Top triathlete Flora Duffy is expected to be back on the Island to defend her title when the annual PartnerRe Women's 5K run and walk - Bermuda's only all-female road race - celebrates its tenth anniversary on Sunday, October 14.

And organisers are confident the rest of the Island's top female runners will also be in the field for the charity event which will this year see funds raised for

breast cancer in Bermuda.

All proceeds from the race, starting and finishing at the Botanical Gardens in Paget, will go towards the purchase of Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre's state-of-the art digital mammography screening equipment.

This year's event kicks off at 8.30 a.m. with a junior girls' 3K race followed by a 5K run and walk at 9 a.m.

A corporate trophy will go to the company with the most employees finishing, while the school with the most participants will win a $500 cash gift, dedicated to sports programmes and equipment.

Entry forms are available at Sportseller or entries can be made online or by downloading the form at www.partnerre5k.bm.

Deadline for entries is Wednesday, October 10, at 4.30 p.m. Late registration will take place the day before the race on Saturday, October 13, at the Jack King (Poultry) Building in the Botanical Gardens, where entrants can collect their numbers. Gift bags and T-shirts will go to the first 1,000 registrants.

"Last year we had over 800 finishers, which says a lot about the popularity of this special female charity event," said race director Alison Harvey of the organising Mid-Atlantic Athletic Club (MAAC).

"This year marks a decade of great success with the event, so we're hoping to get the same strong support from Bermuda's women this time around."

Launched in 1998 by MAAC with PartnerRe as title sponsors, the event has raised more than $120,000 for female-related causes in Bermuda. These include programmes to fight heart disease and physical abuse, support rape victims, educate teenagers, fight diabetes, combat breast cancer, and fund equipment and initiatives supporting the treatment of women's health.

More than $10,000 in prizes will be up for grabs this time around, including overall run and walk prizes, age-group and junior prizes, plus numerous draw prizes -including three Grand Draw Prizes: two premium return flights to London donated by Zoom, with $500 spending money donated by Apex Construction Management, and two $800 travel vouchers donated by Arthur Morris, Christensen & Co.