Some of Bermuda’s top distance runners will be laying down some early markers in the Hannover Re Half-Marathon on Sunday.

The longest race since the start of the season, the island’s best are taking the opportunity to build mileage in advance of bigger tests such as the Chubb Bermuda Triangle Challenge in January and the Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby in May.

Leading the way in the men’s race this weekend are Sean Trott and Dennis Mbelenzi, with the two of them already focusing on May 24, Bermuda’s biggest race, which was won by Trott for the first time this year.

Also in the mix on Sunday are regulars Philip Woollins and Will Green, while Chris Estwanik, the 2024 winner, is known for leaving it late with his entries.

Trott, winner of the Hannover Re Half-Marathon in 2010, 2012 and 2020, knows that he will be up against some of the running community’s biggest names.

“I definitely knew that those type of names would come out,” Trott told The Royal Gazette.

“I wouldn't have come out if I didn’t think I was ready to handle the test and I’ll be ready to put my best foot forward against those guys.

“I would expect a fast time from Dennis right now, looking at what he ran recently. I know he did a marathon in Toronto recently, where he finished first in the masters division. Based on the time he ran there, I would expect another pretty good time from him.”

Trott has not run over this 13-mile distance since representing Bermuda in the half-marathon at the Island Games in Orkney on July 18.

“It’s still very early days in this season,” the 35-year-old said.

“After May 24 and Island Games, I took a bit of downtime to let the body rest and recover. In late August, I started to build back, getting ready for the season, which is obviously going on right now, so I’m just gradually building into it.

“My main focus is Bermuda Day next year, so I’m really only starting to get things going at this stage.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve prepared for this half-marathon specifically. I’m more or less just looking at this as a test and an assessment just to see how things are looking in the overall training.

“This is my first big marker to look at what further work I need to do in my training and what areas need more development.”

Mbelenzi, who ran 2hr 28min at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, expressed his excitement at racing against a group of high-quality rivals.

“This is a very welcome challenge,” the 43-year-old said.

“It is nice to have that level of competition and talent in the race as we are likely to challenge each other to attain greater heights than we would without such quality.

“I am very pleased to run against great athletes and wonderful individuals who are good friends of mine.

“I am using this race mainly to test my fitness at this point and as a tune-up to the international race weekend in January, where I intend to contest the full challenge.

“I find it beneficial to break up long training periods with short to medium races. It helps inject sustained effort and intensity, which is a good stimulus towards achieving the physiological gains we seek in training. I will do more short races in the new year as I plan my 2026 racing schedule.”

Christine Dailey, the women’s champion last year, has no high expectations this time around as she enters the final stages of pregnancy.

“I’m in my third trimester, so it’s definitely more of job for me than a run,” Dailey said.

“I would have been going for the title if I was not pregnant. But it should be a good women’s field with Kristen Robinson, Teresa Ruiz, Stepanka Sprincova and Rose-Anna Hoey all competing.”