unavailability means that a new champion will be crowned in his absence.

Butterfield impressed during his long-awaited season debut in Florida at the weekend, his first appearance at the St Anthony’s Triathlon since 2002.

He finished the 1500-metres swim, 40km bike and 10km run, finishing sixth overall in 1hr 49min 13sec. Cameron Dye, of Boulder, Colorado, was the overall winner in 1:46:46.

“I was pleased with Sunday’s race,” Butterfield said. “It was the first race of the season and I used it for a hit out or hard-training day to see where I was at.

“The St Anthony’s Triathlon is a great race and was fun to do for the first time in non-drafting format, as last time it was an ITU race in 2002.”

Butterfield’s season had been delayed prior to last weekend because of an illness he picked up in Mexico in November last year.

He had been laid low after the Ironman Cozumel race where he is believed to have contracted three parasites which ruled him out of January’s Pan American Ironman 70.3 Championships in Panama.

“Training this winter has been very up and down,” Butterfield said.

“I was pleased with the result but I have a lot of work still to do. I’m quite far behind my competitors in terms of race fitness, however September and October is the goal.”

Butterfield, who is based in Boulder, Colorado, is scheduled to compete at the Ironman 70.3 St George’s in Utah on May 7.

The professional cyclist’s main focus remains the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, in October.

He has already qualified for the race after finishing fifth last year.