Estwanik’s Derby agony (update)

Chris Estwanik’s dream of a record sixth straight  Appleby Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby victory is over after a scan revealed a torn tendon in his knee.

The island’s leading male runner had has refused to completely close the door on the race, pending an appointment with a specialist on Wednesday.

But, on medical advice, he has now bowed to the inevitable and pulled out of Friday's race.

Estwanik told the Bermuda Sun he heard the knee ‘pop’ on a training run on Saturday and said on Tuesday he was unable to run at all.

It means that, for the first time, he will be watching on from the sidelines.

He said: “I live to fight another day and I’ll be out there cheering on the other runners from another vantage point.

“It’s not a short recovery process because it’s a finicky injury." 

‘Gutted’

He added: “I need to be smart for the long term. Short-term gain for long-term severe pain is not a good idea.

“Obviously I’m gutted but excited for the other athletes and I get to cheer on my wife Ashley who is going for her own victory."

Estwanik was philosophical about missing out on the chance to create history with win #6.

He said: “Records are there to be broken anyway so if it’s not me it’ll be someone else who will come along and take it, probably one of the young boys out there.”

He added: “Injuries are a part of sport. There’s a reason why no-one has won it six times in a row – you have to have that tenacity and not have your body break down.

“But, look, it’s going to be an awesome day.”

An innocuous training run caused the tear and Estwanik says his body is probably telling him he needs a breather.

“I was running on Saturday and something popped in my knee and I walked the last half a mile home. 

“I was doing nothing fancy, just a normal run, my body just said it’s had enough.

“Ironically, I haven’t run as hard since the Boston Marathon because that took so much out of me.

“It’s been a hard year training and we all have our limits and I’ve found mine. 

“But listen, I’m excited for all the other athletes. It’s all positive, if it’s not meant to be it’s not meant to be. It’ s a tough pill to swallow because it’s a great thing for local athletes to experience.

“But if you push the body the way we do you have to accept the consequences.

“That’s what makes sport so emotional — the highs and lows. And it’s what makes it so great when it all comes together. It’s risk- reward just like other parts of life.”

New champion

With Estwanik out of the picture, the door is open for a new champion this year.

Tyler Butterfield —  Olympic triathlete — is now arguably the favourite and Estwanik says it will be an fascinating battle among the elite men.

He said: “ I believe Tyler Butterfield is running. And you’ve got Jay Donawa, Chayce Smith, Stephen Allen – there’s a nice who’s who of Bermuda running. It will be a case of who has the performance to bring it home. It’ll be nice and interesting.”

Supporting wife Ashley, who is defending women’s champion, is now top priority and Estwanik is looking forward to getting among the crowd.

He said: “It gives me a chance to cheer on Ashley. I’ve never experienced it from the sidelines so it will be fun to be a part of the crowd and soak it up.

“The whole community just comes together to support the runners and then the parade afterwards. 

“The rest of the day leads into family and close friends, you celebrate each other.

“It’s not unlike July 4 — good food, good family. The race is pretty much a catapult  for that and each year the atmosphere is fantastic.”