International Race Weekend favourite James Thie will miss this year's running festival for the first time since 2003.

The Welsh mile specialist has been hit by an achilles injury and is trying to raise $4,000 for treatment as he is no longer on the UK's Olympic medical fund list.

Twice a winner of the KPMG Front Street Mile race, Thie has paid a heartfelt tribute to the event and how it inspired him to take his own running seriously and made him determined to come back to the Island for five consecutive years bidding to break the four-minute mile barrier.

Thie also made an impression by supporting local teenager Dorian Armstrong - a nephew of May 24 multi-champion Terrance Armstrong - by pacing him in a number of the race weekend 10kms.

By coincidence, 16-year-old Armstrong will also miss this year's race weekend as he is recovering from his own injury and is at boarding school in New Jersey.

In a message to The Royal Gazette and Bermuda's running community, Thie said: "I just wanted to let those interested know that I have had to pull out of this year's event with an on-going achilles injury."It has come as a major blow to myself as it has been five straight years that I have been involved with International race weekend. It will be the whole weekend I will miss as well as the people of Bermuda who have made me feel so welcome over the years.

"My aim now is to get fit again but this sport is a tough one when things are going badly. At present I don't have medical backing after my Olympic medical backing ended in January 1, 2007. I am now in the position of trying to raise the $4,000 cost for treatment I need.

"For Thie the injury presents a Catch 22 situation, because he needs to be able to race to pay his bills and not having any medical coverage for specialist sports' treatment means he will find it difficult to get back into an kind of racing form.

However, he intends to find a way back and return to Bermuda for the 2009 race weekend.

Thie said: "With this break from the race and running it has made me feel how lucky I was to first make my trip to the International race weekend."At the time I first heard about the event it was in early December 2002, as I was reading about the races in a running magazine during my break at my call centre work place.

"I went home and searched on the web and read about the Front Street Mile and about Leonard Mucheru's record run the year before."He wrote a letter to organiser Judith Simmons to enquire about the possibility of taking part, mentioning he had almost beaten Kenyan Mucheru in a mile race a few months earlier.

"Much to my surprise I got an invite just before Christmas, and my ticket to Bermuda was sent out soon after."The event surpassed his expectations.

"I couldn't believe the size of the crowd and I can still feel the goosebumps it gave me when the gun went. The race went to plan and I hit the lead 400 metres out and held on for a famous win," he said."It was in that 4:10 minutes that I earned as much money as I had for working for three months in the call centre back home. It was then I made the decision not to go back to work and give my running a real go."There were more surprises to come.

"The next morning when I went out for a run, loads of cars kept beeping me, I then realised they recognised me from the win the night before, a great feeling and then I saw my face on the front of The Royal Gazette - an unbelievable feeling."

In 2004, Thie successfully defended his title in tough conditions in 4:18, and followed up with a fourth place finish in the world indoor championships that year.

:He has returned every year since and makes a point of seeking out teenager Dorian Armstrong to run with and encourage in the 10km.

Armstrong's mother Wanda still remembers the moment four or five years ago when Thie jogged past her son and his friend Justin Collis as they warmed up at the National Stadium.

She said: "They were about 12 at the time. James just came over and talked to them during the warm-up and said he was doing the 10km as a little cool-up after his race the night before and he ran the race with them.

"Justin then went to boarding school, but every year since Thie would come looking for Dorian and run with him in the 10km."

The encouragement meant a lot to young Armstrong, who has continued his interest in the sport and is now a sub-18 minute 5K runner.

Mrs Armstrong said: "James has been an inspiration for Dorian. They have stayed in touch through emails."

A full list of invited international athletes for this year's Bermuda International Race Weekend will be revealed today by organisers. The race weekend takes place between January 18 and 20.