Still recovering from an ankle injury, Victoria Fiddick ran through the discomfort to claim her second victory in the annual PartnerRe 5K women-only road race yesterday, two years on from her first win in the Island's most popular race event.

For the past four weeks Fiddick's training has been partially curtailed as she has been recovering from severely spraining her ankle. As a result her less intense training probably played a part in giving the masters' category athlete more strength to break away from the huge race field as the 1,100 runners and walkers headed out of the Botancial Gardens on to Berry Hill Road.

Fiddick led from starting gun to the finishing tape in the 3.1 mile race, making full use of the mostly downhill first mile to open a lead of 30 seconds by the time she reached the one-mile marker in a swift five minutes, 40 seconds.

"I figured then that anyone else in the race was going to have to run at least 30 seconds faster over the hillier miles if they were going to catch me," she said.

Having finished third a year ago, Fiddick reprised her 2005 winning perfiormance and stopped the clock at 19.20, almost 50 seconds ahead of her closest rival.

In the end it turned out to be a comfortable win, but there had been enough pre-race speculation about possible challengers to suggest a barn-storming battle might have been in prospect. The course record of 18.26 was set by Bermuda's international track star Ashley Couper last year. Although on-Island, Couper was ruled out this time because of injury.

There was no Flora Duffy either and the Island's most competitive woman road racer Dawn Richardson watched from the sidelines as she recovered from last weekend's gruelling Chicago Marathon.

That left Fiddick and a front row that featured the formidable talents of Kim and Dee McMullen, former course record holder and last year's runner-up Anna Eatherley and the relative dark horse of Kelly Larrett, a runner who races infrequently but usually places in the lead positions when she does.

Winner Fiddick took nothing for granted. She said: "I had no idea who would be there on the start line. You have to prepare for any eventuality.

"It is always one of the slower 5Ks because of the course and the heavy hills, but it is for a great cause (Bermuda Cancer & Health Centre's Digital Mammography Equipment Fund) and if you can contribute to something then you - and everyone - are winners."

Runner-up Larrett was sixth last year and improved by 48 seconds to finish in 20.08.

It was her second time in the event, she said: "Victoria was just so far ahead. I was just trying to keep my position."

Mother-of-two Larrett races infrequently because of other commitments and because she runs for enjoyment rather than out of competitiveness. However, she was fifth woman in this year's May 24 Derby and was equally pleased with her morning's effort yesterday.

Third place went to Kim McMullen, who beat her sister Dee (fourth) as she ran 20.20.

It was a full morning of training for McMullen, who is preparing for the half-Ironman championships in Florida in November. She put in a two-and-a-half hour cycle ride immediately before the 5K run, thereby completing two of the three triathlon disciplines.

While the cycling must have taken away some of her strength, McMullen said it was also a big help as it warmed up her muscles to allow her to run more fluidly.

"I ran quite well off the bike. I usually feel better when I get off a bike and go into a run. I was trying to catch Kelly (Larrett) and thought I might manage to do so on Tee Street. She ran really well," said McMullen, who opted to start slower than normal, reaching the first mile marker in 6.18.

This year's event is expected to raise more than last year's $30,000 for the Bermuda Cancer & Health Centre's Digital Mammography Equipment Fund. Race entry fees were matched by sponsor PartnerRe and the event, which marked its 10th anniversary yesterday, attracted a record 1,100 entrants in the 5K run and walk and junior road race.