Some commanding performances were witnessed at the Butterfield Mile Invitational trials at Flora Duffy Stadium on Friday night.

Freya Dunkle started it all by destroying the field in the girls 10 and under division. She made her intentions clear from the start by surging ahead, never surrendered the lead and finished the race in 6min 18sec.

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Not to be outdone, Nolan Horrobin, who finished third on Front Street this year, ran 5:48, the fastest time in the age group.

An intriguing race took place in the girls 11 to 13 age group, which featured Naomi MacGuinness as the reigning champion. Colette Durkin and Evelyn Fahy set the pace, with the pair maintaining their positions until the end.

Durkin and Fahy both finished in 5:28, with MacGuinness third in 5:38 and the stage is now set for a fascinating battle between the three girls on January 16.

Spencer Haldeman continued with his upward trajectory by storming to victory in the boys 11 to 13. He finished with a personal best time of 5:01, with the 13-year-old declaring that he is targeting running under five minutes on Front Street.

“This is the best time I’ve ever run,” Haldeman said.

“I’ve dropped about 30 seconds from last year. I was really happy with my performance and I think I can go under five minutes in the actual race. I was fifth early this year and with such a good qualifying time, I’m going for the win.”

The boys 14 to 17 race provided fireworks as Cameron Adkins set the early pace with Sanchez Smith and Dylan Eiselt in hot pursuit.

With Adkins unable to maintain his lead, Smith and Eiselt took over heading into the last lap. The Saltus Grammar School students were engaged in a sprint finish and both crossed the line in 4:41, with Adkins third in 4:47.

Smith was pleased to perform significantly better than what he had anticipated, with hopes of an even faster time on Front Street.

“The race was amazing and I felt very good throughout the whole race,” the 15-year-old said.

“I’m really happy with my performance as I exceeded my goal time. My training in preparation for the trials was very specific. I was training to target a 4:45 mile and I finished in 4:41. I’m hoping that I can run that time again or even faster in January.”

Eiselt, who finished third, behind Jackson Langley and Jake Smith early this year, was pleased with his performance

“It was probably my best running race of the year,” he said.

“Considering I’ve had a bit of a struggle recently mentally and physically, it’s an early Christmas present to run this kind of time.”

“I was expecting two seconds slower, so I was right where I wanted to be and I actually felt very comfortable during the whole race.

“Early this year I ran 4:48 when I finished third and I didn’t know how much quicker I could have gone than that, but I proved to myself that I can run really quick.

Riana Robinson eased to victory in the girls 14 to 17 age group with a time of 5:26. Brooklyn Myers (5:45) and Jaeda Grant (5:59) completed the top three, with Kelise Wade, who was part of the podium early this year, fourth in 6:11.

In the adult races, Carina Bortoli was the first woman across the line in 6:25. The 18-year-old, who is now studying at the University of Stirling in Scotland, is sad that despite winning the qualification race, she will be back at school when the race takes place.

“I was using it as the first race of the season just to see how I was doing and using it as a benchmark,” she said.

“I won't be here for the actual race, which makes me sad. This will be the first time I haven’t run it since primary school.”

David Lunn, who took the men’s race in 4:55, spoke of how his Somersfield Academy students motivated him to run his PB.

“I was pretty nervous before the race, as I normally am,” he said.

“But I had a lot of my Somersfield Academy students running before me, so that inspired me to push myself.

“I didn’t really have anyone with me the whole race so I had to just stick to my own pace. That’s a personal best for me, which I’m happy with and hopefully I can improve on it in January.

“I’m going to increase my mileage slightly because I’ve had some injuries and been sick and travelling. I’ll try to build my aerobic base for a couple weeks and then I'll add some more speed back in.

“I placed fourth earlier this year, so hopefully I can get on the podium in a month’s time.”

Jarita Vickers, the Bermuda National Athletics Association president, was one of those captivated by the commitment shown by the runners.

“The Butterfield Front Street Mile trials on Friday delivered a fantastic display of the athletic talent we have here in Bermuda,” Vickers said.

“From the juniors through to the seniors, the competition was fierce, with several exciting performances and more than a few surprises along the way.

“We saw many tactics at work! It will certainly be interesting to see who ultimately claims the top spots when the finals take place in January.

“The night got off to a great start with Olympian DeVon Bean warming up the athletes, Mr Fotogenik keeping the energy high on the mic and a dedicated group of volunteers ensuring that the event ran seamlessly.

“Sincere thanks to Butterfield Bank for their continued support and sponsorship of this staple community event, one that so many young athletes look forward to and feel truly honoured to compete in, especially those who earn a place in the finals.”