He has won the KPMG Invitational Front Street Mile race twice, now James Thie could go one better and become the first man to win the event three times.

A favourite with the Bermuda crowd, the international athlete from Wales has been confirmed as one of the elite runners for next week’s Bermuda Marathon Weekend.

Thie won the Front Street elite men’s race in 2003 and 2004. His last appearance was in 2010. The fastest mile of his career to date was run in New York in 2003, when he clocked three minutes, 57.7 seconds.

Heather Kampf, the 2013 women’s elite mile champion from the United States, is also returning this year. Kampf won last year’s race in four minutes, 49.0 seconds.

Another returning champion is Richard Tirop Kessio, who is seeking to defend his HSBC Bermuda Marathon title. The Kenyan won last year in 2:27:08 and was also the 2010 champion when he posted one of the event’s fastest times of 2:17:32.

Bermuda Marathon Weekend race organisers are in the process of confirming a number of other elite athletes for the three-day running festival, which starts on Friday, January 17.